FEBRUARY 2009
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
This is Derbyshire,
28 February 2009
A drug dealer caught with a
sawn-off shotgun has been jailed for
10 years. Nasar Hussain was found with cocaine when his car was
stopped in Derby in September 2008 and the gun and cartridges were
discovered at the house where he was staying in Mackworth. A
conviction in 1997 prohibited him from possessing a gun for life.
Five years of his sentence were for possessing a prohibited firearm.
Coventry Telegraph,
27 February 2009
Three teenagers, Drew
Goldstein, Nathan Crick and Reece Jones, have been given custodial
sentences of six, seven and seven years respectively after they pleaded
guilty to robbery and aggravated vehicle-taking. In January 2009
they robbed staff at a betting shop in Bedworth, Warwickshire, at
gunpoint before speeding away in a stolen car. The small grey and
black handgun they used was an airgun.
Telegraph & Argus,
27 February 2009
Two shooting incidents have
taken place in Bradford. In the first in Lidget Green, armed
officers responded to reports of shots being fired followed by a car
chase. In the second incident a gun was being fired at a house in
Heaton. Detectives are investigating possible links between the
incidents.
Stourbridge News,
27 February 2009
Terence Hope of Stourbridge,
Worcestershire, has pleaded guilty to being in possession of an
imitation rifle with intent to cause fear
of violence. He has been remanded in custody whilst a pre-sentence
report is prepared.
Liverpool Echo,
27 February 2009 *
Michael Man has been jailed
for 12 years after setting up an ammunition factory in a house in
Sefton Village, Merseyside. He stored machine guns and 6,000
bullets at the property. He was also caught selling 500 bullets in a
car park in Hunts Cross. He pleaded guilty to transfer of
ammunition and also to possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition in
relation to a second incident when his fingerprints and DNA were found on
an Uzi machine gun, a silencer and more than 80 bullets. The gun had
been used in a shooting in Bootle in 2005. Christopher
Nimbley who acted as a go-between for Man with a third man Darryl Laycock
pleaded guilty to the same charges and was jailed for eight years.
Laycock was handed a five year term.
This is Hampshire,
26 February 2009 *
A man burst into a bank in
Bitterne,
Southampton, and pointed a gun at staff. He demanded a cashier
fill a bag with money before escaping on a bicycle. The man may have
been responsible for another robbery at a building society in Southampton
earlier in the month (BBC, 4 March 2009).
Surrey Herald,
26 February 2009
A man whose body was found
in woodland on his farm in Ottershaw, Surrey, had died from a
gunshot wound to his head. An inquest has been opened and adjourned.
Derby Evening Telegraph,
26 February 2009
An
air rifle was among items stolen from a caravan in
Barrow-upon-Trent, Derbyshire.
Coventry Evening
Telegraph,
26 February 2009
Police were called after
reports of two men with an airgun
in Tile Hill, Coventry. The men, both men described as aged
17, were seen walking along a street holding the gun.
Grimsby Telegraph,
25 February 2009
A man described as a gun
enthusiast has been jailed for three years after he admitted conspiring
with another man to import a Ruger .22 pistol and other offences including
possessing a sawn-off shotgun, a
semi-automatic shotgun, and an
air weapon (capable of firing pellets at
more than the legal limit) and possessing part of a pistol. Desmond
Merrion from Ulceby, Lincolnshire, held a firearm certificate but
not a shotgun certificate. Parts of the pistol were posted to him
from America but a parcel containing them was intercepted. The butt
of the gun was hidden in a hairdryer and the barrel was wrapped in a
bundle of clothes.
BBC,
25 February 2009 *
Andrew Dixon has admitted the
attempted murder of his estranged wife's boyfriend and possessing a gun in
a public place. The gamekeeper fired a shot which hit his victim in
the face as he and Dixon's wife drove home to South Ormsby,
Lincolnshire, in June 2008 (see
Incidents). His wife received minor injuries in the incident but her
boyfriend still has trouble speaking and is fed through a bag to his
stomach. Dixon has been jailed for 17 years (This is Grimsby,
7 March 2009). GCN has been informed that the weapon was a
legally-owned shotgun.
BBC,
25 February 2009
Police raided 22 addresses in
Hertfordshire in an operation tackling the supply of drugs,
firearms and counterfeit clothing. Cash, drugs and firearms were
recovered. Twenty people were arrested.
Stourbridge News,
24 February 2009
Stuart Edmunds had been
drinking heavily when he fired a gas powered air
pistol at friends working in a barbers shop in Wall Heath,
West Midlands. After he left the shop he fired the gun across the
street before police arrived to move two toddlers and their parents out of
the way. He claimed the gun had been bought for target practice in
his garden. Edmunds admitted possessing a firearm with intent to
cause fear of violence and has been jailed for four years.
Bexhill-on-Sea Observer,
24 February 2009
Shooting enthusiast Daniel
Johnson was caught storing an air rifle
without a proper certificate. Police with a drugs search warrant
found the gun at his home in Farley Bank, Hastings. He
pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm without a certificate and was fined
£65.
