FEBRUARY 2010
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
Slough & Langley Observer,
28 February 2010 *
A
shotgun was discharged inside the site of a bus station
Slough, Berkshire, where building work is ongoing. A
16-year-old boy has been charged with being in possession of a firearm
with intent to endanger life and threats to kill (Slough & Langley
Observer, 1 March 2010).
BBC,
28 February 2010
A man brandishing a firearm
entered a store in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, and demanded
cash. When he was challenged by staff he left the store, leaving
the weapon behind. The weapon is believed to be a
shotgun which is being tested for
forensic evidence (The Journal, 1 March 2010).
Manchester Evening News,
27 February 2010
Five men have been sentenced
to a total of 35 years in jail after a robbery in which a 15-year-old
was beaten around the head with a gun at his home. Aaron Graham
(sentenced to eight years), John O'Neill (eight years), Cordell Austin
(ten years) and Andre Walker (eight years) pleaded guilty to two counts
of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm. They forced their
way into a house in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, with a
blank firing handgun, a
stun gun, duct tape and cable ties.
A boy in the house managed to call the police whilst other family
members and a family friend were attacked. Anton Mattis, 18, had
already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and been given a suspended
12 months sentence, a 12-month supervision order and 100 hours unpaid
work.
Yorkshire Post,
26 February 2010
Four men have been cleared
of involvement in the murder of a man who was the victim of a drive-by
shooting in Sheffield in July 2009 (see
Incidents).
Southwark News,
26 February 2010
An 18-year-old faces three
charges of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and
possession of both a Young American revolver and five 7.65mm cartridges.
He was found with the gun in Camberwell, south London.
Northern Echo,
26 February 2010
Andrew Ardle twice fired a
sawn-off shotgun at a man whom he wrongly suspected of trying to "chat
up" his wife. The incident took place in Stanley, County
Durham, in August 2009 (see
Incidents). His victim gave chase by car and the chase
ended when he shunted Ardle's car in Durham City. Ardle was
found near his damaged vehicle with his legally-held
Beretta 12-bore shotgun which he had
illegally shortened the day before. He was jailed for seven years
after admitting two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to cause
a fear of violence, possessing a loaded shotgun in a public place,
shortening a shotgun and possessing a prohibited firearm. His
victim admitted dangerous driving and was given a suspended prison
sentence and was banned from driving.
Liverpool Echo,
26 February 2010
In April 2009 Jane Williams
subjected a pensioner to an attack using weapons taken from her son's
military collection. Fuelled with alcohol and drugs she tricked
her way into his home and accompanied by a man in a gas mask she burst
into his home in Thornton, Merseyside, and demanded money.
She was armed with an air pistol and
hit her victim with a baton. She has been jailed for five years
after admitting aggravated burglary.
Liverpool Echo,
26 February 2010
A
semi-automatic shotgun was found by police during a routine
driving stop in Croxteth Park, Liverpool. Four men, three
of them teenagers, were all arrested later.
Leicester Mercury,
26 February 2010
A 17-year-old youth who shot
at a garden birthday party in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, in
September 2009 (see Incidents)
with an airgun and hit three
children, aged two, three and five, has pleaded guilty to causing actual
bodily harm and possessing a loaded air weapon in a public place.
He had been given an 18-month community rehabilitation order and was
made subject of a six-month supervision and surveillance programme,
including a three-month curfew. An 18-year-old pleaded guilty to
possessing a loaded air weapon and was made subject of a six-month
referral order. Two other teenager have been given police
cautions. The parents of the children said that the sentences make
a mockery of the Government's tough stance on gun crime.
Isle of Wight County Press,
26 February 2010
Christopher Howse has
admitted threatening his girlfriend and her friend with an airgun in
January 2010. He claimed he had been drinking. He had
pointed the loaded .22 air rifle
inches from the other man's face and threatened to blow his head off.
He shot a pellet into the ceiling of the caravan in Chale, Isle
of Wight. The victim escaped after an ordeal lasting an hour.
Howse was in breach of a condition discharge imposed for assaulting his
girlfriend. He has been jailed for two years.
Evening Standard,
26 February 2010
A coroner has recovered a
verdict that a man killed himself after an inquest heard how a man was
found lying face down with a shot to the head and with a
shotgun beneath him at his home in
Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in September 2009. The gun
enthusiast had left a sealed letter to the Firearms Licensing Authority
describing where his other guns were kept.
Buxton Advertiser,
26 February 2010
Two men have admitted being
in possession of an air rifle in
Fairfield, Derbyshire, after concerned residents phoned police in
September 2009. The gun had been fired but it was accepted there
were no pellets in it. Daniel Nolan, 18, and Lee Binning were
released on unconditional bail pending sentencing. Binning was
subject to a five-year ban for possessing a firearm having served a
prison sentence.
Bolton News,
26 February 2010
Christopher Lowe kept a
small arsenal of guns and other weapons at a flat where he had a
cannabis factory. When police raided the flat in Kearsley,
Lancashire, in November 2009 they found a sawn-off shotgun, a Colt
pistol, a gat gun, a gun with the
barrel removed, 10 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. He
pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition, two counts of possession of
firearms, various drug offences and extraction of electricity. He
has been jailed for seven years.
Worcester News,
25 February 2010 *
Two men have been shot in
the face with an air rifle in a
street in Worcester. One of the victims was left covered in
blood after a pellet hit him on the chin. Minutes later a cyclist
was hit in the forehead, inches from his left eye. It is believed
the shots were fired from nearby flats. A third man has come
forward to say that he too was shot at with an air rifle in the same
street. The pellet narrowly missed him (Worcester News, 8
March 2010).
Wokingham Times,
25 February 2010
Police found an imitation
handgun, pepper spray and knuckle-duster in a car travelling through
Winnersh, Berkshire, after fireworks had been thrown from the
vehicle in May 2009. The gun was an air
pistol which bore a huge resemblance to a silver Beretta
pistol. Shayd Farmery, 20, admitted one count of possessing an
imitation firearm in a public place and Luke Muswell, also 20, admitted
one count of possessing pepper spray. A second replica gun was
found at Farmery's house. In his defence his counsel claimed that
"It's an air pistol, not a gun". Farmery was ordered to carry out
100 hours of unpaid work and Muswell 60 hours of unpaid work. A
third man was not charged.
Willesden & Brent Times,
25 February 2010
A man who went on the run
for seven years after he failed to show for his trial has finally
admitted two counts of possessing an imitation firearm. In
November 2002 he had lost his temper at his workplace in Neasden,
north west London, and showed two colleagues his
airgun, threatening to use it. He had admitted to
police officers the gun was his but he used it to shoot leaves in the
garden. He was charged and bailed but was not seen again until
being caught in September 2009. He has now been jailed for 17
months.
Westmorland Gazette,
25 February 2010
An investigation is underway
over claims a police bullet fired at a runaway cow nearly hit three
people in Kendal, Cumbria. There have been complaints that
a shot missed them by just four feet. It took five police shots to
kill the cow after it escaped from the auction mart.
Shields Gazette,
25 February 2010
Paul Maxwell fired a replica
pistol, a blank-firing weapon with
the appearance of a real Beretta, towards a property in South Shields,
Tyne and Wear, in October 2009. The weapon was owned by Gary
Bailey who had driven Maxwell to the scene of the incident.
Maxwell said he wanted to scare the family who lived there. He
admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of
violence and was jailed for four years. Bailey, an ex-soldier, had
bought the gun from a hobby shop for protection was sentenced to 20
months.
The Courier,
25 February 2010 *
Armed raiders tied up and
threatened a shop assistant at an antiques shop in Warwick.
One man pulled out what appeared to be a gun and asked the employee to
open the external door when three other men entered the shop. The
men took cash, gold and other items. Three men, including two
teenagers, have been arrested (The Courier, 4 March 2010).
BBC,
25 February 2010
A man was arrested on
suspicion of possessing a firearm after reports of someone wielding a
handgun in front of customers at a pub in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Winsford Guardian,
24 February 2010
An off-duty police officer
caught Christopher Benson red-handed with an
imitation firearm, a kitchen knife and a mask outside a shop
in Winsford, Cheshire, in May 2009. Benson has been found
guilty of possession of a replica firearm with intent to commit armed
robbery and possession of a bladed weapon. He has been jailed for
two years.
This is Nottingham,
24 February 2010
An inquest jury has
concluded that failures by Nottinghamshire Police contributed to the
death of a couple who were shot dead in Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire,
in August 2004 (see Incidents).
