A Wakefield metalwork businessman received over two years in prison for falsifying shipping documents on military-grade rifle scopes
A Calculated Attempt to Arm an Unknown Buyer
A Yorkshire businessman has been sentenced to two years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling military-grade rifle scopes to a buyer in Hong Kong — a scheme that unfolded over more than a year before investigators caught up with him. Steven Gates, 47, of Howden Way in Wakefield, was convicted at Leeds Crown Court of exporting prohibited or restricted goods and falsifying export documents. The case has drawn attention both for its brazen disregard for UK export regulations and for the destination of the illegal shipments: Hong Kong, a city already navigating extraordinary tensions between international norms and the reach of Beijing’s security apparatus.
How the Scheme Was Uncovered
HM Revenue and Customs investigators seized three military-grade rifle scopes — devices that magnify a weapon’s target for precision shooting — at Manchester Airport in February 2022. A further five were intercepted at the same airport in April 2023. Gates had described the items as “low-value cameras” on shipping papers, a falsification designed to conceal their true nature and evade the strict licensing regime governing the export of military-capable equipment from the United Kingdom. When officers searched his home and arrested him in May 2023, they discovered evidence of ten additional shipments that had already successfully reached Hong Kong. The full scale of the operation was larger than the initial seizures had indicated.
What the Law Requires
Exporting items that can be classified as military equipment without an appropriate government-issued licence is a serious criminal offence in the United Kingdom. The export licensing regime exists to ensure that equipment capable of enhancing lethal force does not reach destinations or end users that could pose a risk to British security interests or international stability. Rifle scopes of the kind Gates was shipping are dual-use items: they have legitimate civilian applications in hunting and sport, but their military utility is undeniable. The failure to obtain the required licence, combined with the deliberate falsification of shipping documents, reflected what prosecutors described as a calculated and persistent effort to circumvent the system. The UK Government export controls guidance outlines the licensing requirements for military-capable goods in detail. The HM Revenue and Customs enforcement arm investigates and prosecutes illicit export offences. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute tracks global arms trade patterns and the legal frameworks governing them.
The Hong Kong Dimension
That the illegal shipments were destined for Hong Kong adds a layer of complexity to this case that deserves examination. Hong Kong is a city where, since the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020, the civilian security apparatus has expanded dramatically and where questions about who ultimately controls law enforcement and intelligence resources have become deeply contested. The identity of Gates’s Hong Kong buyer and the intended end use of the scopes were not publicly disclosed during the trial proceedings, but the destination itself raises questions that go beyond a routine smuggling case. In a city where democracy has been suppressed and the boundaries between civilian policing and political enforcement have blurred, the uncontrolled movement of military-capable equipment is a matter of particular sensitivity. Human rights advocates have documented the expanding powers of Hong Kong’s security forces and the ways in which surveillance and enforcement capabilities have been used against political opponents and ordinary citizens alike.
The Sentence and Its Message
Edwige Hill, deputy director in HMRC’s fraud investigation service, said the conviction sent a clear warning: if you try to send military items without an export licence, you will be caught and you will face justice. Gates, who ran a legitimate metalwork business alongside his smuggling operation, had no prior criminal record. His attorney argued at sentencing that neither the sums involved nor the frequency of individual transactions were large. The court did not find this a sufficient mitigating factor, and the two-year-plus sentence reflects the seriousness with which the UK legal system treats the illegal export of military-capable goods. For a businessman who described himself simply as a metalworker trying to sell stock, the consequences have been severe — and deliberately so.
Ching Yi Ho
Legal Affairs & Rule of Law Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: chingyi.ho@appledaily.uk
Ching Yi Ho is a legal affairs journalist specializing in rule of law, judicial systems, and civil rights reporting. Educated at a top-tier UK journalism institution, she received formal training in court reporting, legal documentation analysis, and media law, providing a strong foundation for accurate legal journalism.
She has reported for Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications on court cases, legislative developments, constitutional issues, and legal impacts on civil society. Ching Yi’s work emphasizes precision in legal terminology, careful sourcing, and clear explanation of complex legal processes for general audiences.
Her newsroom experience includes coverage of politically sensitive legal cases, where accuracy, neutrality, and source protection are critical. Editors rely on her ability to interpret judgments and statutes without speculation or editorial distortion.
Ching Yi’s authority comes from consistent, fact-based reporting within established media institutions and her adherence to editorial standards governing legal accuracy and corrections. She maintains transparent attribution and clear distinctions between reporting and analysis.
At Apple Daily UK, Ching Yi Ho provides trustworthy legal journalism rooted in professional experience, subject-matter expertise, and respect for the public record.