BBC,
24 February 2009
Cash, cigarettes and drugs
were seized in a raid on an industrial unit in Cannock,
Staffordshire. A firearm was also found. Two men were being
questioned, a third man was released on bail.
BBC,
24 February 2009
Two teenagers held up a petrol
station in Deanshanger, Northamptonshire, with what is believed to
be a handgun. A third offender waited outside. Cash and
cigarettes were stolen.
BBC,
24 February 2009
Two men were taken to hospital
after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
The injured men were in a car and managed to drive off to get medical
help.
Echo,
23 February 2009
A mother and daughter were
held up at gunpoint as they were walking along a street in Shoebury,
Essex. A man demanded their mobile phones and pointed a black
handgun at them.
BBC,
23 February 2009 *
An elderly man was tied up and
assaulted by a gang during a raid at a farmhouse in Boltby, North
Yorkshire. The men stole his car, which was found nearby, and four
firearms, two rifles and two shotguns
which have not been traced. The police have arrested three men in
connection with the robbery (BBC, 8 April 2009).
Press Association,
22 February 2009 *
A man was shot dead on a busy
street in East Dulwich, south London. The Metropolitan
Police's Operation Trident have been informed. A man has been
arrested in connection with this and another fatal shooting in
Bermondsey in October 2008 (see
March 2009 Incidents).
BBC,
22 February 2009
A man has been charged with
robbery and possession of an imitation firearm
after an armed raid in Harlow, Essex. The robbery
took place at a petrol station shop. He was also charged with
failure to stop after a road accident.
BBC,
22 February 2009
Three teenagers, aged 17 and
18, were shot in Hackney, east London. All three were taken
to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
BBC,
22 February 2009
Armed men targeted a house in
Shiregreen, Sheffield, firing a gun at the property after knocking
on the door. No one was injured in the incident but it was being
viewed as a deliberate attack.
BBC,
22 February 2009
The front of a house in
Whalley Range, south Manchester, was blasted with a
shotgun. The occupants of the house
were not injured.
Press Association,
21 February 2009 *
Three people suffered gunshot
wounds after a man opened fire outside a pub in Greenwich,
south-east London. The gunman got out of a car and started firing
shots "randomly". Two people, a man and a woman have been
arrested in connection with the shooting (BBC, 22 February 2009).
A man has admitted the shooting (see
December 2009 Incidents).
Nottingham Evening Post,
21 February 2009 *
Anton Mason has pleaded guilty
to possession of a gun and ammunition without a certificate.
Mason was in one of two opposing groups who were involved in a dispute in
Nottingham in September 2008 (see
Incidents). A gunshot may have been
fired, but Mason's gun, which was later discovered in a bag, had never
been fired. He denied possessing a firearm with intent to endanger
life, and as no evidence was offered a not guilty verdict will be entered.
He was jailed for three-and-a-half-years. Two other men have been
sentenced for their roles in the confrontation (Nottingham Evening Post,
15 January 2010).
Local Guardian,
21 February 2009
A stun gun was discovered
along with a wad of cash and over a kilo of amphetamines during a police
raid on a property in Earlsfield, south London. A man was
arrested a charged with a number of offences including possession of a
firearm.
Eastern Daily Press,
21 February 2009 *
Andrew Richardson of
Wymondham, Norfolk, has been jailed for five years after admitting
possession of a gun and ammunition without a certificate. He had
shipped a .22 revolver and a number of live cartridges when he returned
from America twelve years ago. He had failed to hand the weapon to
police and kept it in storage. The police were notified when the gun
and ammunition were found by an auction house in Norwich after
Richardson had a dispute with a storage company over rent. He was freed and faced a retrial after a judge ruled the proper legal
process was not followed (BBC, 3 March 2009). He has now been
jailed for three years (Lowestoft Journal, 25 March 2009).
Appeal Court judges reduced the term to 16 months, allowing for his
release from jail (BBC, 10 November 2009).
This is Croydon Today,
20 February 2009
Eric Whitmarsh from Purley,
Surrey, has pleaded guilty to threatening his neighbour with a fake gun.
A long-lasting dispute between the pair came to a head in November 2008
when Whitmarsh flew into a rage after a light was shone through his front
window and he fetched the weapon, an air rifle,
and pointed it in the direction of his neighbours. He pleaded
guilty to possession of an imitation firearm and threatening behaviour.
He was warned by the judge that "this is likely to result in a custodial
sentence".
North West Evening Mail,
20 February 2009
Russell Treeby has been jailed
for 12 months after police searched his home in Ambleside, Cumbria,
and found a dismantled .22 air rifle.
He had been banned from being in possession of the rifle because of
previous offences. He pleaded guilty to possession of an air weapon
and ammunition when prohibited and without a certificate.
Newbury Today,
19 February 2009
Police are trying to recover
three guns stolen from a storage unit in Lambourn, Berkshire.
The guns were a modern bolt-action airgun,
a Sharps Inova pump gun and an old German airgun.
Electronic equipment was also taken. The police have said that the
guns would be dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands.
Maldon Standard,
19 February 2009
Two men shot at a bus with a
ball-bearing gun as it travelled
through Tiptree, Essex. No one was injured but it will cost
about £1000 to replace the glass in the windows that were hit.