The couple had moved to Trusthorpe after the wife's son had killed a man
in Bulwell, Nottingham, in 2003. A verdict of unlawful
killing was recorded. Three men, Colin Gunn, whose nephew was a
friend of the Bulwell victim, Michael McNee and John Russell, had been
convicted of conspiracy to murder and are serving a combined 90 years in
jail (see 2007 Incidents).
Haringey Independent,
24 February 2010
A 16-year-old who was caught
with a loaded revolver in Wood Green, north London, has been
found guilty of possessing a firearm and also pleaded guilty to holding
a knife. Police officers had watched him dump the gun after
chasing him in August 2009. He was sentenced to four months in
prison.
BBC,
24 February 2010
A number of road signs in
West Oxfordshire appear to have been shot. It is not believed the
incidents, which happened in Burford, Shilton,
Carterton and Brize Norton, were related to more serious
criminal activity. It has been suggested that the damage was
probably caused by a rifle (Banbury Cake, 26 February 2010).
BBC,
24 February 2010
A reward of up to £5000 is
being offered in the hunt for thieves who attacked the occupants of two
homes in East Sussex in November 2009 and, amongst other items, stole
shotguns from both properties.
The attacks took place in Hadlow Down (see
Incidents) and Ditchling.
This is Somerset,
23 February 2010
A coroner has concluded that
a farmer and builder from North Newton, Somerset, took his life
when his cancer became unbearable. He was found with
shotgun wounds in November.
This is Kent,
23 February 2010
Andrzej Augusciak brandished
an imitation handgun, a silver and
black pistol, at rail staff at Canterbury West station, Kent, in
September 2009. He had a blank round containing CS gas
powder in his pocket. The incident occurred after staff had
discovered him asleep in a carriage when his train terminated at the
station. Augusciak was drunk at the time. He has been jailed
for five years for possessing prohibited ammunition and three years for
possessing a weapon, the sentences to run concurrently.
Manchester Evening News,
23 February 2010
Gary Edgar has been
sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of possessing
a firearm and ammunition. He was arrested in June 2008 as he drove
in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Police stopped his car as
he was listed as wanted and found a revolver and ammunition in the
vehicle. He was also convicted of possessing a blade.
Liverpool Echo,
23 February 2010
Tenisha Smith has been
jailed for five years for hiding a self-loading Luger pistol and 18
rounds of ammunition to pay off a drug debt. The weapon was found
when police raided her flat in Toxteth, Liverpool, in December
2009.
Evening Standard,
23 February 2010
A handicapped man who is
alleged to have been kept as a slave for a family's own amusement before
they chopped off his head and dumped his body in a lake in Arlesey,
Bedfordshire, suffered a decade of abuse. He was burnt, beaten and
his body had airgun pellets in it
when taken from the lake. Four people, two brothers and their
girlfriends, all deny murder. The brothers' parents deny causing
or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.
Burton Mail,
23 February 2010
A total of 231 firearms were
seized or handed in to the Trent Division of Staffordshire Police based
in Burton-on-Trent during 2009. They included 77
shotguns, 90
air rifles, 30 ball bearing guns
and 34 imitation weapons.
Birmingham Mail,
23 February 2010
A dog walker was shot with
an airgun on a canal towpath in
Moxley, West Midlands. The victim, who suffered a facial
injury, saw four teenagers running away.
BBC,
23 February 2010
Two men have been taken to
hospital after being wounded in a shooting in Gotham,
Nottinghamshire. The incident took place outside a pub. Four
men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and a fifth man
was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm (Nottingham Evening
Post, 24 February 2010). One man has been charged with two
counts of attempted murder (BBC, 24 February 2010).
The Citizen (Blackburn),
22 February 2010
One of three men on trial
accused of terrorism told police that video footage of him firing a gun
was "just a bit of fun". Police confiscated video clips which
showed the three men brandishing and firing guns in the garden of a
house in Blackburn, Lancashire. When police raided his
house they found BB guns. The
owner of a gun shop in Blackburn who sold the majority of the weapons
found by police at the home of the other two defendants described them
as "just silly kids". He had posed with them with weapons in his
store (This is Lancashire, 24 February 2010). The police
had found a weapons cabinet at their home containing several machetes,
an air rifle and an
air pistol, crossbows and live
ammunition (The Citizen, 25 February 2010). The
trial continues.
Welwyn & Hatfield Times,
21 February 2010
Two poachers, apparently a
man and a teenager in camouflage gear with an
air rifle, were being hunted by police after being spotted
with the gun in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
Southern Daily Echo,
20 February 2010
Darren Dodge pointed an
air rifle at two trick-or-treaters
who came to the door of his grandmother's house in Lymington,
Hampshire. He was cleaning the weapon and lost his temper with the
two teenage girls. Dodge pleaded guilty to possession of an
imitation firearm and was given a 12-month jail term, suspended for two
years, a six month supervision requirement and 150 hours unpaid work.
His two air rifles will be destroyed.
Manchester Evening News,
20 February 2010
A security guard was
threatened with a shotgun during a
raid on a bank in Ashton-under-Lyne. Two men, armed with
the gun and a crowbar told the guard they would shoot him if he did not
hand over cash. They fled with the money.
Croydon Guardian,
20 February 2010
Police were called to a
street in Croydon, south London, after reports that gunshots.
They found evidence of a gun being fired but no persons injured.
Cambridge News,
20 February 2010
A farmer was shot after he
disturbed intruders near outbuildings on his land in Waterbeach,
Cambridgeshire. The victim suffered a minor injury. The
intruders fled in a van.
BBC,
20 February 2010
A man was shot in the leg
outside a wine bar in Liverpool. He was taken to hospital
with minor injuries. A second victim, a woman, has now come
forward to the police and reported how she was struck in the leg.
It is believed that a pellet gun was
fired (Liverpool Daily Post, 21 February 2010).
BBC,
20 February 2010
A
shotgun and 50 live cartridges were found during an operation
to crackdown on drink-fuelled violence across Greater Manchester.
Wirral Globe,
19 February 2010
A man has been charged with
the theft of a quantity of live and blank ammunition and five magazines
belonging to the Army Cadet Corps in Altcar, Lancashire, in
August 2009. Stephen Burns has pleaded guilty to possession of 50
live rounds of .22 rifle ammunition when not having a firearms
certificate.
West Yorkshire Police,
19 February 2010
Anthony Scott from
Burmantofts, Leeds, has pleaded guilty to possession of a sub
machine gun, a 12-gauge single barrelled
sawn-off shotgun and ammunition for both weapons. The
weapons were found at his flat by police in August 2009 (see
Incidents).
He claimed to have found them in a skip. He has been jailed for
six years (Yorkshire Evening Post, 22 February 2010).
Northern Echo,
19 February 2010
Four people have been
arrested after raids at two properties in Hendon, Sunderland.
One of the men was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in offering
to supply controlled drugs and possession of a firearm.
Kent News,
19 February 2010
Kayley Steel from
Walderslade, Kent, was one of two drug dealing brothers who pleaded
guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine. He also
admitted possession of an air weapon
and ammunition. He was sentenced to 32 months in prison.
Haringey Independent,
19 February 2010
Akinni Constantine from
Tottenham, north London, has admitted carrying out seven gunpoint
robberies in his neighbourhood in August and September 2009 (see
Incidents).
He pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery, one count of attempted
robbery, and seven counts of possessing an
imitation firearm with intent to commit a crime. He is
expected to be jailed. The investigating officer said "None of his
victims would have known that the firearm was an imitation and they
would have been absolutely terrified for their lives".
East London Advertiser,
19 February 2010
A 16-year-old boy was shot
in the back and arm by a gunman on a cycle in Bow, east London.
He was taken to hospital and treated and has now been discharged.
Bolton News,
19 February 2010 *
Three men armed with a gun,
kitchen knife and metal bar threatened staff at a bookmakers in
Bolton, Greater Manchester. One of the men jumped over the
counter, demanded cash and escaped with £150 from the till. CCTV
pictures have been released of the raid. The police believe the
men could be responsible for three other raids on betting shops this
year, including one at the same shop two weeks earlier and two in
Great Lever (This is Lancashire, 3 March 2010).
BBC,
19 February 2010
Two teenage boys have been
arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and assault following an
incident in which a gang of youths allegedly chased a man in Halewood,
Merseyside. The victim was then hit with a firearm.
