JANUARY 2007
We prepare
a monthly summary of gun incidents, focussing on those that raise key
issues about the nature of gun crime and the adequacy of gun legislation. Items that
have been amended or added to the list since the
Summary was written are marked (*).
ENGLAND
BBC,
31 January 2007
A serial sniper with an
air rifle has been targeting motorists
passing under a bridge on the A693 in Greencroft, near Stanley in
County Durham. Thirty four vehicles have been hit since January
2006, and police believe the same person is behind all the attacks.
Police fear that someone could end up being hurt or even killed.
Norwich Evening News,
29 January 2007
A swimming centre in
Norwich has been continually bombarded by vandals causing thousands of
pounds of damage. Staff believe that catapults or
air rifles are being used to fire at the
glass frontage.
BBC,
29 January 2007
Three men, aged 21 and 20,
were arrested following reports of a man with a gun in a street in
Lincoln. Two BB guns were
recovered at the scene. A police spokesman said "This was extremely
irresponsible and foolhardy, dare I even say stupid. It is very hard
to tell if these are toys or real guns but our officers are armed with
real gun, real bullets and a situation could turn very tragic."
BBC,
29 January 2007 *
David Bradley, a former
soldier, has admitted the manslaughter of four members of his family on
the grounds of diminished responsibility. The victims were found
shot dead at the home they shared in Newcastle in July 2006 (see
Incidents).
Charges of murder were dropped when it was found Bradley was mentally ill.
He had kept the 7.65 mm CZ pistol used to kill his family from his Army
days after serving in Bosnia. Bradley was remanded in custody whilst
psychiatric reports are prepared. He has been told that he must
serve a minimum of 15 years, but warned he may remain too dangerous ever
to be released (Evening Chronicle, 9 April 2008)
BBC,
29 January 2007
A man was killed when he was
shot in the head with a machine gun at a flat in Brentford, west
London. Another man who was also shot remained in a stable condition and
a pet dog suffered a bullet wound to the leg.
BBC,
28 January 2007
Three men have been questioned
by police after reports that an air rifle
was brandished out of the window of a van at Dunsop Bridge, near
Clitheroe in Lancashire. The men, aged 19, 20 and 21, were advised
about their conduct and air rifles confiscated.
Sunderland Echo,
27 January 2007
Three youths, aged 15, 17 and
18, who used two ball-bearing guns to
fire at pupils at a school in Ashbrooke, Sunderland, in September
2006 (see Incidents)
will not face court action. One had gone to the school with his
mother to apologise to the head. The decision was reached following
consultations between Northumbria Police and the Crown Prosecution
Service.
The News (Portsmouth),
26 January 2007
Anthony Journet is facing jail
after a string of armed robberies. He robbed four stores and petrol
stations in Havant, Wickham, Southbourne and
Liphook in a period of three months. Each time he went to the
till as if to pay and then pulled a balaclava over his head, threatened
staff with an imitation gun and
grabbed the contents of the till. The weapon was found when police
searched Journet's home. He pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery
and three counts of having an imitation firearm with intention to commit
an offence.
Weston & Somerset Mercury,
25 January 2007
Brian Linley has pleaded
guilty to three thefts, aggravated burglary and possessing an
imitation firearm and asked for 12 other
thefts to be taken into consideration. Linley was in charge of
collecting money from fellow residents at his retirement home to pay for a
break, but stole the money. He tried to pay the money back by
staging a doorstep robbery in Weston-super-Mare in which he pointed
an airgun at an elderly couple.
This is Local London,
25 January 2007 *
A murder inquiry was launched
after a man was shot with a high-power air rifle
in Cricklewood, north west London. Three men forced their way
into the victim's home when he answered his door, and during the ensuing
struggle one of the men shot him in the chest with his own air rifle.
According to police the air rifle was right on the legal limit and was
"powerful enough to be as lethal as shooting a firearm". The weapon
was taken by the intruders who also stole his mobile phone and laptop
computer (BBC, 26 January 2007). A £10,000 reward has been offered for help in finding another man, Ayub
Barkan, wanted for questioning in relation to the murder (Wembley & Kingsbury Times,
12 June 2007). One man has been convicted of manslaughter and he and
three others convicted of conspiracy to rob (See
January 2008 Incidents).