Hampshire Chronicle,
19 February 2009
A bus was forced to make an
unscheduled stop when it was hit by what is believed to have been an
airgun pellet in North Baddesley,
Hampshire. Shards of glass were splattered into the hair of a woman
passenger who was uninjured but shocked. Two boys, aged no more than
12, were seen running off after the incident.
BBC,
19 February 2009
One of two men arrested after
bomb disposal experts were called to deal with a hand grenade found in a
Hull street was held on suspicion of supplying a firearm. He
has been bailed. The other man was freed without charge.
BBC,
19 February 2009
Two men have been arrested on
suspicion of armed robbery over a raid at a store in Wootton Bassett,
Wiltshire. A suspected imitation firearm
was found near a car stopped by police and believed to have been used in
the robbery.
BBC,
19 February 2009
A security van was held up in
Thetford, Norfolk, by three robbers, one thought to have been armed
with a gun. A quantity of cash was stolen. The robbery may be
linked to another at a building society in Great Yarmouth (BBC, 20
February 2009).
This is Exeter,
18 February 2009
Homes, bus shelters and the
community centre have all been targeted in Exwick, Exeter.
Police believe that someone with an airgun
may be responsible.
Northampton Chronicle &
Echo, 18
February 2009
Drug dealer Stephen Perrett
was jailed for thirteen-and-a-half years after being caught with thousands
of pounds and an airgun at his
properties in Northampton. One of his convictions was for
having a firearm. He has since had his sentence reduced to 11 years
on appeal.
This is Derbyshire,
17 February 2009
Mark Grey has been sentenced
to a year in prison, suspended for two years, after admitting possession
of an imitation firearm with the intention to cause fear of violence.
He was ordered to do 150 hours' unpaid work. He had pointed the weapon, a
paintball gun, at a police officer in
Ilkeston, Derbyshire, in October 2008 and told her "Come any closer
and I will shoot". She was unaware that the gun was an imitation
firearm and she and her fellow officer believed it was a sawn-off shotgun.
Their bravery in tackling Grey was praised by the trial judge.
Northern Echo,
17 February 2009
Lee Greaves, 16, who was given an
air rifle by his mother on his
birthday threatened people in Darlington with the weapon. He
has been given a two-year anti-social behaviour order. He was behind
more than 60 public order incidents since 2006. His mother, Michelle
Greaves, was given a six month parenting order.
Evening Chronicle,
17 February 2009
Two men have been charged with
affray following an incident in Ashington, Northumberland.
Police seized an air rifle and two
knives.
Daily Mail,
17 February 2009 *
Ricky Hodgkinson bought an
illegal Taser gun from a friend from £100, claiming he would carry it for
self-defence. He was caught with the weapon by police who were
called to a disturbance in Darlaston, West Midlands. He was
charged with possessing an illegal weapon and has admitted possessing a
weapon contrary to the Firearms Act 1968. He was told to complete an
18-month supervision order, a 60-day drug treatment order and pay costs of
£60 (Express & Star, 22 April 2009).
Crewe Chronicle,
17 February 2009
A man was shot in the chest
with an air rifle in Nantwich,
Cheshire. He was taken to hospital. His injuries were not
life-threatening. The victim was walking when the shot was fired
from a car (The Sentinel, 17 February 2009).
Coventry Telegraph,
17 February 2009
A shopkeeper foiled a robbery
when he fought off a man who threatened him with a
ball-bearing gun at his store in
Bedworth, Warwickshire. The robber fled the scene empty-handed.
Cambridge News,
17 February 2009
A man has been charged with
possession of a sawn-off shotgun,
possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate and burglary
after the weapon was discovered in a crackdown on house burglary in
Cambridge.
Birmingham Mail,
17 February 2009
Two police officers are to be
honoured for disarming a gunman in a street in Dudley, West
Midlands, in October 2008. They persuaded the man to lay down his
gun, a replica air weapon, which was a
copy of a Glock used in the police force's own firearms operations.
The gunman was charged with firearms operation but was later found to be
suffering from mental health issues.
BBC,
17 February 2009 *
Two men, one armed with a gun,
carried out a robbery at a video store in Slough, Berkshire.
The staff were forced to open the safe and the men left with an
undisclosed amount of money and some computer games. They left with
a third man in a vehicle. Three men have pleaded guilty of robbery
and possession of an imitation firearm
and have been jailed for a total of 18 years and nine months (see
February 2010 Incidents).
BBC,
17 February 2009
Three men and a woman have
been arrested after an elderly couple were tied up and robbed at their
home in Pipewell, Northamptonshire. The couple were tied up
and threatened with what police believe was a handgun. The gang took
banks cards and withdrew cash.
Warrington Guardian,
16 February 2009
Dale Roberts, 19, stole knives
and an air rifle from a flat in
Birchwood, Cheshire. A computer and two mobile phones were also
taken. He targeted the home with friends in September 2008.
The following day police arrested a 16-year-old who was shooting an air
rifle (he was later prosecuted over using the gun) and admitted keeping
watch whilst two accomplices gained access to the property. Roberts
was arrested and admitted the burglary charge. He has been jailed
for eight months.