Surrey Comet,
18 February 2010
Three 16-year-old boys from
Surbiton and Kingston, south west London, will face trial
for allegedly using a fake gun to
rob people of cash and mobile phones. One of the dependants had
been holding a black handgun.
Sunderland Echo,
18 February 2010
A 15-year-old was spotted
firing an air weapon out of his
bedroom window in Boldon Colliery, Tyne and Wear. Three
pellets hit the window frame of a home opposite. The teenager was
spoken to by officers and referred to a youth surgery.
The Star,
18 February 2010
Three men were arrested on
suspicion of possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to
cause fear of violence. One of the men, who was arrested by armed
police at his home in Crosspool, Sheffield, was later told that
the police had been acting as a result of an incorrect tip-off that
there may have been a firearm inside. All three men were released
without charge.
Liverpool Echo,
18 February 2010
Shots were fired at a house
from a park in Toxteth, Liverpool. Police discovered a back
window of a flat had been damaged by a single bullet, though one witness
heard up to four shots.
Herald (Plymouth),
18 February 2010
Alan Levers was caught a day
after he pointed an imitation handgun
at the face of a shop worker in Plymouth during a robbery in
December 2009. He has pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of
an imitation firearm. Levers, who had a previous conviction for
burglary, was jailed for four years and three months.
Hartlepool Mail,
18 February 2010
Neil Blair, aged 18, was
caught with a pellet gun whilst he
was drink outside a shopping centre in Hartlepool in December
2009, almost sparking a major incident. He claimed to have got the
gun as a Christmas present. He has pleaded guilty to having a
weapon in a public place as well as two counts of assaulting a police
officer and also stealing goods in a separate incident. He has
been given a 12-month community order with 10 education, training and
employment sessions and a nine-day alcohol programme.
BBC,
18 February 2010
A builder is in hospital
after being shot at a house in Lilley, Hertfordshire, in what
police have called a "targeted attack". Three or four men were
seen driving off after the incident. The victim was being treated
in hospital for what police have said are life-changing injuries.
BBC,
18 February 2010
A man has been shot in the
back with an air rifle while cycling
through Reading, Berkshire. The pellet went through three
layers of his rucksack and fortunately the victim was not injured.
Yorkshire Evening Post,
17 February 2010
A woman has been shot in the
leg at a house in Totley, Sheffield. The attack involved as
many as three men. Three other family members were in the house at
the time but were not hurt. The attackers smashed into the home,
knocking the front door off its hinges and fired the shot immediately.
Police are unsure if the victim was deliberately shot or if she was hit
by flying debris (The Star, 18 February 2010).
Yorkshire Evening Post,
17 February 2010
Darren Winstanley and
Richard Walker have each been jailed for seven-and-a-half years after
guns and ammunition were scattered across a road following a motorbike
chase through Leeds in January 2009. A fully loaded
sub-machine pistol and a loaded pump action
shotgun were discovered at the scene. The men were on
their way to confront people who had attacked Winstanley's partner's
home. Both men admitted two charges of possessing firearms with
intent to cause fear of violence, two of possessing a prohibited
firearm, one of possessing ammunition without a certificate and one of
possessing ammunition when prohibited. Both men had previous
convictions.
Wigan Evening Post,
17 February 2010
A man has been charged in
connection with a gunpoint robbery during which a woman driving her car
in Shevington, Lancashire, was stopped by a man armed with a gun.
The man stole the car which was later found abandoned. The charges
he faces include possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm
with intent to commit an indictable offence.
This is Lancashire,
17 February 2010
Aaron Chivers and Liam Gray
fired an air rifle at a delivery man
in Atherton, Lancashire, in May 2009 (see
Incidents), making him "dance like a
puppet". They both admitted possessing an air rifle with intent to
cause fear of violence, assault and damaging a van. Their victim
was hit at the back of his right knee. A pellet had to be removed
under local anaesthetic. Chivers and Gray were both jailed for
nine months. It would appear they had been drinking at the time of
the incident.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
17 February 2010
A judge said that he was
"very, very unhappy" following a case in which a man who threw a shotgun
and live rounds of ammunition into a school playground in Kingsthorpe,
Northampton, was acquitted when the prosecution accepted he had
committed no offence. Kris Ormesher is alleged to have driven with
a friend to confront a drug dealer over a cannabis deal in April 2009.
He knew he was about to be pulled over by the police so he disposed of
the gun. The double-barrelled shotgun
and two live cartridges were found by the school caretaker. The
gun was damaged and unable to fire. The prosecuting counsel said
that as the gun could no longer be fired and Ormesher had a valid
shotgun licence at the time, had a legitimate reason for keeping it in
his car for clay shooting and because it was not loaded, he was cleared
of the offence. It was not possible to prove any offence under the
Firearms Act. Ormesher lost his firearms certificate when he was
found to be almost three times over the drink-drive limit later that
night.
News Shopper,
17 February 2010 *
Zach Zeto, 18, has pleaded
guilty for his part in a raid on a farm in Cudham, south east
London. He and others stormed into the farmhouse brandishing a
weapon in August 2009. They make the farmer's son take out money
from the till. Zeto admitted aggravated burglary and possession of
an imitation firearm with the intent
to endanger life. Three other men are still at large. Zeto
has been given a seven-year sentence (News Shopper, 8 March
2010).
News Shopper,
17 February 2010
Three men who threatened a
family in their home in Forest Hill, south London, in June 2009
have been found guilty of robbery and theft. Ogarra Dixon, 18,
Trevor Cook and Reggie Junior Fowell-Boston were charged with
robbery, possessing an imitation firearm
and theft of a motor vehicle. Two others, Myles Maccalla and
Sharando Cadette had already pleaded guilty to the offences. The
gang had put the gun to the head of the father and demanded cash and
then took the family's car, a plasma TV, mobile phones, iPhones,
laptops, computer game consoles and an iPod. Fowell-Boston was
sentenced to 10 years, Cooke and Dixon to eight years and Maccalla and
Cadette to six-and-a-half years (This is Local London, 25
February 2010).
Leyland Guardian,
17 February 2010
A car driver was shot at by
what he thought was an air weapon as
he was driving along a street in Leyland, Lancashire. The
attack, which took place in January, left a hole in the rear wing of the
vehicle.
Haringey Independent,
17 February 2010
A shopkeeper was shot in the
neck during a robbery at an off licence in Green Lanes, Haringey
in north London. The victim was taken to hospital where he was in
a stable condition. The robbery is being linked to another in
Hackney twenty minutes earlier when a man entered a shop and
threatened the cashier with a gun and demanded money. The victim
in the Green Lanes robbery was shot with a small handgun (Haringey
Independent, 18 February 2010).
Express & Star,
17 February 2010
Wayne Rowley who with
another man raided a grocery store in Parkfields, Wolverhampton,
in October 2009 has admitted robbery, possession of an
imitation firearm and possession of a bladed weapon, an axe.
The second man is believed to have fired the gas-powered gun during the
raid. Rowley has been warned he faces a long jail sentence.
Evening Telegraph
(Peterborough),
17 February 2010
A 17-year-old was left
injured after he was shot in the right leg with an
airgun whilst walking in Orton Malbourne,
Cambridgeshire. A pellet was embedded so deeply that a two-hour
operation had to be carried out to remove it.
Bolton News,
17 February 2010
A
shotgun was stolen from a farm in Harwood, Bolton,
during a burglary. The weapon was a Baikal Single Shot Shotgun.
CCTV images of the offenders have been released.
BBC,
17 February 2010
A man was shot in the
stomach after attending a wake at a pub in West Derby,
Merseyside. Police are treating the incident as attempted murder.
The victim remained in a critical condition.
BBC,
17 February 2010
A substantial amount of
money was taken from a post office in Redditch, Worcestershire,
by two men one of whom was apparently armed with a
stun gun. No-one was seriously
injured.
BBC,
17 February 2010
A man armed with a gun
threatened a member of staff at a bank in Henley, Oxfordshire,
before fleeing with a large amount of cash. CCTV footage of the
gunman has been released (Henley Standard, 1 March 2010).
Winsford Guardian,
16 February 2010
Michael Holt has received a
two year custodial sentence for being in possession of firearms without
holding the appropriate certificates. He was arrested after a
12 bore shotgun and an
air rifle were found at a house in Winsford, Cheshire,
in May 2009. Daniel Holt, who was arrested at the same time, was
fined £1000 and costs of £250.
