Schoolboy, 13, becomes 'youngest person ever' charged with possessing a gun

A boy of 13 has been charged with possessing a deadly pistol commonly used by violent gangs.

Police found the 9mm Baikal hidden under the stairs in his house with two silencers and a bag of up to 20 cartridge.

Senior officers believe he is one of the youngest people ever to be caught with a gun.

Forensic tests are now being carried out to establish whether the weapon has been used in any shootings.

The 13-year-old was arrested at his home in New Cross, south-east London at 2.30pm by officers investigating criminal gangs.

He is currently in custody at Lewisham Police Station, where he has been charged with firearm offences.

A Baikal gun was used to kill James Andre Smartt-Ford, 16, at Streatham Ice Arena in south-west London in February last year.

Philip Poru, 18, was also reportedly shot dead with a Baikal while sitting in his car with a friend in Plumstead, south-east London, last October.

The alarming arrest and the murder last week of innocent bystander Ryan Bravo, 18, who was fatally shot in the back at a convenience store in Walworth, south-east London, will fuel fears of a resurgence in gun violence.