Milton Keynes Citizen,
16 February 2009
Two men armed with a gun
threatened a member of staff at a supermarket in Milton Keynes and
forced him to open a safe. The robbers took money and the victim's
mobile phone.
Kilburn Times,
16 February 2009
Two schoolboys, aged 14 and
15, are being questioned by police in connection with a double shooting
which left two older teenagers in a serious condition in hospital.
The shooting took place in Neasden, north west London. A
third arrest has been made (In the News, 17 February 2009).
Ilkley Gazette,
16 February 2009
A man was arrested by police
in Menston, West Yorkshire, by police investigating two armed
robberies in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He has been charged
with two counts of robbery and two counts of possessing a firearm.
Epping Forest Guardian,
16 February 2009
A businessman was lured to an
ambush and robbed of £15,000 cash at gunpoint outside the underground
station in Theydon Bois, Essex. He was threatened by two men
with a pistol. The meeting had been arranged on eBay.
BBC,
16 February 2009
A 19-year-old who surrendered
himself to the police is being questioned about an armed robbery at a
filling station shop in Benfleet, Essex. A cashier was
threatened with a handgun and a three figure sum of cash stolen.
BBC,
16 February 2009
A man was found with a gunshot
injury to his head in Leeds. He remains in a stable condition
in hospital.
Evening Gazette,
14 February 2009
A robber entered a newsagents
in Middlesbrough and threatened the shop owner with a hammer and
BB gun. The victim picked up a
broom and pushed him away before escaping from the shop. The robber
was left alone in the store but soon ran off, apparently empty-handed.
Birmingham Mail,
14 February 2009
Robert Hoskins has been
jailed for five years after pleading guilty to possession of a lethal
firearm and ten rounds of ammunition. The 9mm pistol was found
hidden in a bag when police raided his girlfriend's home in Newtown,
Birmingham, in September 2008. Hoskins had originally been charged
with attempted murder following a shooting in Newtown in May 2008
(see Incidents) but
the case was dropped because of insufficient evidence.
BBC,
14 February 2009
A man armed with a small black
handgun stole about £3000 in cash from a betting shop in Worthing,
West Sussex. No-one was injured but the staff were left shaken.
BBC,
14 February 2009 *
The owner of a post office in
Woking, Surrey, was threatened and tied up by a robber armed with a
knife and a handgun. The robber left with a quantity of cash after
searching the premises for some time. A man has been arrested (BBC,
8 April 2009).
Whitby Gazette,
13 February 2009
Police are investigating the
possibility a pellet gun was used to shoot a hole in the window of a house
in Whitby, North Yorkshire. An air
rifle or a BB gun seems to
have been used.
The Sentinel,
13 February 2009
Two men were arrested when
police officers approached a car at traffic lights in Hanley,
Staffordshire, in connection with firearms offences. A property in
Burslem will be searched.
Newbury Today,
13 February 2009
A .22 bolt action rifle with
telescopic sight was stolen from a car parked in Speen, Berkshire.
According to the owner the weapon was not in view. A jacket and
scarf were also taken.
BBC,
13 February 2009
Four men held over reports of
a firearm being carried in a vehicle on the M6 near Stoke-on-Trent
have been released without charge.
BBC,
13 February 2009
A disabled man was held at
gunpoint in his bed at his home in Kettering, Northamptonshire, by
two men, one believed to be armed with a handgun. The raiders stole
a large amount of cash.
BBC,
13 February 2009
A man and a woman were
questioned on suspicion of possession of a dangerous dog, along with drugs
and firearms offences after being arrested in Drighlington, West
Yorkshire, by police investigating organised dog fighting.
BBC,
13 February 2009
A gun has been recovered and a
man arrested after a man was assaulted in Newton, Greater
Manchester.
BBC,
13 February 2009
A man was shot in the head
while at home in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. A bullet was
fired through the window. He was released from hospital after being
given stitches.
BBC,
13 February 2009 *
A driver was shot dead outside
a restaurant in Tottenham, north London. He died shortly
after arrival at hospital. A man has been arrested in connection
with the shooting (Press Association, 14 February 2009), but the
charges have been dropped (BBC, 5 June 2009).
BBC,
13 February 2009
Three men, Mark Osbourne, Tony
Osbourne and Wayne Collins, have been convicted of killing a man in
Romford, Essex, in June 2007 (see
Incidents). Nine bullets were fired
at the victim from a sub-machine gun. The victim had owed the
Osbourne brothers, who were drug dealers, £28000. Sentencing will
occur later.
This is Surrey Today,
12 February 2009
A pensioner had a gun, a black
handgun, pointed at his head and was punched more than 15 times during a
robbery at his home in Bletchingley, Surrey. Two men burst
into the house but the victim managed to flee after shutting them inside
one of his rooms. By the time the police arrived the suspects had
disappeared.
This is South Devon,
12 February 2009
Police seized suspected
cocaine, an air pistol and a
ball bearing gun at a property in
Bovey Tracey, Devon. A man was arrested on suspicion of
possession of a controlled substance.