Sunderland Echo,
16 February 2010
A father hid a loaded gun
among his children's toys at his home in Durham City.
George Swainston agreed to look after the self-loading pistol on behalf
of his drugs supplier. The weapon was found when police executed a
search warrant at his home in November 2009. He pleaded guilty to
illegal possession of a gun and ammunition and was jailed for five
years.
Scarborough Evening News,
16 February 2010
A man from Cherry Burton,
East Yorkshire, has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to two
charges of possession of a firearm without a certificate.
Oxford Mail,
16 February 2010
A woman has denied robbery
and possessing an imitation firearm
with intent following a robbery at a post office in Stanton Harcourt,
Oxfordshire, in January 2009 (see
Incidents). She is accused of
encouraging her accomplice Lee Rudman who burst into the shop holding a
crude 'machine gun' fabricated from offcuts of metal. Rudman is
currently in jail having admitted robbery and possessing an imitation
firearm with intent. Victoria Brookes was jailed for four years
after being found guilty of both charges (Oxford Mail, 19
February 2010).
Newham Recorder,
16 February 2010
A man from West Ham,
east London, has been charged with attempted murder, attempting to
inflict grievous bodily harm with intent, possessing a firearm with
intent to cause fear of violence and dangerous driving. It is
alleged that he pointed at a gun a work colleague and had run him down in a
car.
Manchester Evening News,
16 February 2010
Two teenage girls who looked
after a gun for a man were caught when police raided a house in
Flixton, Greater Manchester in May 2009. The revolver was
found in a black leather handbag resting on top of a hedgerow.
Chloe Goodman, 18, and a 17-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing a
prohibited weapon and possessing ammunition without a certificate.
The gun belonged to Daniel Brown who admitted possessing a firearm with
ammunition. The three will be sentenced in March.
Ealing Gazette,
16 February 2010
Gavin Butler has been
ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, attend an education and
training course for 22 days and attend appointments with a probation
officer for 12 months for illegally possessing ammunition for a handgun
in Uxbridge, west London, in April 2009 and possessing cannabis
on another occasion.
BBC,
16 February 2010
Two gunmen robbed a travel
agency in Ashford, Spelthorne in Surrey, and escaped with
thousands of pounds in cash.
BBC,
16 February 2010
A gun was found during a
three week drugs crackdown in Brighton and Hove.
Sixty-six people were arrested during the operation.
The Argus,
16 February 2010
A handgun was fired twice
during an attempted robbery at a chemists in Bolnore, West
Sussex. The man who fired the shots ran off empty handed.
Two men have been arrested.
Get Surrey,
15 February 2010
Ian Henderson threatened his
elderly mother with a BB gun at his
parents' house in Salfords, Surrey, in September 2009. He
was drunk at the time and shouted abuse at her and then flashed the
imitation handgun and said he was going to shoot her and bury her in the
garden. He said he carried the gun sometimes with a view to
shooting cats. His mother called the police who found 1,500 ball
bearings in his bag which could have been used as ammunition. He
admitted one count of possessing an imitation firearm and was sentenced
to 20 months' imprisonment.
Evening Courier,
15 February 2010
An
air rifle, a crossbow and suspected cannabis plants were
found by police during a raid in Rastrick, West Yorkshire.
BBC,
15 February 2010
A 16-year-old girl was
threatened with what was believed to be a handgun during a mugging on a
street in Hoddesden, Hertfordshire. A man grabbed her purse
and asked for her Pin code before threatening her.
Manchester Evening News,
14 February 2010
Alan Long from Eccles,
Greater Manchester, shot his girlfriend in the neck with a
sawn-off shotgun after they argued
about his cheating on her. He escaped an attempted murder charge
after the court heard he had not intended to shoot her and a fault made
the weapon fire. After the shooting he fled the scene with a
shotgun, a handgun and ammunition in a bag. He admitted possessing
the shotgun and handgun with intent to endanger life, plus charges of
possessing ammunition and farming cannabis plants. He was jailed
indeterminately for the public protection. The shooting took place
at a house in Peel Green in August 2009 (BBC, 12 February
2009).
BBC,
14 February 2010
A man was taken to hospital
after being shot in the arm in Aigburth, Liverpool. A
suspect has been arrested and later released on bail (BBC, 15
February 2010).
Local Guardian,
13 February 2010
Three men who robbed a home
in Balham, south London, have been sentenced. Michael
Wright, Angelo Wright and Tomasz Cieplichiewicz all pleaded guilty to
one count of aggravated burglary, one count of possessing an
imitation firearm, five counts of false
imprisonment and one count of aggravated vehicle taking. They
tried to steal a safe which they put in the owner's car which they also
stole. The Wright's were sentenced to 12 years and Cieplichiewicz
to 10 years.
Hartlepool Mail,
13 February 2010
A man from Hartlepool
has been charged with possessing an airgun
with intent to cause fear of violence and common assault.
Bedfordshire on Sunday,
13 February 2010
A man was threatened with a
handgun by a group of youths wearing masks in Silsoe,
Bedfordshire. They forced their way into his home and made off
with an amount of cash and jewellery.
BBC,
13 February 2010
A possible shooting at a
house in Fulwood, Preston, was being investigated by police.
The house was damaged and officers were investigating whether the damage
was caused by a gunshot. It is reported that a handgun was fired
from a car as the householder stood outside the house (Lancashire
Evening Post, 15 February 2010).
Yorkshire Post,
12 February 2010
Three men have been jailed
for life for stealing more than £1m from a security van and plotting to
murder another crook. All three had been found guilty of
conspiracy to murder and other charges after a trial last year and have
now been found guilty of other robbery charges. They failed to
harm their victim when a gun jammed on one occasion and police
intervened on another. Dennis Slade has been ordered to serve a
minimum of over 19 years, and Richard Pearman and Michael Baxter will
have to serve a minimum of over 17 years. The attempted murder
took place on an estate in East Leeds in March 2008 (Wakefield
Express, 1 February 2010).
This is Surrey Today,
12 February 2010
Two men entered a shop in
Hurst Green, Surrey, and demanded staff hand over money from the
tills. One of the suspects produced a gun concealed within his
hooded top and fired it into the floor. Police have released CCTV
images of the robbers. The weapon was a
shotgun (Get Surrey, 22 February 2010).
This is Surrey Today,
12 February 2010
A rifle club in
Leatherhead, Surrey, is under investigation following a complaint
that bullets have been straying into nearby stables. Numerous
small holes have been found in the fence between the stables and the
club. The club has been declared "safe" after being visited by
representatives from a rifle association and Surrey Police who concluded
that the club did not breach its range safety certificate (This is
Surrey Today, 19 February 2010).
Southend Standard,
12 February 2010
A man brandishing a handgun
demanded money from the till when he burst into a fish and chip shop in
Thorpe Bay, Essex. He escaped with a three figure sum.
Liverpool Echo,
12 February 2010
Two teenagers, one from
Huyton on Merseyside, have appeared in court charged with malicious
wounding and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
The charges relate to an incident in March 2009.
Kent Online,
12 February 2010
A shop manager was kidnapped
by two men who forced him to return to the store in Rainham,
Kent, and empty the safe. The victim has told police he thought a
gun was involved.
Ilford Recorder,
12 February 2010
A man forced his way into a
secure area of a bookmaker's in Seven Kings, east London, pointed
a black handgun at a member of staff before demanding cash.
Daily Gazette,
12 February 2010
Terrance Horncastle pointed
a replica gun at police officers who
were looking through the letter box of his home in Witham, Essex,
after his then girlfriend called the police in November 2009. He
had become violent after drinking. He was given a four-month
suspended prison sentence after admitting assault and possessing an
imitation firearm with intent to make someone believe violence would be
used.
Slough & Langley Observer,
11 February 2010
Three men have been jailed
for a total of 18 years and nine months for a string of armed robberies
at video stores in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Troy Tutin and
Alexander Davies both pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and
three counts of being in possession of an
imitation firearm and were sentenced to six years.
Davies was also sentenced for a drugs offence. Paul Barzey was
sentenced to six years and nine months after pleading guilty to two
counts of robbery and two counts of being in possession of an
imitation firearm and assaulting a
member of staff. He was also sentenced in connection with a
burglary. The robberies took place in Slough in February
2009 (see Incidents)
and
Maidenhead in March 2009 (see
Incidents) and in Hazlemere in
March 2009 (Bucks Free Press, 12 February 2010).