Press Association,
25 January 2007
On the day before the latest
gun crime figures for England and Wales were released, a Home Office
worker, on his way home from sharing a meal with Home Secretary John Reid, was
attacked in Beckenham by two teenagers armed with a
replica gun. The victim's wallet
and mobile phone were taken. Two men, aged 19 and 17, are in custody.
Boston Standard,
25 January 2007
Valdimantas Patrosis was
jailed for two years after admitting possessing an
imitation weapon with intent to cause
fear of violence. Patrosis was arrested after being chased by a
police officer through Boston. He had been seen after an
incident near a nightclub and been spotted slipping something inside his
jacket before pushing past the police officer. An 8mm blank-firing
pistol was found close by after being discarded by Patrosis.
This is Lancashire,
24 January 2007
A supermarket sales assistant
in Higher Ince, Wigan, was threatened by an armed robber with a
gun. The man, who was armed with what appeared to be a handgun, was
handed a bag stuffed with notes and fled.
BBC,
23 January 2007
A BBC reporter was filming in
West Howe, Bournemouth, when she was threatened with what appeared
to be a semi-automatic weapon. A youth pulled out the gun and
pointed it at her and then ran off. The weapon was recovered by police officers
and confirmed to be a BB gun. A
17-year-old has pleaded guilty to firearms offences and will be sentenced
following reports. His defence counsel said "This was one of those
offences that starts as a silly prank that gets built out of control." (BBC,
1 February 2007).
Sunderland Echo,
20 January 2007
"Bullets" were fired at a
family home in Seaburn in what neighbours described as a "drive-by"
shooting. Police believe an air weapon
was used. The rear window of a car and a back kitchen window of a
house were smashed.
Wimbledon Guardian,
19 January 2007
Shaun Partleton has been
sentenced to eight years in prison for a catalogue of crimes including six
counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery and seven counts of
possessing a firearm. The offences took place at betting shops in
Brixton Hill in May 2006 and September 2006, in Brixton in
August 2006 and in Streatham Hill in October 2006 (twice) and December
2006.
Milton Keynes Today,
19 January 2007
Three youths, aged 14 and 15,
have been arrested following complaints from residents in Eaglestone
who had been hit by airgun pellets.
The police had received four complaints, including one from a postman.
An air weapon has been recovered by the police (BBC, 21 January
2007).
Hucknall Today,
19 January 2007
Gary Salmon has been convicted
of the murder of a man who was gunned down in a car outside a pub in
Bulwell in August 2003. He provided the gun used by Michael
O'Brien to shoot the victim in a case of mistaken identity. Salmon
will serve a minimum of 18 years, the same term eventually given to O'Brien,
who was convicted in July 2004 (see
Incidents).
Chichester Today,
19 January 2007
A masked robber threatened staff
in a shop in Southbourne, west Sussex. The man, who was
carrying a handgun, walked into the shop and made off with a large amount of
cash from the till.
Doncaster Today,
18 January 2007
A boy, aged between 14 and 15,
attempted to hold up a bus with a handgun in Conisbrough, south
Yorkshire. He approached the bus as it was setting off from its stop
and reached in his pocket to produce a handgun, demanding "Give me your
money". The driver shut the doors of the bus and immediately drove
away. He is said to be very traumatised by the incident.
BBC,
18 January 2007
A gun was fired at the door of a
house in Shawclough, Rochdale, by burglars who then threatened two
women inside. The two masked men stole a purse containing a small
amount of cash before fleeing by car after one of the women escaped and
alerted neighbours.
Bromley Times,
17 January 2007
Three branches of Tesco in south
London were targeted by armed robbers over the same weekend. The
stores were in Penge, South Norwood and Thornton Heath.
In each case three men were involved, though the police have only said that
they are keeping an open mind as to whether the three incidents were linked.
One of the men was armed with a handgun. Cash was stolen from the
Penge branch, but at Thornton Heath the men failed to open the tills,
panicked and fled. In December 2006 two other branches, in Penge and
Anerley, were robbed (see
Incidents).