Daily Mail,
12 February 2009
An armed gang of five men
stormed a flat in Croydon, south London, fired a gun and threatened
a five-year-old girl. Her father was marched into another room and
pistol-whipped as the men demanded to know what valuables were in the
property. The robbers fled with several items.
Bognor Regis Observer,
12 February 2009 *
Steven Russell has pleaded
guilty to threatening armed police with an air
rifle
and a samurai sword at his home in Bognor Regis, Sussex, in
November 2008 (see
Incidents). He has been given a
three year jail sentence (Littlehampton Gazette, 12 March 2009).
BBC,
12 February 2009
Two
shotguns worth £5000 each have been stolen from a house in
Stamford, Lincolnshire. The guns were taken from a cabinet which
was forced off the wall.
BBC,
12 February 2009
A man suffered a gunshot wound
when he was shot at a house in Thornaby, Teesside. His injury
is not thought to be life-threatening. Three people, including a
woman and a teenager, have been arrested.
This is Plymouth,
11 February 2009
A 9-year-old boy was left
"covered in blood" after being shot in the head by a sniper with a
BB gun in Plymouth. The boy
was on his way home when he was hit. He was taken to hospital with a
bad cut to his head, but an X-ray showed he had not sustained any serious
injuries.
Southern Daily Echo,
11 February 2009 *
A man has apparently shot
himself dead in a city centre park in Southampton.
Local residents told of hearing a gun shot while others heard screams.
Police are not treating the death as suspicious. The coroner has
recorded a verdict of suicide. The inquest heard that the man killed
himself with a 9mm Browning pistol acquired as a souvenir while he served
with the Sultan of Oman (Times, 11 June 2009).
The Journal,
11 February 2009
A 17-year-old driver was left
in shock when he and two passengers were showered in glass after a ball
bearing smashed through his car window in Chester-le-Street, County
Durham. Police believe it may have been fired from an
airgun.
Daily Mail,
11 February 2009
A group of people attending a
party at a pub in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, were seen
carrying guns by a passer-by and police were alerted. The guns
turned out to be cap guns or
water pistols. The party-goers
claimed the response was "so over the top" but the police said that they
have a duty to treat all reports of firearms as genuine.
Chester Chronicle,
11 February 2009
A group of teenagers, aged
around 15, were shot at with an air rifle
as they stood on a street in Blacon, Chester. Three of them
were shot, a girl and a boy were hit in the legs and a third victim was
hit in the face. None of them was seriously injured but the police
said that the pellets could have caused serious life-changing injuries.
BBC,
11 February 2009
A teenager was shot in the
head in a pub car park in the Halfway area of Sheffield. He
was taken to hospital but discharged himself after treatment. The
police believe that a shotgun was used
in the attack.
This is Somerset,
10 February 2009
Sean Schuster-Lammas brought
back a stun gun as a holiday souvenir from Thailand and kept it in a
drawer at his home in
Holcombe, Somerset. It was found by police following a tip-off.
He has pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon, contrary to the Firearms Act
and was placed under a two-week curfew order requiring him to stay indoors
overnight.
Oxford Mail,
10 February 2009 *
A man walked into a corner
shop in Wheatley, Oxfordshire, and threatened a member of staff
with what is believed to be a handgun. He demanded cash and he was
refused the robber struck the victim over the head with the weapon.
A small amount of cash was stolen. The incident is linked to a
recent robbery at a garage in Marston, Oxford. A man has appeared
in court charged with four counts of robbery in Marston, Wheatley, Beckley
and Headington, one of attempted robbery and two firearms offences (BBC,
16 February 2009). A second man has been charged with assisting an
offender (BBC, 23 February 2009). A man has been jailed after
pleading guilty to the robberies in Wheatley, Marston and
Beckley. He was armed with an imitation
gun (see June 2009
Incidents).
Local Guardian,
10 February 2009
A drug dealer was found in
possession of a Mac-10 sub machine gun during a search of his home in
Mitcham, Surrey. David Sawby was arrested during an undercover
operation targeting drug dealing and admitted possessing weapons,
ammunition, drugs and stolen goods. He has been jailed for seven
years. The gun had been converted by Grant Wilkinson, who was jailed
for adapting ninety machine guns (see
August 2008 Incidents), and had been used to kill a man in
Chingford, north London, in November 2005 (see
Incidents). Two men were convicted
of the murder and jailed for life in November 2006 (see
Incidents).
BBC,
10 February 2009
Four masked men, one of whom
was armed with a handgun, attacked a motorist and stole his car in the
centre of Liverpool. Their victim was attacked with a wheel
brace.
BBC,
10 February 2009
Richard Harrison-Allen, 20,
has been convicted of murdering a 17-year-old in Stoke Newington,
east London, in November 2007 (see
Incidents). The victim was shot by
two gunmen. Harrison-Allen and the victim were members of rival
gangs, although it was unlikely that he was the intended victim.
Asian News,
10 February 2009
A woman and a teenage boy have
been jailed after police officers found a loaded gun (a Baikal
self-loading pistol) on top of an outbuilding next to the woman's house in
Levenshulme, Greater Manchester, in October 2008 (see
Incidents).
