JUNE 2007
We prepare
a monthly summary of gun incidents, focussing on those that raise key
issues about the nature of gun crime and the adequacy of gun legislation. Items that
have been amended or added to the list since the
Summary was written are marked (*).
ENGLAND
BBC,
29 June 2007 *
Edward Edrich, who pleaded
guilty to the manslaughter of his wife on the grounds of diminished
responsibility, has been given a Mental Health Act hospital order.
His wife died from shotgun injuries to her neck and chest at their home in
Lowfield Heath, near Crawley in Sussex in January 2007 (see
February 2007 Incidents).
BBC,
29 June 2007
A 10-year-old boy was arrested
on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm after children were hit with
pellets in the grounds of a junior school in Laindon, Essex.
Police believe the children were shot at with a
ball-bearing gun. Four of the seven victims of the attack
needed medical attention (Sun, 30 June 2007).
Manchester Evening News,
28 June 2007
A 15-year-old from Sale
has been banned from possessing any pellet gun,
ball-bearing gun or
air rifle as well as holding an axe or a
firework as part of a wide-reaching Asbo. Billy Edmunds has also
been barred from an entire estate in Trafford. The teenager had a
history of aggressive behaviour.
ic The Wharf,
28 June 2007 *
A man was dragged to the floor
and threatened with a silver handgun during a mugging near Limehouse
DLR station in east London. He was punched and kicked and made to
hand over his wallet and phone. He was unable to tell whether the
weapon was real. He needed treatment in hospital for bruising and a
wound to the head which required stitches.
BBC,
28 June 2007
Two cars have been damaged by
what are believed to have been shots from an air
weapon as they were being driven on the A68 between Tow Law
and Butsfield in County Durham.
BBC,
28 June 2007
Neville Wooley, 18, has been
jailed for three years for threatening a man with a shotgun at Harpury
College, Gloucester, in May 2007. He admitted possessing a
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
BBC,
28 June 2007
A man was taken to hospital
after being shot in the chest with an airgun.
His injury was described as "nasty" but not life-threatening. A
house in Kirton, Lincolnshire, was later searched and a number of
firearms were recovered. A man has been arrested,
St Albans & Harpenden Review,
27 June 2007
A helicopter was scrambled
after a woman had her mobile phone stolen in Smallford, St Albans,
by a man thought to be armed with a handgun. No one was caught.
ic Coventry,
27 June 2007
A man was seriously injured
when blasted with a shotgun during an armed raid at a rugby club's social
club in Henley Green, Coventry. He was hurt when he chased
after two masked robbers who had threatened staff and stolen takings from
the safe.
BBC,
27 June 2007
Two men have been arrested
after armed police surrounded a home in Hull following reports of a
gunman holding another man hostage. Officers closed off the street
while they controlled the situation.
BBC,
27 June 2007
Armed police raided a house in
the Filton area of Bristol after reports that a gun had been
discharged. Following an hour-long stand-off police are questioning
one person. One man sustained minor injuries after jumping from a
window.
Southern Daily Echo,
26 June 2007
A man fell 8ft onto concrete
steps, injuring his spine, chest and ribs as he tried to escape from a
masked gunman in Woolston, Southampton. The victim found the
gunman in his house holding a handgun in the hallway when he returned
home.
BBC,
26 June 2007
A car was stolen at gunpoint
from a man and woman, aged in their 80s, as they parked the vehicle
in Wallsend, Tyneside. The car was later seen being driven
erratically with three men inside and was recovered in Walker. The
gunman showed the couple a shotgun but did not point the weapon at them.
BBC,
24 June 2007
Five people have been arrested
after a haul of weapons and chemicals were found at properties in
Kempston, Bedfordshire, and Milton Keynes. Police discovered CS
spray and BB guns at the Kempston
property. The police had been alerted after a package of stun guns
was intercepted at Heathrow Airport.