Argus (Brighton),
17 January 2007
Commuters on a train watched in
horror as teenagers shot at each other across the carriage with a
ball-bearing gun. The
youths continued shooting the weapon at each other as they stepped on to the
platform of Hove station. Moments later the police were told
that a gang of youths had stolen alcohol from a shop and that one had a gun
in his back pocket. Officers searched the area and arrested four males
on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm and theft. Police
were questioning three boys aged 13, 14, and 15 and a 20-year-old man.
Preston Today,
16 January 2007
A gang of six men have been
jailed following a £130,000 bank raid in Ashton, Preston, in April
2006. Staff and customers were left terrified when three masked men,
armed with handguns, a crowbar and a sledge hammer, burst into the premises.
A gun was pointed at the face of a bank worker. Peter Anderson, Alan
McClenan and David Cullen pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a firearm
and possession of a prohibited weapon and were sentenced to a minimum of six
years, a minimum of five years and to ten years, respectively. Bradley
McClenan, who fired a pistol from the getaway car, pleaded guilty to
robbery, possession of a firearm, possession of an offensive weapon and also
to having a firearm with intent to endanger life. He too will serve a
minimum term of six years. Two other men were jailed after admitting
conspiracy to rob.
BBC,
16 January 2007
Thousands of pounds were stolen
from a security guard while he was unloading money for a cash machine at a
supermarket in Chippenham. The man was approached by two men,
brandishing what witnesses claim was a handgun, who forced the guard to the
ground before taking the cash from his van.
BBC,
15 January 2007 *
A man has been arrested after
police received a report of a man armed with a firearm and a knife in
Newton Poppleford in Devon. The man put down his weapons after
negotiations with police. He has pleaded guilty to possessing a
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and awaits sentencing (see
September 2007 Incidents).
BBC,
13 January 2007
Part of Bristol city
centre was cordoned off after reports that a gun had been fired close to a
club.
BBC,
13 January 2007
Police officers were called to
Chilcompton, Somerset, after reports that a man with a firearm and explosives was
threatening to kill himself. The man refused to cooperate and made
threats to officers but the siege was ended when police fired a baton round
and used a stun gun. A man was arrested and was taken to hospital for
an examination.
BBC,
12 January 2007 *
A woman has been found dead at a
house in Bolton-by-Bowland, Lancashire. A man called a health
centre claiming his wife had been shot. Police are not treating the
death as suspicious.
BBC,
12 January 2007
BBC Radio Derby has learnt that
a teacher was sacked for taking a gun into a Derbyshire school.
The incident took place in 2005. Derbyshire County Council's education
spokesman did not outline how the weapon was discovered.
Portsmouth.co.uk,
11 January 2007
Armed police officers cordoned
off a large part of North End, Portsmouth, following reports of a
gunman loose in the residential area. A man claimed to have been shot
at by another man, whom he said he knew. Three hours later the police
stood down their search and cordon having been unable to locate the man with
the weapon. The victim believed the weapon could have been an
air pistol.
Chesterfield Today,
11 January 2007
Police believe that one man is
responsible for three armed robberies in Chesterfield. Two of
the robberies have taken place in the last week at a petrol station in
Heath and a
shop in Whittington Moor, while the third robbery occurred at a bank in
the town in November 2006.
During each incident the cashier had a gun pointed at them.
Portsmouth.co.uk,
10 January 2007
A man armed with a handgun
robbed a petrol station in Wickham, near Fareham. He pointed
the gun at staff before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
ic South London,
10 January 2007
A bus driver was held up at
gunpoint by three youths in Anerley. He was robbed of his
personal possessions but was unhurt and able to call for help over his
radio.
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle),
10 January 2007
A handgun was fired during a
bungled robbery in Blyth after two men had burst into an off-licence.
Three shots were fired after they were chased from the premises by the
shopkeeper.
BBC,
10 January 2007
The manager of a
store in Tredworth, Gloucester, overpowered a man armed with a gun during an attempted robbery.
The man had demanded money while threatening staff. A 20-year-old man
is helping police with inquiries.