Both pleaded guilty. Fahmeeda Begum was given two-and-a-half year
sentence. The boy, who was also charged with possession of a firearm
with intent to endanger life, was sentenced to two years in a young
offenders' institute.
Romford Recorder,
9 February 2009
A 16-year-old was shot in the
face when an air rifle was fired at
him in a park in Collier Row, east London. The pellet was
removed under anaesthetic but the victim "could have been dead" if he was
hit inches higher in the eye.
Rochdale Online,
9 February 2009
A
shotgun was fired during an armed robbery at a store in
Rochdale, Lancashire. No-one was injured by the shot which was
fired by a man as he tried to escape.
Reading Evening Post,
9 February 2009
A teenager, originally from
West Reading, has denied one count of using a firearm to cause fear
and violence in people and one of attempted robbery. He has been
released on bail.
Mid Cheshire Chronicle,
9 February 2009
A man threatened a female
worker with a firearm at a bank in Winsford, Cheshire. He
escaped with cash stuffed into a holdall which he had instructed the woman
to pass to him from the safe.
Evening Leader,
9 February 2009
Two teenagers, aged 15 and 18,
were treated for gunshot wounds to the face after taking themselves to
hospital with superficial injuries following an attack in Norris Green,
Liverpool. A 15-year-old boy has been released on bail after being
arrested with the double shooting (BBC, 12 February 2009).
BBC,
9 February 2009
A 17-year-old is in a serious
but stable condition after being shot in Camberwell, south-east
London.
BBC,
9 February 2009
Gary Oddy was jailed for seven
years in October 2008 after admitting possession of a firearm with intent
to cause fear of violence. He had pointed a gun at his ex-wife and
fired a shot about her head in her home in Wellingborough,
Northamptonshire. The Court of Appeal has now reduced his sentence
by one year, finding that he should be rewarded for his guilty plea.
BBC,
9 February 2009 *
Three men have been released
on bail after a gun was fired at a house in Sarisbury Green,
Hampshire, for the second time in a month. The first incident
occurred in January 2008 (see
Incidents). Nobody was hurt. Two men and a
17-year-old are facing charges of possessing a
sawn-off shotgun, possessing an
imitation firearm and making threats to cause damage and affray
(Southern Daily Echo, 23 July 2009).
Evening Star,
8 February 2009
Mark Stagg, described as a
prolific offender, wielded a BB gun in
Ipswich town centre after stealing the weapon in a burglary.
He has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to
charges of affray and burglary. He had produced the gun at a
takeaway and demanded a kebab. He then claimed he was only joking
and was removed from the shop. He was later seen pointing the gun at
women and his own head before being arrested.
Birmingham Post,
8 February 2009
Police are appealing for
witnesses after shots were fired in a street in Birmingham.
No one was injured in the incident but a car was damaged.
BBC,
8 February 2009
A murder investigation has
been launched after a man was shot dead in Stonebridge, north west
London. He was found with gunshot wounds and died in hospital.
One man has appeared in court charged with murder and four other people,
including a boy of 15, have been arrested in connection with the shooting
(BBC, 19 February 2009).
Newham Recorder,
7 February 2009
A sawn-off shotgun and drugs were recovered
by police from an address in Manor Park, east London. A
17-year-old was arrested at the scene and charged with possession of a
prohibited weapon and possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.
BBC,
7 February 2009
Four men, two aged 20 and two
aged 19, were arrested and two guns seized after an armed robbery at a
store in Gorton, Greater Manchester. Masked men had burst
into the shop armed with rifles, threatened staff and demanded money.
They stole three cash registers before running out of the store.
The Argus,
7 February 2009
Armed police carrying machine
guns swooped on a quiet street in Hove, Sussex, after reports that
a man pointed a toy gun at a baby.
The gun was realistic enough for the police to be called. In January
there were two other incidents in the area involving imitation guns, one
when a man carrying a handgun was seen getting into a car and another in
which a taxi driver stood up to two teenagers who threatened him with a
toy gun.
Epping Forest Guardian,
6 February 2009
Kenneth Spence has admitted
firing a sawn-off shotgun at a police
officer in his patrol car in Loughton, Essex, in June 2008 (see
Incidents).
The officer had stopped Spence's car after it was seen going through a red
light. Spence had earlier shot his friend in the shoulder. He
pleaded guilty to attempted murder, weapon possession and grievous bodily
harm for shooting his friend and was sentenced to 22 years, seven years
and eight years, respectively for the offences. He will serve a
minimum of 11 years.
BBC,
6 February 2009
A man has been charged with
attempted murder after a car was shot at in Heywood, Greater
Manchester, in January 2009. He was also charged with possession of
a firearm with intent to endanger life and witness intimidation. A
second man has been charged (BBC, 23 February 2009).
BBC,
6 February 2009
A security guard was
threatened with a firearm during a robbery at a supermarket in Daventry,
Northamptonshire. The man escaped with a substantial amount of cash.
BBC,
6 February 2009
Police found a gun in a
carriage on a train in Reading and arrested four suspected armed
robbers, three of whom were teenagers. The robbers had stolen cash,
mobile phones and wallets from a property in the town.
