Shocking moment the ‘coward’ was found keeping the loaded gun in the daughters underwear drawer

This is the shocking moment police found firearms a cowardly gangster hid in his children’s underwear drawers in south London.

Danny Butler, 44, recklessly hid six guns, ammunition and drugs in the home he shared with his wife and three daughters, one of whom was just 18 months old.

Details of Butler’s arrest emerged as figures show almost half of shootings investigated by the Metropolitan Police remain unsolved.

The detectives declared war on the underworld shipowners, bringing death and injury to the streets of the capital.

Sebastiaan James-Kraan, 20, died after being shot by a group of men in Hanwell on June 9.

A nine-year-old girl is still fighting for her life following a shooting in Dalston, one of at least six people injured in four attacks in just two weeks.

Last year alone, 386 illegal firearms were seized in London – more than one a day.

At Butler’s home in New Park Road, Tulse Hill, three guns, one of which was loaded, were discovered in the girls’ clothes drawer.

In the parents’ wardrobe were another pistol and a sawed-off shotgun, along with a large quantity of ammunition.

A second sawed-off shotgun was found in a clothes closet.

Subsequent searches revealed Class B drugs on the living room floor, which were within easy reach of the toddler. Police seized Class A drugs kept inside a TV unit and a wardrobe.

On April 22, Butler was jailed for 18 years at Croydon Crown Court for possessing firearms with intent to endanger life and using drugs with intent to supply.

Officers immediately alerted Lambeth social services because of the safeguarding risk the children posed.

Detective Superintendent Victoria Sullivan described the Butlers’ actions as “reckless”, adding: “It is truly sad to see an example of gangs taking advantage of vulnerable people in our communities to store firearms for them.

“Our investigation led to officers removing a dangerous man from our streets and protecting vulnerable children.

“Significant weapons were found in the house which could have been used to kill or injure others.”

Jackie Taylor’s son Tyrese Miller, 22, was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity as he returned from a night out at a pub with friends in Croydon last April. Two men were convicted for their roles.

Mrs Taylor said: “No mother should have to bury her son like I did.

“What happened to Tyrese changed all of us. None of us will ever really come to terms with what happened.

“I worry that if this can happen to Tyrese, it can happen to anyone.

“Once you met Tyrese, you never forgot him. He was loved. He was the center of our family. He had friends everywhere.

“Sometimes it was easier to tell who he didn’t know. For someone who lived such a short life, he meant an incredible amount to so many of us.”

Commander Paul Brogden, who is responsible for Specialist Crime at the Met, said: “Guns destroy lives and communities.

“Recent shootings in parts of London are a sad reminder that we still have work to do when it comes to tackling illegal firearms and my thoughts are with those affected.

“The Met’s sustained work on firearms shows our commitment to making London a safer place.

“We will continue to build trust in communities disproportionately affected by these crimes and remain relentless in our pursuit of criminals who use and supply firearms.

“Our progress should serve as a message to criminals and gang members who use firearms – we will come after you and bring you to justice.”

He added that officers are cracking down on serious and organized crime groups, which are causing the most harm.

This has led to a 15-year low in gun crime.

However, the proportion of Met cases ending with an offender facing prosecution has reached 52%, which is the highest rate in 11 years, but leaves 48% unsolved.

Detectives believe this is partly due to fear of preventing witnesses from coming forward or sharing vital evidence, including footage of the doorbell, and the fact that some victims seek revenge rather than co-operate with police.

Since March 2023, there has been a reduction from 196 firearm offenses in the last 12 months to 145.

Gun crimes dropped from 12 in 2021, to 10 in 2022 and eight last year.

Across Harrow, Brent and Barnet in west London, there has been no fatal shooting since 2020, compared with at least one a year since 2014.

In these neighborhoods, over the past four years, 80 people have been charged with various firearms offenses, 64 of them convicted, resulting in a total of 367 years in prison.

Specialist officers achieved a 44% reduction in gun crime in Lambeth and Southwark, south-east London.

About half of the city’s shootings are believed to be gang-related.

Det Supt Sullivan added: “Often the victim themselves who has been shot does not want to disclose to the police and this could be because they are seeking retribution themselves.

“So today’s victim could be tomorrow’s suspect. And that’s why it’s very important that we act really, really quickly to try to resolve this situation.”

An increasing number of shootings involve converted firearms, originally designed for non-lethal purposes, such as scaring birds, that are converted into deadly weapons.

Around 46 per cent of the 386 guns seized by the Met last year were converted into blank shooters.