Oxford Mail,
11 February 2010
Sandeep Kumar shot a Police
Community Support Officer with a ball-bearing
gun, threw eggs at the homes of two women living near his
home in East Oxford and threatened to kill his neighbour.
He has been given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order and ordered to
wear an electronic tag for three months after breaching an Asbo he was
given in December.
Manchester Evening News,
11 February 2010
A post mortem examination on
the body of a man found with serious stab injuries at a home in
Alderley Edge, Cheshire, revealed that he had died from a
shotgun wound. The owner of the
house, who had suffered serious stab injuries himself, has been arrested
on suspicion of murder.
East Anglian Daily Times,
11 February 2010
An
air pistol was fired during an attempted robbery at a shop in
Canvey, Essex. The male shop assistant was not injured
during the incident.
Coventry Telegraph,
11 February 2010
Two men, one armed with a
gun, raided a shop in Leamington, Warwickshire. They
threatened a female member of staff and stole money from the till.
BBC,
11 February 2010
Ian Smith from Luton,
Bedfordshire, has admitted brandishing a toy
gun at another driver during a road rage incident on the
M1 in July 2009 which involved a van. He admitted possessing
an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and was given
a 16 week suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 100 hours unpaid
work.
BBC,
11 February 2010
A 14-year-old boy was taken
to hospital after being shot with an air rifle
on a housing estate in Penwithick Park, Cornwall. A pellet was
removed from his neck. A man was arrested and later released on
bail.
BBC,
11 February 2010
A man was shot with an
air rifle while playing golf on a
course in Barlborough, Derbyshire. The victim was left with
a red mark on his chest. The offender was not found.
This is Nottingham,
10 February 2010
Jennifer Robinson, 19, has
been jailed for four years after she hid a 12-bore
sawn-off shotgun. The gun was
found in the wardrobe in her room at her hostel in Clifton,
Nottingham, in May 2009. At the time she was on bail for burglary.
She had admitted all charges.
Gazette (Gloucestershire),
10 February 2010
A verdict of suicide has
been recorded at an inquest into the death of a 19-year-old who was
found dead at his home in Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire, in July
2008 with a single shotgun wound to
the head.
Yorkshire Evening Post,
9 February 2010
Four men, two of them
teenagers, have been arrested after a taxi driver in Leeds was
allegedly threatened with a gun and a knife and then robbed of his
takings.
Westmorland Gazette,
9 February 2010
Adrian Crompton from
Kendal, Cumbria, has admitted possessing a
double-barrelled shotgun which had been shortened. He
got the gun to help retrieve £80,000 he had lost in a scam. The
gun was given to him after he had discussed the scam with friends.
Sentencing was adjourned.
This is Wiltshire,
9 February 2010
Two men used a gun to try
and hold up a newsagent's in Pinehurst, Wiltshire. They
were confronted and quickly made their getaway empty-handed. An
imitation gun was found at the scene.
One man has been arrested (Swindon Advertiser, 10 February 2010).
Telegraph & Argus,
9 February 2010
Two gun enthusiasts have
each been jailed after one sold the other a prohibited US army pistol, a
Colt 45. Brian Teesdale from Baildon, West Yorkshire, was
jailed for three years for possessing the gun and ammunition in November
2009. He had bought the gun from his friend, Martin Wells from
Guiseley, nine years ago. Wells had bought the gun at an
international arms fair and was told that it was not an illegal weapon.
He sold it to Teesdale when he realised that it was. Wells, a
shotgun licence holder for 30 years, has been jailed for 18 months.
Scarborough Evening News,
9 February 2010
A man has appeared before
magistrates after police found a weapon during a search of his property
in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. He faced allegations of
possessing a firearm and ammunition without a certificate. A
further examination on the size of the gun's barrel is to take place.
The Press,
9 February 2010
Ian Wynne was armed with an
imitation pistol when he demanded
cash from an employee at a shop in Selby, North Yorkshire, in
October 2009 (see Incidents).
He was arrested shortly afterwards and has pleaded guilty to robbery and
possessing an imitation firearm with intent to commit an offence.
He has been warned that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
He had previously been jailed for ten years for a series of armed raids.
The Herald (Plymouth),
9 February 2010
Craig Quirk pleaded guilty
to eight charges after a number of incidents in two of which he put a
gun to the heads of two men. He stole a mobile phone and wallet
from a man walking through Whitleigh, Plymouth. On the same
day he put a gun to the face of a cerebral palsy sufferer and threatened
to kill him but the victim managed to leave the incident unscathed.
The charges included possession of a firearm or imitation firearm at the
time of committing an offence and possession of a prohibited firearm.
He has been jailed for eight years. See also
September 2009 Incidents.
Clitheroe Advertiser and Times,
9 February 2010
A high voltage
stun gun was recovered during a police
raid on a café in Clitheroe, Lancashire. A man was arrested
and charged with an offence under the Firearms Act.
Swindon Advertiser,
8 February 2010
Thomas Gregory claimed to
have found a sawn-off shotgun in
woods close to Barbury Castle, Wiltshire, and was taking it to a
police station to hand it in when he was arrested (see
October 2009 Incidents). A judge ruled
he knew what he was doing and that he had gone to the isolated spot to
get the gun. He pleaded guilty to possessing an altered firearm
without a certificate. He will be sentenced later.
Daily Echo,
8 February 2010
A man who stole cash and a
number of items, including shotgun
cartridges, from a pub in Studland, Dorset, admitted burglary.
Ricky Proffitt and another man were spotted ransacking the pub's office
on camera but he left his DNA behind on a torch. He was given a
suspended 12-month prison sentence and ordered to pay £3,200
compensation.
BBC,
8 February 2010
An 18-year-old man was shot
in Kirkdale, Liverpool, in a targeted attack. The victim
was shot in the arm and chest and is understood to be in a stable
condition in hospital. A man has been arrested on suspicion of
causing grievous bodily harm. A second man has been arrested (Liverpool
Echo, 12 February 2010).
BBC,
8 February 2010
A passenger is alleged to
have threatened to shoot a worker in the head at Westbury station
in Wiltshire following a row about the price of a ticket.
This is Kent,
7 February 2010
A man had to be taken to
hospital after three masked men burst into his home in Tunbridge
Wells, Kent, and attacked him with a stun
gun. The gang had pushed their way into the house when
the victim opened the door. He believed the motive was robbery.
Click Liverpool,
7 February 2010
A man was shot in the leg at
a club in Belle Vale, Liverpool. He was taken to hospital
but later discharged himself later.
Yorkshire Evening Post, 6 February 2010
A gang burst into a home in
Bramley, West Yorkshire, and pointed a
shotgun at a baby's head. They were also armed with a
knife. The men demanded money and grabbed items including a TV.
Three teenagers have been arrested.
This is Kent, 6 February 2010
Martin Leach and his partner
Donna Westguard were caught with a stun gun
in their home in Tonbridge, Kent. The gun was found along
with drugs when the police searched the property in November 2009.
Both were given a conditional discharge for six months and Leach was
fined £90.
Isle of Wight County Press, 6 February 2010
A youth was reported to have
been seen with a gun in the Butts Copse area of Bembridge on the
Isle of Wight. Police with dogs failed to track him down.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 6 February 2010
An
air rifle was fired at a window in Brockholes, West
Yorkshire, smashing an outer pane of glass.
Evening Telegraph (Peterborough), 6 February 2010
A man leapt the counter at a
bookmaker's in Peterborough and pointed a handgun in the face of
a worker. A reward of £10,000 has been offered to catch the gunman
who was caught on CCTV.
BBC, 6 February 2010
Two men who were armed with
a firearm threatened staff at a bank in Coventry. They
stole a quantity of cash.
BBC, 6 February 2010
An illegal handgun,
ammunition and drugs were found by police while they were investigating
the theft of a car in Gloucester. One man has been charged
with possessing a firearm.
Waltham Forest Guardian, 5 February 2010
Police officers discovered a
loaded Baikal 9mm handgun when they raided a house in Leytonstone,
north east London. Two men and a woman were arrested.
This is Lancashire, 5 February 2010
Craig Bailey from Hindley,
Greater Manchester, threatened a friend with a gun and was involved in a two-day
siege in January 2009 (see
Incidents) when he barricaded himself into his house. He had been found
unfit to stand trial on the charges of false imprisonment, possessing an
imitation gun with intent and
threatening to destroy his property. He was convicted of the gun
offence but cleared of the other two charges. He has been sent to
a mental hospital indefinitely because he poses a risk to the public.