Hartlepool Mail,
5 February 2009
A police helicopter was
scrambled after reports a man had been spotted with a gun in Castle
Eden Dene Nature Reserve, County Durham. A teenager was found
and although he had no weapon he was arrested on suspicion of possessing a
firearm.
East Anglian Daily Times,
5 February 2009
A car has been hit by an
airgun pellet whilst parked in Harwich,
Essex. The damage will cost £400 to repair.
BBC,
5 February 2009
Kevin Fairweather threatened
two police officers with a gun after firing shots indiscriminately in the
centre of West Bromwich, West Midlands, in May 2008. He had
been convicted of two firearms offences and has been jailed for ten years.
Telegraph & Argus,
4 February 2009
An 18-year-old is on trial
facing charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.
The robbery took place at a shop in Bradford in April 2008.
Three men entered the shop armed with a hammer, a screwdriver and a gun,
later found to be a black plastic ball-bearing
gun. They pointed the gun at the shopkeeper and stole up
to £700 and lottery scratch cards. The gun was pointed at their
victim who told the court that he 'feared he would be shot'. Natheem
Zafir was found guilty and has been jailed for nine years (Telegraph &
Argus, 5 February 2009).
Reading Evening Post,
4 February 2009
An unlicensed
.22 air rifle was among nearly 30 items discovered by police
during a raid on a house in Whitley, Reading, in an operation to
beat burglary.
BBC,
4 February 2009
Imitation firearms were among items, which also included drugs
and stolen goods, recovered during a series of raids across
Northumberland. Police arrested 13 people for various offences
including firearms offences.
BBC,
4 February 2009
A man who was carrying what
staff thought was a gun, stole an undisclosed amount of cash from a
building society in Bexhill, East Sussex.
BBC,
4 February 2009
A man has been arrested after
another man was found with leg injuries following a shooting in Speke,
Merseyside. A gun was found nearby. The victim's injuries are
not thought to be life-threatening.
This is Total Essex,
3 February 2009
A couple were ordered to hand
over cash at gunpoint by two armed men who burst into their home in
Epping, Essex. The attackers fled, dropping the magazine from
the gun which turned out to be a blank-firing
imitation weapon.
This is Somerset,
3 February 2009
A man in a car pulled a gun on
a 15-year-old boy as he walked along a road in Worle, Somerset.
The man was shouting but the boy carried on walking and later alerted
police officers to the incident. There were three others in the car
at the time.
Norwich Evening News,
3 February 2009
A 17-year-old youth has
admitted being in possession of a machete and a loaded
air rifle in a public place. He had
met up with two adult friends on a riverbank in Norwich and they
were taking it in turns to shoot at the bridge and some tins with the
rifle. A passing police officer spotted the youth picking up a
machete. The youth was given a six-month referral order.
Manchester Evening News,
3 February 2009
A man has been arrested on
suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence
after reports that shots were fired from the window of a flat in the
centre of Manchester. It is understood the shots were fired
from an airgun.
Hunts Post,
3 February 2009
Graham Rivers, an ex-prisoner,
has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition. A
condition of his release from prison was that he could not possess a
firearm for five years. Whilst staying at a woman's flat in St
Neots, Cambridgeshire, he had pointed her air
rifle out of a window when a group of youths tried to get into
the flat in January 2009. Police found air rifle pellets in his
pocket. In mitigation it was claimed he had been trying to scare off
the youths. He was given an 18 month conditional discharged and
ordered to pay costs.
Echo (Essex),
3 February 2009
Ball bearings shattered a
window of a bus and went through the windscreen when
BB guns were fired four times at it in
Billericay, Essex. The driver managed to keep control and stop
the bus safely. The guns were fired from the roadside and caused
£1500 of damage.
Northern Echo,
2 February 2009 *
Two robbers made off with cash
after threatening staff at a building society in Harrogate, North
Yorkshire, with a pistol. This follows two armed robberies at a post
office and a car wash in the town last month (see
January 2009 Incidents). Two men have been jailed for six
years for this and another robbery in Harrogate in January 2009. The
weapon was an imitation handgun (see
July 2009 Incidents).
Manchester Evening News,
2 February 2009
Two women were robbed at
gunpoint when a gang of three men armed with a
shotgun broke into a home in Northern Moor, Manchester.
The men stole items from the house and two cars.
Echo (Essex),
2 February 2009
A man brandished a black
handgun at a shop assistant during a robbery at an off licence in
Eastwood, Essex. The assistant handed over a three figure sum of
cash from the till to him, A second man leaned over the counter and
grabbed three packets of cigarettes.
BBC, 2
February 2009
A woman was tied up and robbed
at gunpoint in her home in Weybridge, Surrey. The thief stole
cash and jewellery.
SCOTLAND
BBC,
24 February 2009
Wayne Lengel has been jailed
for three years and eight months after he was caught with heroin worth
£75,000 in Aberdeen. He said he had fled Aberdeen for
Wolverhampton but that a gun was put to his head and he was told to go
back to deal drugs.