Bromsgrove News,
9 January 2007
A shop in Bromsgrove was
robbed at gunpoint by two masked armed raiders. The pair entered the
store brandishing a handgun and escaped with a quantity of cash after
threatening two members of staff and a customer.
BBC,
9 January 2007
A prisoner has been helped to
escape by two masked men, one of whom was armed with a gun. The escape
took place as the man arrived at Hammersmith Hospital by ambulance.
Three prison officers were forced to uncuff the prisoner. No shots
were fired. Although unhurt the officers were treated for shock.
Joe Farnan has been recaptured by police at a property in Docklands,
east London (BBC, 12 January 2007).
BBC,
8 January 2007 *
Reuben Bettis opened fire on his
love rival with a double-barrelled shotgun at an allotment in Orsett,
Essex, in April 2006 (see
Incidents). His victim was hit in the hand and stomach.
Doctors had considered amputating his hand. Bettis admitted possessing
the gun which he had borrowed from a friend. Sentencing was adjourned
but the judge has already told Bettis that he would be jailed. He was
subsequently given an eight year jail sentence (BBC, 9 July 2007).
BBC,
8 January 2007
Masked men armed with a shotgun
and a machete-style knife threatened staff and customers at Tamworth
FC's clubhouse before fleeing with several thousand pounds several hours
after the club's FA Cup game with Norwich.
BBC,
8 January 2007
Three men who broke into a house
in Duffield, Derby, stole two guns, a shotgun and an
air rifle,
as well as cash and jewellery.
BBC,
7 January 2007
A 16-year-old has been charged
with possession of an imitation firearm
with intent to cause fear of violence after an incident at Stanton Hill
near Skegby in Nottinghamshire. Police officers fired shots from a
baton gun at the youth, who was struck but not seriously injured. The
teenager has been sentenced to 18 months detention and training (see
April 2007 Incidents).
Evening Courier (Halifax),
6 January 2007
Police are investigating two
robberies in Huddersfield. Two masked men armed with a handgun held up
an off-licence in Bradley. The robbers ran off with a small
amount of property after staff activated a panic alarm. A woman was
attacked by two men with what is believed to be a handgun as she unloaded
her shopping from her car in Deighton. They forced their way
into her home and made off with property.
BBC,
6 January 2007
A man was found with wounds to
his legs following a firearms incident in Wellingborough. The
victim was found by police after they were called by witnesses reporting a
person with a firearm.
Pendle Today,
5 January 2007
Armed response units were called
to a retail park in Colne after someone opened fire on people and
vehicles from a nearby embankment with an air rifle.
One customer was in his car when he was struck on the back of the head by a
pellet which had been fired through his open window. Another driver
heard a pellet hit his vehicle at about the same time.
Evening Courier (Halifax),
5 January 2007
Karl Scorgie was caught at a pub
in Halifax with an air rifle he
had just bought. The licensee reported him after he had asked him to
leave the pub and been confronted by him. Scorgie was conditionally
discharged for two years and ordered to pay costs.
BBC,
5 January 2007
Police have condemned as
"mindless" whoever struck a number of cars on the A361 between Barnstaple
and Braunton over several days with what are thought to have been
BB gun pellets.
24dash.com,
5 January 2007
Three Lithuanian nationals,
Darius Stankunas from Sheffield, Orestas Bubliauskas from Chigwell
in Essex and Andrius Gurskas of no fixed address, were jailed for a total of
32 years over a plot to smuggle a consignment of lethal converted pistols
into Britain. Stankunas was jailed for 10 years, Bubliauskas for 11
years and Gurskas for 11 years. The trio were seized by armed police
following a surveillance operation. More guns were found at an address
in east London. Ammunition and a silencer were also recovered
during the operation. All three had previous convictions.
PinkNews.co.uk,
4 January 2007
Spencer George Payne, 18, was
found guilty for the possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause
fear or unlawful violence. Gary Joe Smith, 19, was found guilty for
possession of an offensive weapon in public. The pair arrived at a car
park in Ockham, Surrey, in May 2006 and shouted homophobic abuse at
passers-by before producing an air rifle
and a samurai sword and using them in a threatening manner. Payne was
given a 51-week sentence suspended for two years. Smith received a
sentence of 30 weeks suspended for 18 months. Both were ordered to
carry out community service.