This is Croydon Today, 5 February 2010
Two boys aged 14 have both
been sentenced to 30 months detention following a gunpoint raid on a
shop in Shirley, south London, in July 2009. One of the
boys pointed an imitation shotgun at
an employee before making off with £200. Both had pleaded guilty
to robbery and possession of an imitation gun.
Local Guardian, 5 February 2010
Gary Scott was one of two
men who carried out an armed robbery on a post office in Ilford,
east London, in June 2009 (see
September 2009 Incidents). A security guard was threatened with a
firearm during the robbery. He was handed a seven year jail term
with a three year sentence for possession of ammunition and possession
of criminal property to run concurrently. His accomplice has not
been arrested.
Lancashire Telegraph, 5 February 2010
A
BB gun was among a haul of weapons were found during a raid
on a house in the Bank Top area of Blackburn, Lancashire.
Cannabis was also discovered. Two men were given cautions as there
was no evidence that the weapons had been used in the street.
This is Somerset, 4 February 2010 *
A man from Yeovil,
Somerset, is on trial facing four charges of rape, one of kidnap, one of
false imprisonment and two of assault by penetration. Mark Fell has
admitted possession of a prohibited firearm, a
sawn-off shotgun. Another man was alleged to have allowed him to store the gun at
the farm in West Coker where he lived had denied possessing the
sawn-off shotgun and was acquitted (This is Somerset, 14 February
2010). Following conviction Fell will serve at least ten years in
prison (Yeovil Express, 9 March 2010).
This is Derbyshire, 4 February 2010
Two men have been charged
with drugs and firearms offences following a raid at a house in
Ilkeston, Derbyshire. A shotgun
and quantities of suspected cannabis and ecstasy were recovered from the
house during the raid in January 2010.
Sleaford Standard, 4 February 2010
A former RAF policeman and
gun enthusiast had live ammunition and three illegal pistols stored at
his home in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Police also found over
200 imitation weapons inside the property which had been bought from a
website linked to illegal weapons. Mark Owens admitted three
charges of possessing a prohibited weapon and a further charge of
illegal possession of ammunition in May 2008. His shotgun
certificate had been suspended. He was given a 12 month
conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs. The judge accepted
that Owens had inadvertently broken the law and was surprised to
discover the pistols were prohibited weapons. The ammunition had
been retained from his RAF days.
Royston Crow, 4 February 2010
Trains had to be halted for
more than an hour after a man was spotted pointing a rifle at a train
near Odsey, Hertfordshire. Drivers raised the alert.
Police officers eventually discovered a number of armed men attending a
legal shooting party hunting rabbits and other game on nearby farmland.
The party was spoken to and given advice of walking near railway lines
with weapons and never to point weapons at trains.
Prestwich & Whitefield Guide, 4 February 2010
A robber pointed a handgun
at a cashier at a service station in Prestwich, Manchester.
The man grabbed £150 before sprinting off. The cashier ran after
him and cornered him but the man escaped.
Liverpool Echo, 4 February 2010
A bookmaker's in the centre
of Liverpool has been targeted for the second time in less than
two weeks. A man threatened staff with what appeared to be a black
and silver handgun and forced them to open the safe. He fled on
foot with a substantial amount of money. Two men have been
charged, one with two counts of robbery and one count of possession of
an imitation firearm, the other with
conspiracy to commit robbery (Liverpool Echo, 6 February 2010).
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 4 February 2010
Four young men went into a
bank in Highgate, north London, and told staff they had a gun,
but none was seen. They fled within seconds and police refused to
say whether they left empty-handed.
Hemel Today, 4 February 2010
Manuel Clark has been
sentenced to nine-and-a-half years after handing over a
shotgun in a pub car park in
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, to an undercover police officer to
whom he had also supplied drugs. He pleaded guilty to selling or
transferring a shotgun, having a firearm and ammunition in a public
place and drugs offences. George Webb who was also involved in
trying to get a gun and dealt in drugs and counterfeit clothing received
seven-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the
transfer of a firearm and other offences, and Allan Clarke who brought
the gun from his home to the car park was jailed for three years after
admitting conspiracy to sell or transfer a firearm and having a firearm
and ammunition in a public place.
Gainsborough Standard, 4 February 2010
A railway worker was shot
with an airgun whilst working on
tracks near the station in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. He
had to undergo surgery after a pellet became lodged in his arm.
Dorset Echo, 4 February 2010
A farmer was shot at twice
as he tried to stop three raiders at his property in Buckland Newton,
Dorset. Men with torches were spotted in the yard and when he
confronted them they shot at him and hit a car windscreen with a .22
rifle. It is thought that nothing was stolen. Two men have
been arrested (BBC, 5 February 2010).
Crain's Manchester Business, 4 February 2010
Live ammunition and an
imitation firearm were among items
seized during raids in Manchester and Cheshire which led
to six people being arrested on suspicion of stealing more than £2m via
a VAT repayment fraud.
Bolton News, 4 February 2010
A man has been charged with
possession of prohibited ammunition, possession of a prohibited firearm
and five other charges after a gun and ammunition were found at a house
in Bolton, Greater Manchester. The handgun and 50 rounds of
live ammunition were recovered by Bolton's Organised Crime Unit.
Three other people were arrested and bailed.
Wandsworth Guardian, 3 February 2010
Ian Stephens from
Battersea Rise, south London, who was one of four people convicted
for cocaine smuggling was also found to have a
stun gun. He was jailed for 10 years.
Uxbridge Gazette,
3 February 2010
Armed police went to
Permanent Joint Headquarters, which houses NATO personnel, in
Northwood, north west London, after reports that men with guns were
lurking in the grounds. A man and a teenage boy, who were armed
with an airgun, had been hunting
squirrels. They were not arrested as they were in a public place
and had not committed a crime but were warned about their actions in
future.
Times,
3 February 2010
A handgun, a Baikal 9mm
pistol, has been recovered at a further education college in
Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, during a police search of a student.
A silencer was found at his home. A youth was arrested on
suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and
possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Saffron Walden Weekly News,
3 February 2010
Armed robbers, one
brandishing a gun, burst into a convenience store in Elsenham,
Essex. It is not know how much money they got away with.
Haringey Independent,
3 February 2010
Michael Michaelides
threatened staff at a travel agent's in Muswell Hill, north
London, with a pistol in November 2009 (see
Incidents). He grabbed fistfuls
of cash but was caught red-handed. He admitted robbery and
possession of a firearm and was given an indeterminate jail sentence and
must serve at least five years.
Evening Gazette,
3 February 2010
Duncan Quinn showed a black
pistol to men in black hoods in Lingdale, Cleveland, in June
2009. The incident was the culmination of a feud with his
partner's ex who believed Quinn had damaged his car. Quinn was on
bail at the time. He has admitted possessing an
imitation firearm with intent to cause
fear of violence and dangerous driving. His previous convictions
included an affray when he had fired an air
rifle, narrowly missing someone's eye. He was jailed
for eighteen months.
Evening Chronicle,
3 February 2010
Two men armed with suspected
ammonia and a handgun targeted a bank in Gateshead, Tyneside.
They escaped with a large sum of cash after spraying the cashier with a
noxious liquid. Detectives say it is not know whether the handgun
was real or a replica. The
raid took place last month.
Lancashire Telegraph, 2 February 2010
Police found cannabis plants
and a rifle at a pub in Darwen, Lancashire. A firearm
charge against the landlady and her partner was later dropped after it
was found to be a souvenir.
Herald (Plymouth), 2 February 2010
Police were called to an
incident in Stonehouse, Plymouth, by a man who claimed that he
had been shot. A man had to undergo surgery for two chest wounds
believed to have been caused by an air weapon.
Haringey Independent, 2 February 2010
A man from Crouch Hill, north London, one of three charged with a string of robbery-related
offences has also been charged with possession of a
stun gun.
Express & Star, 2 February 2010
A loaded handgun, cash and
drugs were among items recovered in a number of co-ordinated searches of
homes and shops in the Black Country. At least three
arrests have been made.
Chester First, 2 February 2010
Christopher Jackson has
pleaded guilty to owning a stun gun
which was found during a police raid at his home in Heswall,
Merseyside. He was given an 18 month suspended sentence and must
complete 150 hours community service. The weapon will be
forfeited.