Press Association,
21 February 2009
A man armed with what appeared
to be a firearm threatened two security officers as they were carrying
cash at a bank in Riddrie, Glasgow. He made off with a five
figure sum of cash.
Evening News
(Edinburgh), 19
February 2009
Four men armed with what
appeared to be a sawn-off shotgun tried to rob a bridal shop in
Slateford, Edinburgh, but were chased from the premises almost
empty-handed. They had stolen two handbags from customers. The
gun was later recovered by police and found to be an
imitation weapon.
Clydebank Post,
11 February 2009
Shots were allegedly fired
from an air weapon into a street in
Faifley, West Dunbartonshire, and armed police were then involved in a
stand off lasting an hour-and-a-half. The police discharged a
taser
stun gun and a man was arrested. He will appear on charges of
culpable and reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated bail, and
obstructing the police.
BBC,
10 February 2009 *
Ian McDonald pointed a
fake gun at staff at a betting shop in
Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, in August 2008 and stole £980. He
was recognised from CCTV footage. When police searched his house
they found a Colt BB gun along with two other BB guns. He pleaded
guilty to presenting an imitation firearm and demanding money and robbing
one of the staff. He has been jailed for four-and-a-half years (BBC,
11 March 2008).
BBC,
5 February 2009
An armed gang of four men, one
of whom was armed with a gun, burst into a house in Shawlands,
Glasgow, and fled with jewellery and more than £10,000. The
homeowner was being treated for serious injuries in hospital after being
struck on the head with a hammer.
The Herald,
4 February 2009 *
A newsagent was violently
assaulted during a robbery at his shop in Shawlands, Glasgow.
Three men burst into the shop, and when he refused to hand over any money
he was smashed on the head with the butt of a gun. The men fled with
a quantity of cigarettes. Two teenagers have admitted his part in the
robbery and been sentenced (see June 2009
Incidents).
BBC,
4 February 2009
Stephen Pollock jr has been
jailed for 56 months after he pointed an
imitation gun at a three-year-old at a flat in Glasgow
in June 2008. The court was told that he was looking for someone who
attacked him earlier. He admitted presenting an imitation firearm at
the child. His father was also jailed for carrying a knife during
the same incident.
BBC,
4 February 2009
A security guard was
threatened with a gun at a retail park in Glasgow. He was
left uninjured but extremely traumatised. The robbers escaped with
thousands of pounds.
WALES
BBC,
27 February 2009
A man threatened to shoot a
post office worker during an attempted robbery in Swansea.
The victim believes she saw a dark coloured metal tube sticking out from
the man's jacket. The panic alarm was pressed and the suspect
escaped empty handed by bike.
Daily Post,
9 February 2009
A gunman robbed a betting shop
in Llandudno, Conwy. He walked into the premises with what
appeared to be a handgun in a black plastic bag and escaped with around
£300 in cash.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
Skegness Standard,
24 February 2009
A number of birds and
squirrels appear to have been shot with an air
rifle on a pathway in Skegness, Lincolnshire. An
x-ray of one of the birds appears to show an air rifle pellet inside it.
BBC,
24 February 2009
A swan died after being shot
out of the sky as it flew over a field in Wigston, Leicestershire.
The bird was hit in the stomach with a shotgun
pellet.
Banbury Cake,
24 February 2009
A family cat has been shot
with an airgun in Banbury,
Oxfordshire. Five internal organs were hit. Vets have rates
her chances of survival as 50/50.
Get Surrey,
20 February 2009
Two swans found dead at a golf
club in Worplesdon, Surrey, both had puncture wound to their heads.
The RSPCA believes the birds were either shot with an
airgun or savaged by a dog.
The Sentinel,
16 February 2009
A cat was shot in the bottom
of the stomach with an airgun in
Kidsgrove, Staffordshire. His owners are offering a reward for
information about the shooting.
Evening Herald
(Plymouth), 10
February 2009
A family from Plymstock,
Devon, whose cat was shot dead with a .22 air
rifle, have been given a
new kitten by a reader of the newspaper.
Burton Mail,
6 February 2009 *
A cat had a limb shattered by
a pellet when she was shot with an airgun
in Horninglow, Staffordshire. The resultant vet's bills have
been about £700. People in the neighbourhood have also found dead
squirrels with pellet wounds in their back gardens.
Dewsbury Reporter,
5 February 2009
More than 30 birds have been
shot dead on the Spen Valley Greenway in West Yorkshire in the last month.
The birds have been found by a walker on a stretch between Heckmondwike
and Norristhorpe. Last week he saw two youths killing a
songthrush in front of him. The youths threatened him and the police
have been alerted. One of the youths was waving round an air rifle
customised to look like a sawn-off shotgun. Thirty one of the dead
birds have been shot with an air rifle.
Hartlepool Mail,
5 February 2009
A cygnet had to be put down
after a rampage with an air rifle in a
park in Hartlepool which left two other birds dead.
Louth Leader,
3 February 2009
A kestrel will never fly again
after being shot with an airgun.
It was found in a barn in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. Its
right wing had been broken in several places and a vet removed an airgun
pellet and had to amputate the wounded wing.
