Liverpool fugitive jailed after Christmas Day meal arrest

Daniel (left) and Richard Burdett were described as "dangerous criminals"

A fugitive arrested as he sat down to eat his Christmas lunch in the Netherlands has been jailed for importing "assassin kits" into the UK.

Daniel Burdett, 30, had been on the run for five years when he was caught by Dutch police on 25 December 2019.

Along with his brother Richard, 35, he imported guns, silencers and ammunition into the UK.

At Manchester Crown Court, Daniel Burdett was jailed for 25 years while Richard was jailed for 18 years.

Sentencing the brothers, both of Vauxhall in Liverpool, Judge Suzanne Goddard QC said they were "dangerous criminals".

"Both consignments contained lethal weaponry. These weapons were intended to endanger life or cause serious injury to somebody," she said.

Daniel Burdett fled Liverpool in 2015 after being accused of plotting to supply cocaine and ketamine on a "commercial scale".

The brothers were involved in importing guns, silencers and ammunition which were described in court as ready-to-use "assassins kits".

The imported guns, silencers and ammunition were described in court as ready-to-use "assassins kits"

The weapons were intercepted by police during two shipments into the UK from Holland, one into Dover docks in April 2018 and the second at Killingholme docks, North Lincolnshire, five months later.

The first, hidden in a lorry trailer, contained six guns including Glock pistols and a Magnum revolver, and the second shipment, concealed in a car on a low-loader, included 10 Heckler and Koch pistols, each with 25 live rounds.

Daniel Burdett's DNA was linked to both shipments, while his brother's DNA was linked to the second one.

Richard Burdett was arrested in July 2019 after being stopped by police in Amsterdam. To confirm his identity he produced a genuine British passport, but bearing his photo and fraudulently obtained.

He had used it to travel to Ireland to evade police in the UK, the court heard.

Daniel Burdett was at a five-star restaurant along with family members in The Hague, Holland, on Christmas Day when he was arrested.

The brothers were found guilty of the importation of firearms and ammunition after a trial at Manchester Crown Court in August.

Richard was also convicted for the possession of fraudulent UK passports, while Daniel pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply cocaine in connection to the Merseyside Police investigation.