BBC, 2 February 2010
Georghita Iordache has been
jailed for nine years after admitting robbery. He and two other
men threatened a farmer in Overseal, Derbyshire, with a knife and
his own shotgun during the attack in February 2009. The men stole
£10,000. The victim suffered a number of injuries and spent six
days in hospital.
Watford Observer, 1 February 2010
Lloyd Franklin purchased a
stun gun on the internet from
America. He claimed to have bought the weapon, which was disguised
as a mobile phone, to protect himself because he feared moving to
South Oxhey, Hertfordshire. The package, which was marked
'self defense' was intercepted by customs officers. Franklin
pleaded guilty to purchasing or acquiring a prohibited weapon and
sentence was committed to the crown court.
This is
North Devon,
1 February 2010
Armed police were
called to a street in Barnstaple, Devon, following reports that a
man had been spotted with a gun and made contact with a man inside a
property. A police spokesman said there was no evidence to suggest
there was a firearm in the property.
Sussex
Express,
1 February 2010
A teenager walked
into the shop at a garage in Newhaven, East Sussex, holding a
handgun. He demanded cash from a member of staff who put it inside
a bag. Another youth was seen waiting outside during the robbery.
South
London Press,
1 February 2010 *
An 18-year-old is on
trial facing four charges including possessing a 9mm pistol with intent
to endanger life. The loaded pistol was found in a taxi in which
he was sitting and which had picked him up from a pub in Greenwich,
south east London, in August 2009. He was arrested after being
shot with a police taser.
Rosca Onya had bragged on
YouTube how he would shoot rivals in revenge for stabbing him. The
Glock 26 was later discovered to have been used in two previous
gang-related shootings. He was convicted of possessing a firearm
with intent to endanger life and possessing ammunition with intent to
endanger life (News Shopper, 2 February 2010). He has been
given an eight-year sentence (News Shopper, 3 March 2010).
Express
& Star,
1 February 2010
A motorist who was
climbing into his car at a restaurant in Fordhouses,
Wolverhampton, has been robbed. A number of men armed with a
handgun stole his gold necklace.
Evening Standard, 1 February 2010
Police in London
have warned about a new wave of chaotic young armed robbers who are
targeting shops, pubs and restaurants. The weapons they use range
from imitation firearms to genuine handguns. The robberies
represent a shift from attacks on cash-in-transit vans but the are
harder to predict.
Evening Gazette, 1 February 2010
Paul Leather has been
sent to jail for 10 months after he fired an
airgun at a shop assistant in Skelton, Cleveland.
She had felt a pain in the back of her head as she was cleaning in front
of the doors of the supermarket where she worked in October 2009.
He pleaded guilty to possession of an air weapon, breaching an Asbo and
resisting arrest. The judge criticised the Crown Prosecution
Service for not bringing a more serious charge.
SCOTLAND
West Lothian Courier,
25 February 2010
In April 2009 Steven
McMillan was seen by neighbours in Fauldhouse, West Lothian,
coming out of his home carrying an air rifle and firing the weapon three
times. This followed a disturbance when he had been chased by two
men. McMillan pleaded guilty to breaching the peace by firing an
air rifle and also to producing a class B drug. The air rifle was
empty at the time. He was fined a total of £360.
stv,
25 February 2010
Darren Rooney admitted
owning a Smith and Wesson revolver and three live bullets which police
recovered when they raided his flat in Anderston, Glasgow, in
December 2009. He pleaded guilty to possession the gun and
ammunition as well as a separate firearms charge. He faces a
lengthy jail term.
Paisley Daily Express,
25 February 2010
A weapon was fired at least
five times by the driver of a car while it was parked outside shops in
Renfrew. The police believe the weapon involved was an
air rifle. No arrests have been
made.
Helensburgh Advertiser,
25 February 2010
A young sailor apparently
committed suicide by turning a loaded gun on himself on board a vessel
inside Faslane Naval Base, Argyll and Bute. The minesweeper
was berthed at the time. The man is believed to have been on
sentry duty.
Evening Times,
24 February 2010
Two men, one of whom was
carrying a gun, escaped with about £200 from a bookmaker's in
Muirhead, Lanarkshire. The men then raided two other
bookmaker's premises in nearby Ballieston, where they stole £200,
and Moodiesburn, where they escaped with £300. A getaway
car was recovered in Easterhouse, Glasgow (BBC, 25 February
2010).
Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser,
24 February 2010
Three women were held at
knifepoint during a robbery at a store in Coatdyke, North
Lanarkshire. Two men armed with the knife and what could have been
a gun fled with a few hundred pounds.
BBC,
22 February 2010
A 3-year-old boy is
recovering in hospital after being shot in the chest with an
air rifle in Selkirk. He
is reported to be "doing well" and responding to treatment.
icLanarkshire,
21 February 2010
A large sum of money was
stolen from another bookmaker's. A man threatened staff with a gun
in the incident in Uddingston, North Lanarkshire.
Kilmarnock Standard, 19 February 2010
A corner shop in Kilmaurs,
Ayrshire, has been held up at gunpoint for the second time in two
months. In the latest robbery staff were confronted by a man who
threatened them and demanded cash. He stole a three-figure sum of
money. In the first raid the would-be robbery left empty-handed.
stv, 17 February 2010
In another robbery at a
bookmaker's in Glasgow an armed robber threatened staff at a premises in
Parkhead. Police believe he was carrying a firearm.
He stole a three-figure sum of money.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 17 February 2010
Two men, one aged 18, were
arrested and detained after an incident in which a street in
Ardrossan, Ayrshire, was sealed off for three hours. A man
heard an airgun pellet hit a fence behind him and second later heard an
airgun being fired and felt a
stinging pain in his elbow.
BBC, 16 February 2010
Two Royal Navy service
personnel were detained and an air rifle
was recovered from a room at Faslane Naval Base, Argyll and Bute,
following reports that a weapon had been discharged at the base.
BBC, 14 February 2010
Two men with what is thought
to have been a firearm threatened staff at a bookmaker's in Possil,
Glasgow. They made off with a four-figure sum of money.
stv, 12 February 2010
Staff at a bank in
Glasgow were left badly shaken after a man threatened them with what
appeared to be a gun before he fled with a four figures amount of cash.
He escaped in a car driven by another man.
stv, 12 February 2010
Police uncovered a firearm
and drugs during a search operation in gardens in Inch, Edinburgh.
The items were found in a communal garden area. The search
followed a tip-off.
Ayrshire Post, 12 February 2010
Police in Ayrshire who
seized £360,000 worth of drugs and charged 120 people with drug-related
offences during Operation Impact discovered a handgun during one raid in
Troon.
Evening Express, 10 February 2010
Two men have been charged
after allegedly trespassing on an estate in Strathdon,
Aberdeenshire, while carrying a shotgun
in April 2009. One of them faces an additional charge of being in
possession of a shotgun without a licence.
Scotsman, 9 February 2010
Frank Schyvens went to a
shop in Bo'ness, West Lothian, he had run with a business partner
with a Smith & Wesson revolver and 13 bullets and demanded to be told
where he could find his former partner. He forced two of the staff
into a car and made one of them drive away. Police were alerted
and he was arrested. The incident took place in March 2009 (see
Incidents).
He has admitted assaulting the two staff and pleaded guilty to firearms
offences. He was jailed for five years and three months.
Evening Express, 9 February 2010
Mark Fletcher smashed the
window of a nearby property when he shot a
pellet gun from a hotel in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.
He admitted recklessly discharging the firearm with disregard for the
safety of others. He was fined £200.
BBC, 8 February 2010
A flat in Shettleston,
Glasgow, was deliberately targeted by gunmen, according to police.
Five adults at the flat were uninjured but badly shaken when shots were
fired into the property by two masked men.
Press & Journal, 5 February 2010
Christopher Turner was found
with an airgun and pellets in
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, in February 2008. He had admitted
having the weapon and pellets, but sentencing was delayed so that a
fresh background report could be produced.
Greenock Telegraph, 5 February 2010
A man with a knife and a gun
threatened two women at a shop in Greenock, Renfrewshire, but
fled with just a bottle of cider when they refused to hand over cash.
BBC, 4 February 2010
A court has heard
that one of two men on trial for the murder of a man on Sanday, Orkney,
had threatened to shoot the victim. The defendant's former
partner, who had a relationship with the victim, said it was an empty
threat because the gun was a replica.