Yorkshire Post,
3 January 2007
A bullet was fired past the head
of a shop assistant during a robbery in a store in Newsome,
Huddersfield. The man who fired the shot had grabbed the handgun from
his accomplice and pulled the trigger after the assistant had rejected
demands to hand over takings. Three robbers were involved.
Salisbury Journal,
3 January 2007
A gunman held up a shoe repair
shop in Chippenham. He pointed a handgun at the lone, male
member of staff and demanded cash from the till be handed over.
Approximately £200 was taken. CCTV pictures of the man have been
released.
Evening Standard,
3 January 2007
In what has been described as a
gangland-style assassination a man was killed as he arrived at a garage in
Barking, east London, to collect a car. Two gunmen walked up to
him and fired a volley of shots at close range. The victim was
pronounced dead at the scene.
BBC,
3 January 2007
Two thieves threatened staff at
a shop in Langley, Slough, with what appeared to be a gun before
stealing cash and cigarettes.
This is Local London,
2 January 2007
One man was fighting for his
life and two other people, a man and a woman, were also wounded after being
shot while celebrating at a nightclub in Islington, north London.
All the victims were being treated in hospital. The shots were fired
on the dance floor following a disturbance. A fourth victim later came
forward (Islington Tribune, 5 January 2007). In another shooting
incident in Islington two days earlier a doorman at a nightclub and a
member of the public were injured after three men were refused entry.
They fled the scene in a vehicle.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
2 January 2007
The manager of a betting shop in
Crosland Moor was robbed at gunpoint after locking up. Two men,
one of whom had a gun, demanded cash and fled with the victim's rucksack.
BBC,
2 January 2007
A cab driver was robbed at
gunpoint in the Sherwood area of Nottingham having been dispatched to
an address that did not exist. As he tried to find the house two men
appeared, one of them armed with a gun, who demanded cash. The driver
handed over £70 and a mobile phone.
BBC,
2 January 2007 *
A 16-year-old girl sustained
serious injuries after being shot in the face with an
air rifle in Paulton, Somerset.
A 19-year-old has been charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm and
a firearm's offence. According to the police the victim is in hospital
in a critical but stable condition (Avon and Somerset Constabulary, 2
January 2007). The man is reported to be her boyfriend (Press
Association, 2 January 2007). A man has been sent to a young
offenders institute for three years for possessing the air rifle (see
May 2007 Incidents).
This is Hampshire,
1 January 2007
The landlord of a pub in
Bitterne, Southampton has described his shock after an armed man
brandished a handgun in the bar which, moments later, was attacked with a
firebomb by a second man. A 17-year-old is helping police with their
enquiries.
BBC,
1 January 2007
A busy shopping street in
Nottingham was closed by police after reports that a shot had been
fired. No-one was injured in the incident.
SCOTLAND
Scotsman,
30 January 2007
Two men shot another man at
close range in a quiet residential street in Nitshill, Glasgow.
The victim was taken to hospital where his condition was described as
being stable.
Scotsman,
30 January 2007
Two alleged members of the
Ulster Defence Association were cleared of charges that followed the
seizure of an automatic pistol and ammunition at a house in Buckhaven,
Fife. Stephen Moffat, in whose home the pistol was found, is already
serving a five-year jail sentence after admitting he was looking after the
pistol and that he belonged to the UDA, a "proscribed organisation".
Evening Times,
30 January 2007 *
A man's body was found dumped
in a woodyard in Rigside, South Lanarkshire. He is believed
to have been shot in the face with a shotgun in a gangland hit. It
is unclear how long he had been dead. Four men have been jailed for
their involvement in the murder (see
January 2008 Incidents).
Evening Times,
29 January 2007 *
A security guard was robbed at
gunpoint at a supermarket in Kilmarnock. The robber fled with
thousands of pounds in a security case which the guard was forced to hand
over. A man is on trial accused of robbing a security guard of £6500
at gunpoint (Daily Record, 16 September 2007).
