An East Ham man who admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition has been jailed for five years.

Mohammed Wahid, 25, pleaded guilty to the offences after an investigation by the Newham Gangs and Firearms Unit. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Emmanuel Sakyi, 25, from Chingford, was also found guilty of possession a prohibited firearm and possession of ammunition.

He had previously pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced to a total of six and a half years imprisonment.

They were sentenced on August 12 2013 at Inner London Crown Court for firearms offences. A woman was given a suspended sentence for her involvement.

Jessinta Hammond, 25, from Dagenham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. She received a 12 month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months.

On July 5 2012, officers from the Newham Gangs and Firearms Unit tried to stop a silver Lexus car known to be used by local gang members.

It failed to stop and drove dangerously across major junctions. It was pursued through Newham and into Barking and Dagenham. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Kennedy Road, Dagenham.

A loaded firearm was recovered close to the car, identified as having been thrown from the vehicle.

The car was found to belong to Hammond, although the insurance was in the name of her brother in-law Sakyi.

Shortly after the vehicle was abandoned Hammond contacted police and reported the vehicle stolen from outside her home address in Dagenham.

A mobile phone found in the car was further linked to Sakyi. A second mobile phone found was discovered to belong to Wahid, a known associate of Sakyi. Wahid’s DNA was also found on the bag containing the firearm.

DI Dave Coxell, of Newham’s Gangs and Firearms Unit, said the convictions demonstrated the unit’s commitment to removing dangerous criminals and their weapons from the streets.