Motherwell Times, 3 February 2010
Two men were on trial
accused of having weapons, including a gun, and making threats outside
the home of a woman from Cleland, North Lanarkshire, in October
2008. One man was cleared of the charge.
Dumbarton Reporter, 2 February 2010
Shots were allegedly
fired from an air rifle in the
direction of a shop in Dumbarton. Armed police sealed off
streets. A man has been charged with culpable and reckless conduct
and reckless discharge of an air rifle.
BBC, 1 February 2010
David Keenan has
admitted committing a breach of the peace after he phoned a college in
Dumfries and threatened to shoot its students and then himself.
He said he felt like "being a terrorist".
WALES
Flintshire Chronicle, 25 February 2010
Dylan Jones led police on a
long, high-speed chase when he had an imitation firearm in his car.
He had been drinking and narrowly missed hitting children in Mostyn,
Clywd. He admitted making off without paying for fuel, dangerous
driving, failing to provide a breath test, possessing cannabis and
possessing the imitation firearm, a deactivated
Kalashnikov rifle. He was jailed for 14 months and
received a driving ban.
BBC, 25 February 2010
A 10-year-old boy died after
receiving an airgun wound to the heart, an inquest heard. The
.22 calibre air rifle, which belonged
to the victim's father, was fired by another boy with whom he was taking
'pot shots' at cans at his home in Llansamlet, Swansea, in September
2009 (see Incidents).
The boy had been using the gun for more than two years, but his father
said that it had been only while supervised. The coroner recorded
a verdict of accidental death and urged parents to ensure that air
weapons are not used without parental supervision. "Such weapons
although not requiring to be licensed can prove fatal".
South Wales Argus, 22 February 2010
Ryan Lewis, 20, has been
sentenced to 15 months in a young offenders' institute for possession an
imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence and intimidating
a witness. He waved a gun, now believed to be a
ball-bearing gun, in the air at a
family who had gathered outside their home after an object was thrown
through their window in Beechwood, Newport, in August 2009.
Lewis was drunk and accused them of throwing a brick through his
window. The police were called and found an
air pistol and ball-bearing gun at his
home.
South Wales Argus, 20 February 2010
Armed police responding to
reports of a disturbance sealed off part of the centre of Newport.
Officers broke into a property and a woman, two-year-old and a baby were
taken away in an ambulance. A man was escorted to a police
station. An air rifle was
recovered from the premises. No shots were fired and no one was
injured.
This is South Wales, 19 February 2010
Two men threatened staff at
a shop in Fforestfach, Swansea, and stole cash and cigarettes.
The men were believed to have been carrying a handgun.
This is South Wales, 19 February 2010
A
shotgun was recovered during a major operation by South
Wales Police which resulted in 250 vehicles being stopped, eight
people arrested and 31 vehicles seized. The shotgun and ammunition
were found after one of the arrests led to a raid on a house.
This is South Wales, 19 February 2010
A man due to appear in court
to face GBH charge has shot himself in the head with an
air rifle at his home in Pontardawe,
West Glamorgan. He has been left blinded in one eye, lost the use
of his legs and now suffers seizures. He remains in hospital.
Daily Post, 17 February 2010
A trucker was kidnapped at
gunpoint when he stopped on Deeside Industrial Estate, Clwyd.
He was attacked by three men who smashed the cab windows, threatened him
with a gun and forced him into another vehicle. He was let out in
the Wigan area. The burnt out lorry minus its load of
sportswear was found in St Helens.
BBC, 11 February 2010
Donatien Chamchawala from
Blackwood, Gwent, has admitted possessing a modified
starting pistol. The prohibited
weapon was found at his home in April 2009. Sentencing was
adjourned.
South Wales Argus, 10 February 2010
Jamie Thomas, 20, has
admitted possessing a ball-bearing gun
and air rifle in a public place.
He was driving through Brynmawr, Gwent, in March 2009 when his
passenger shouted and pointed the ball-bearing handgun at a passer-by
through an open window. The weapons were recovered during a search
of Thomas's car. He was also one of four men involved in a drunken
brawl which broke out on a train from Cardiff to Ebbw Vale for which
they all received jail sentences. Thomas was sentenced to six
months for this, a further three months for possessing the ball bearing
gun and four months for possessing the air rifle, both sentences to run
concurrently with his six month sentence.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
Runcorn and Widnes World, 27 February 2010
A cat was shot twice at
close range in Sandymoor, Runcorn in Cheshire, apparently with an
air rifle. He has had to have
surgery to remove a pellet in his leg but it was too risky to operate
near his heart where another pellet is lodged.
Dunfermline Press, 25 February 2010
A pet cat has been shot
three times with an airgun in
Dunfermline, Fife. He was struggling to breathe after one
pellet nicked his windpipe. Three pellets were found inside him by
the vet who saved him.
Coventry Evening Telegraph, 23 February 2010
A swan rescued from a frozen
pool in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and nursed back to health was
shot with an air rifle just hours
after being released back into the wild. A pellet was embedded in
her spine and as the vet was unable to operate she had to be put to
sleep.
This is Plymouth, 20 February 2010
A cat was apparently shot
with an air rifle in Whitleigh,
Plymouth, according to a vet who examined and treated the animal.
Thurrock Gazette, 19 February 2010
A man walking his dog in a
park in Langdon Hills, Essex, was shocked to see a park ranger
using a double-barrelled shotgun to
hunt down and kill moles. A spokesman for Thurrock Council which
employs the rangers said that the ranger involved was fully trained and
licensed to carry the shotgun. The local MP Angela Smith was also
shocked by the way in which the moles were being killed and said that
"it doesn't seem sensible to have someone wandering around a park with a
shotgun".
News & Star, 17 February 2010
A pet cat from Egremont,
Cumbria, has been shot with an air rifle.
The cat was found to have an airgun pellet in his left leg. The
pellet was removed by a vet who said the cat had been very lucky.
BBC, 17 February 2010
A "considerable number" of
deer have been found shot dead on a private estate near Landford,
Wiltshire. The animals had been shot with a rifle and left to die.
Perthshire Advertiser, 16 February 2010
A former gamekeeper shot a
buzzard with a .243 rifle and was caught with poisons. The bird
was found in his car with a broken wing. Graham Kerr admitted shooting
it at an estate in Abermyte, Perthshire, in September 2009 and
being in possession of the poisons. His not guilty pleas to two
other charges, including being in possession of two rifles and
ammunition were accepted by the Crown. He has been ordered to
appear for sentencing.
Observer & Citizen (Leighton Buzzard), 16 February 2010
A sniper has been targeting
rescue cats in a street in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.
The police believe the culprit may be shooting at the animals with an
airgun from a bedroom nearby. A
number of cats have been injured though none seriously.
Chelmsford Weekly News, 15 February 2010
Two cats have been shot near
their home in Colchester, Essex. Their owner discovered
them hiding in a shed, one had been shot in the chest and may not
survive, the other was shot in the stomach and been allowed to return
home. It is thought that two people with an
airgun each may have shot the cats at
the same time.
BBC, 12 February 2010
The bodies of a pair of
swans found in Horningtoft, Norfolk, were "peppered" with shot.
Tens upon tens of shotgun pellets
filled their entire bodies, wings and heads.
Local Guardian, 11 February 2010
A deer has been shot and
killed in a park in Hampton Court, south west London. The
animal was shot once in the head with a shotgun
at point blank range. Police believe the shooting was a poaching
attempt gone wrong.
The Journal (Lowestoft), 9 February 2010
The bodies of two blackbirds
were found in a garden in Costessey, Norwich. Their
injuries are thought to be consistent with
airgun wounds. The RSPCA is appealing for information.
It is illegal to kill or injure wild birds.
Devon24, 5 February 2010
A cat has been shot with an
airgun in Honiton, Devon.
Police are urging people to keep a close eye on their pets following the
incident.
Daily Echo, 4 February 2010
A protected bird of
prey has been shot with an airgun on
the nature reserve at Upton Heath, Dorset. The buzzard's
main wing joint was shattered and it could not be saved.
Manchester Evening News, 3 February 2010
A swan has had to be
put down after it was shot in the head at close range at a park in
Stockport, Cheshire. An air rifle
pellet went through the bird's eye and lodged in its skull. In the
last year there have been four reported incidents of males carrying air
rifles in the park (Stockport Express, 10 February 2010).
Luton Today, 3 February 2010
A cat returned to her
home in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, with horrendous injuries
after being shot by an airgun
sniper. X-ray results revealed she had been shot by a pellet which
hit her spine. If she does recover the injuries she sustained will
leave her permanently paralysed.