Buchan Observer,
17 January 2007
A special needs school in
Peterhead has been targeted by vandals who have caused thousands of
pounds worth of damage to windows at the rear of the building. The
attack is believed to have involved the use of air
rifles. Five separate holes were left in the windows and
the janitor found tiny metal ball bearings. The latest attack follows
other incidents of vandalism last year.
Buchan Observer,
17 January 2007
A house in the Blackhouse area
of Peterhead has been attacked with an air
weapon. Police were investigating vandalism to a window.
Evening News,
13 January 2007
Two hooded men armed with a
machete and a handgun held up staff at a sub-post office in Deans,
Livingston. They made off with an undisclosed sum of money. The
post office had also been robbed in November 2006 (see
Incidents).
BBC,
11 January 2007
Jamie Munn, 18, has been found
guilty of murdering a man in Duntocher in April 2006 (see
Incidents). The
victim was shot through the heart with a powerful hunting rifle. Munn
was also found guilty of firearms charges including having a Taser stun gun
in his home. He will serve at least 17 years in prison before he can
apply for parole.
Daily Record,
9 January 2007
A youth, aged 15 to 18, fired an
airgun at a pensioner on an
Aberdeen-Glasgow train and hit her in the chest. He had brandished the
gun in front of three girls who grabbed the weapon which he snatched back.
He then shot the woman. He got off the train at Stonehaven.
The victim did not require treatment. Two children, a boy and girl
both aged 14, have been reported to the Children's Reporter after being
charged. The BBC's news report indicated that a
BB gun had been fired at two elderly
women on the train (BBC, 9 January 2007).
Times,
5 January 2007 *
Police in Stranraer were
looking for two boys as young as 12 who carried out an armed robbery at a
local store. They held up staff with a gun before making off with
cigarettes and hundreds of pounds in cash. A police spokesman said
that the weapon could turn out to have been a
replica gun but added that it was certainly being treated as if
it could be the genuine thing. Three 13-year-olds have now been
arrested and reported to the Procurator Fiscal (Press Association, 6
January 2007). A 13-year-old and a 14-year-old have admitted various
charges following the robbery in which they were armed with an
air pistol (see
June 2007 Incidents).
Daily Record,
3 January 2007
An 18-year-old who was walking
with a friend along a street in Scotstoun, Glasgow, was shot with an
airgun pellet. He was taken to
hospital for treatment for his injuries before being allowed home. It
has since emerged that a number of other people have also complained about
being fired at around the same time (Evening Times, 4 January 2007). A
20-year-old man has been arrested (Daily Record, 4 January 2007).
WALES
BBC,
1 January 2007
Three men and a woman have been
arrested in Gwersyllt, Wrexham, following an incident in which a
resident reported that their windows had been broken by somebody firing an
airgun.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
Dearne Today,
18 January 2007
David Pickering, 18, and a
17-year-old have pleaded guilty to killing a swan and having a loaded
firearm and will be sentenced next month. They used a powerful
air rifle to shoot a number of swans on the
River Dearne at Harlington in September 2006. According to the
report the Sharp Innova 11.22 air rifle was powerful enough to be classed as
a Section 1 firearm for which a licence is required.
BBC,
8 January 2007
A 16-year-old youth has been
arrested by Cheshire police following reports of swans being targeted with
airguns. One swan was found shot
dead at a recreation ground and nature reserve in Widnes.
South Wales Echo,
6 January 2007
A one-year-old pet dog had to be
put down after he was shot with an airgun
while walking with his owner. It is believed that a gang of three
youths seen near a reservoir in Merthyr Tydfil were responsible.
BBC,
5 January 2007
A horse had to be put down after
an attack on a grey stallion and two Shetland ponies at a farm in Ash,
Surrey. The animals were peppered with shotgun pellets. Vets
fear that the two survivors may also have to put down.
BBC,
3 January 2007
Two cows were shot in the eyes
at point blank range by someone with an air rifle
in a field in Redhill, north Somerset. Two men were
seen leaving the scene carrying what looked like an air rifle in a long
black case.
