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In a highly unusual case that was a first for many officers, West Midlands Police admitted a man was discovered to have been making weapons using his 3D printer.
It was shocking to say the least when police received a tip in December 2020 and searched a family’s suburban home in East Birmingham, finding an arsenal of weapons in a closet.
Footage from the raid, shown in a new episode of Forensics: The Real CSI, shows the huge weapons being drawn by officers who later arrest the property’s resident, David Biddell-Portman.
The firearms in question, including one that appeared to be semi-automatic, appeared to be homemade and potentially lethal and were sent to a ballistics expert for confirmation.
“This doesn’t look right, it looks like he’s been messing around with it,” says an official, while an expert comments on the “extremely worrying” emergence of 3D weapons.
In addition to the six firearms and ammunition found on the property, several devices and over 300 weapon components were confiscated.
And a 3D printer is found in an upstairs closet and sent for immediate examination.
David Biddell-Portman was arrested after several deadly weapons were seized from his home (Image: SWNS)
Assault rifles were confiscated (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)
Biddell-Portman may not have had a license required to own firearms like those discovered and may have committed crimes. Police wondered if he even planned to resell them.
Two of the six weapons are believed to have been 3D printed as officials claim they have never seen them in the West Midlands.
“A truly unusual find on a national level, let alone a local level,” comments a ballistics expert.
The forklift driver had never been arrested and was an unknown suspect to police. However, that didn’t stop them from admitting they were “scared” when they saw the weapons being stored in an unusual location, a home address.
“It’s a game changer,” says one.
As footage of Biddell-Portman’s arrest airs, investigators in the documentary explain how worrying the find could be and point to possible links to extremism.
Police discovered the 3D printer (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)
One of the weapons was partially 3D printed and based on an American assault rifle – a type that is often used in mass shootings in America and can seriously injure numerous victims in a short period of time.
While this one is made from a mix of alloy and plastic, the second is virtually entirely 3D printed, putting Biddell-Portman in a suspicious situation.
But in the recordings of his police interviews aired in the documentary, he insists on giving “no comment” when asked several times about the findings, when asked why someone would hide them in a room where he sleeps with his wife and daughter, and when asked if he is a “bad person”.
Compared to the numerous questions he asked at the time of his arrest, which suggested he had some knowledge of firearms laws, although he appeared calm at the time, Biddell-Portman’s stone-cold silence stood in sharp contrast and he refused to answer questions to answer.
As forensic analysis of the seized weapons begins, it emerges that none of the weapons were traceable and did not contain serial numbers, calling them “ghost weapons.”
Among the other devices and products seized, police are beginning to build a fuller picture of Biddell-Portman, searching his 60,000 images and videos for instructions on how to make weapons.
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At first glance, he seems to be just a family man and loving father who is interested in motorcycles. But a “darker side” soon comes to light, as the suspect is said to have completed hundreds of hours of extensive research in the hope of manufacturing and operating weapons.
Forensics: The Real CSI reveals the actual evidence found (Image: Blast Films/BBC)
The weapons were partly 3D printed (Image: Blast Films/BBC)
His financial records show a stable income and no immense four-figure sums that could be linked to firearms, although the majority of his income is spent on cryptocurrencies, raising further concerns among police.
First of all, there is no indication on his phone that he could be associated with illegal firearms. However, police found deleted data indicating he had tried to hide his activities, raising further suspicions and increasing the depth of the search.
In the meantime, the ballistics team begins analyzing the weapons and their functionality. Had the suspect collected imitation weapons, crimes may not have been committed, but experts are concerned about the verification because firing a live cartridge from the printed weapons triggers fear of completely destroying them and any other evidence.
CT scans of the weapons soon reveal how heavily they are made of metal rather than plastic, the latter easily disintegrating under the pressure of a live cartridge being fired.
But in a test fire, when loaded with a live weapon, you can clearly see that the weapon is working.
Using a soapy material designed to replicate skin and muscle tissue, the gun fires a bullet six inches deep, much deeper than expected.
The result would have been “a dead man,” comments one expert.
Experts analyzed the seized weapons (Image: BBC/Blast Films)
Biddell-Portman was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting two counts of manufacturing a firearm (Image: Blast Films/BBC)
After Biddell-Portman is remanded in custody for possession while police search for evidence of manufacturing, hidden documents are uncovered in deleted files on his device.
It’s clear that the weapons weren’t “just a passing interest” when you find the hidden instructions for making weapons, with hundreds of downloaded manuals and files that are actually compatible with the 3D printer in your home.
The police have no doubts about the use of the printer, and although the motives are still unknown, Biddell-Portman is tried by a jury.
According to one expert, Biddell-Portman actually intended to make the weapons work and invested hundreds of hours of research and effort into it.
“If you set out on a journey to build a viable lethal weapon, we will find you eventually,” an official warns coldly in the documentary.
“As far as the future of improvised weapons, I think we’re thinking about that.”
Biddell-Portman was sentenced to five years in prison in June last year after admitting two counts of manufacturing a firearm.
Forensics: The Real CSI airs Sundays at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer
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