Shropshire Star,
23 June 2007
A gunman opened fire on the
dancefloor of a Shrewsbury nightclub. One man was shot in the
arm. Hundreds of revellers fled to safety after the shooting.
A man with a gun threatened another man at a nearby takeaway shortly after
and police are linking the two incidents (Shropshire Star, 25 June
2007).
itv.com,
23 June 2007 *
A teenage woman who was
shot in a bar in Tottenham, north London, has died in hospital.
The shooting occurred during a row in the bar. A 21-year-old has
pleaded not guilty to murder. Three other people have appeared in
court to face related charges (BBC, 29 November 2007).
BBC,
23 June 2007
A murder inquiry is under way
after a man was shot dead in a street in Acton, west London.
ic South London,
22 June 2007
According to a Lambeth
youth worker children as young as 10 are being arrested for firearms
offences. She said that four 10-year-olds had been arrested
recently, but Lambeth police said they had no record of this.
Evening Telegraph (Peterborough),
22 June 2007
Robert Koperek took a
BB gun from his car after he had got into
an argument in a bar in Peterborough in March 2007. He was
drunk at the time and pointed the gun, which he had bought for £25 at a
market stall, at the bar manager's head and then hit him over the head
with the gun twice. Koperek pleaded guilty to possession of an
imitation firearm with intent to cause fear and causing actual bodily
harm. He was given a suspended 12-month jail sentence, ordered to
carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and to pay his victim £750 in
compensation.
BBC,
22 June 2007
Police investigating a caravan
crash on the M5 near Avonmouth have arrested the driver on
suspicion of possessing a prohibited weapon. During a search of the
vehicle the police found a police-style baton and a stun gun loaded with
CS spray.
BBC,
21 June 2007
A man from Plymouth has been
arrested after police seized an unregistered shotgun. Officers were
called to the St Judes area to reports that a bird had been killed
and cars damaged. The gun and shotgun cartridges were found at an
address in the area.
Channel 4 News,
20 June 2007
An armed police officer
accidentally fired a weapon inside a police station in Exeter,
damaging a patrol car. He has been removed from firearms operations.
BBC,
20 June 2007
An armed gang threatened to
shoot a sub-postmistress in her shop in Denshaw, Greater
Manchester. The men were armed with an axe, a large knife and a gun.
As one man kept guard at the door the other two took money and other
items. The stolen car used by the gang was later found abandoned.
Post Offices Ltd is offering a reward for information leading to the
conviction and arrest of the men responsible.
BBC,
19 June 2007
Police were called to Bury,
Greater Manchester, to investigate reports that a man who had been sitting
in a car had been shot by two men. No-one was injured.
Gazette,
18 June 2007
Nine
BB guns were seized by police after young people were seen
carrying them in public in Hook, Hampshire. The guns looked
so authentic that from several feet the police struggled to tell the
difference from a real pistol. Six guns were taken from youngsters
aged between 12 and 14 after they were spotted by an off duty officer.
The guns were bought from a stall at a market in Yateley which
police and trading standards are now investigating. The marker
manager said that they didn't let stallholders sell BB guns. Three
other BB guns were handed into police by parents.
BBC,
18 June 2007 *
Police have mounted extra
patrols in an area of Blackburn after two shots were fired at a
house. It is believed that the shooting could be linked to a fight
between two groups of youths. Three people have been arrested in
connection with both incidents. One man has been detained under the
Mental Health Act (BBC, 20 June 2007). Three men have now
been jailed for a total of 31 years for possession of a firearm with
intent to endanger life (see
May 2008 Incidents).
This is Hampshire, 16 June 2007
A convenience store in Dibden
Purlieu, Hampshire, was raided by a masked gunman armed with a silver
handgun. He demanded money and cigarettes, which were handed to him by
a member of staff and placed in a carrier bag.
