Criminals Thank Judge for Jail Time

[Andoreion]

LONDON (Reuters) - Two criminals showed their polite side on Friday when they thanked the judge after he sent them to jail for six years each for converting hundreds of blank-firing guns into lethal weapons.

As Judge David Paget sentenced Stephen Herbert, 47, and Gary Beard, 46, one of them called out with a smile: "Thank you judge, that's lovely." The other was heard to mutter: "We got away with that one." Their crimes could have attracted maximum penalties of 10 years.

A factory in southeast London run by the two men converted over one gun a day into fully functioning arms during a 14 month period. The weapons were sold to criminals at 600 pounds ($1,071) a time, the court heard.