Jockey whose gun was stolen, sawn off then used to kill MP Jo Cox by Hitler fanatic Thomas Mair tells of his agony
AN EX-JOCKEY whose stolen gun was used to murder MP Jo Cox told yesterday how he blamed himself.
Devastated Zach Gaughan, 24, bought the .22 Weihrauch rimfire rifle after setting up business as a pest controller.
He used cash left by his mum after she died aged 45.
But in August 2015 the rifle was nicked from the back of his 4x4 Mitsubishi L200.
As a result he lost his gun licence and his business.
Then in June last year he discovered his gun’s role in mum-of-two Mrs Cox’s death outside her surgery in Birstall, West Yorks.
Speaking publicly for the first time Zach, who was living 16 miles away in Keighley, said: “I was devastated.
“The police rang me a day after Jo Cox was murdered and said they had found my rifle and asked me to describe it.
“They said it had been sawn-off.”
Zach, about to become a father, added: “I was beside myself.
“To see Jo Cox’s kids will grow up without a mum is heartbreaking.”
Recalling the theft, he said: “I’d been out shooting rabbits on a farm.
“I parked the vehicle — I’m pretty sure I locked it — and gave a rabbit to my uncle and had a cup of tea.
“When I went back my dog was loose on the road and the back passenger door had been broken into.
“The rifle was gone.
“It had been in a gun sleeve and covered up with coats.
“I believed it was secure but the police said I had breached the terms and conditions of my licence because they thought I had left it unattended.”
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Zach moved to Thirsk, North Yorks, and became a stable hand.
He said: “When police rang they said the gun had been used in an incident but didn’t say anything more.
“When I turned on the news I knew it was my gun.
“I felt guilty and responsible.
“To know my gun was used to kill someone makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.”
Jo died from three gun wounds and was stabbed 15 times. Hitler fanatic Thomas Mair, 53, was given a whole life term in November after the Old Bailey convicted him of murder.
Last night police said: “The question of who supplied the firearm to Thomas Mair remains an active line of inquiry.
“The firearm was stolen on August 2, 2015.
“Also taken was an air rifle which has not been found and it appears the theft was opportunistic.”