Leicester Mercury, 16 June 2007 *
A gun collector, Kenneth
Milburn, who kept illegal pistols at his house in Enderby has been
jailed for five years. His home was raided in July 2005 and Army bomb
disposal experts were called in to remove an arsenal which included 12
rifles, 12 shotguns, 18 air weapons and
about 100 antique weapons. There was also a quantity of bullets and
cartridges. He was charged with owning 12 banned handguns and had
pleaded guilty to possession of them.
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 16 June 2007
A masked gunman burst into a
family post office in Ryton, Gateshead, with a sawn-off shotgun.
Before the man could do anything the couple behind the counter darted into
their adjoining house and called the police. The man escaped empty
handed.
BBC, 16 June 2007 *
One man has died and another has
been injured following a shooting in the centre of Manchester.
Both victims were taken to hospital but one of them died later. The
other man's condition was not thought to be life-threatening. Four men
have been arrested in connection with his murder and that of another man who
was shot dead at his funeral in Chorlton-on-Medlock in July 2007 (see
January 2008 Incidents).
Daily Mail, 14 June 2007
A secondary schoolteacher from
Oldham, who has kept a record of abusive or threatening behaviour at
his school, includes an incident of a child parading a
ball-bearing gun in the classroom in the
dossier.
Hereford Times, 14 June 2007
A 13-year-old girl received
injuries to her arm and knee after being shot with a
ball-bearing gun from a passing car in
Leominster. She was walking down the street with a friend at the
time of the attack which resulted in two flesh wounds to her arm and two in
each knee. A youth was arrested on suspicion of assault and issued
with a reprimand.
Gazette, 14 June 2007
Two 15-year-olds have been
criticised after they were seen brandishing an imitation firearm in Yate,
South Gloucestershire. Officers had received reports that a teenager
was in possession of a handgun in a park. Police recovered the
BB gun from a rubbish bin. One of the
teenagers has been released on bail, the other has been given a reprimand.
Express & Star, 14 June 2007
The Independent Police
Complaints Commission (IPCC) have criticised Staffordshire Police's armed
response unit for its tactics during an operation in Rugeley in
August 2006 (see Incidents).
A police officer misfired a bullet during a series of blunders leading to a
man having two fingers shot off. The man, David Shepherd, was shot
twice outside a school after he was seen leaning out of his car window
holding what appeared to be a handgun. When Shepherd was arrested it
was discovered that the firearm was a ball-bearing
gun. Shepherd was given a six year jail sentence in
February 2007 (see Incidents).
Bolton News, 14 June 2007
A man was kidnapped by a gang of
three who jumped on him as he was walking home in Bolton, threatening
him with a handgun and a Samurai sword. They demanded he get in the
car and took him to Leverhulme Park where they told him he had three days to
give them £10,000 or they would "chop his fingers off". The victim
contacted the police as soon as the gang abandoned him. Officers have
fitted a panic button linked to police at his home.
BBC, 14 June 2007
Shots are thought to have been
fired during a fight involving 10 men in Southampton during which a
man was chased and stabbed. According to police no-one suffered any
gunshot wounds. Two people have been arrested.
BBC, 14 June 2007
A man brandishing what appeared
to be a dark grey pistol attempted to rob a store in Northampton.
The man, in his late teens, walked into the store, produced the weapon and
demanded that the till be opened. The offender fled the store after
the till wasn't opened.
This is Lancashire, 13 June 2007
A masked gunman robbed two women
cashiers at a petrol station in Higher Ince, Wigan. The man,
armed with a handgun, walked into the kiosk and demanded money. No one
was injured but the two women were left extremely shaken and distressed.
BBC, 13 June 2007
A 14-year-old boy and a man in
his twenties have been arrested by armed police officers called to a park in
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, after reports of a group of people
handling a gun. Police seized air rifles
and imitation guns.
Both of those arrested were later released with a caution.
BBC, 13 June 2007
A man was shot on the driveway
of a house in Walsall. The victim was taken to hospital, but
his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Redditch Advertiser, 12 June 2007
A teenager was walking along a
street in Headless Cross when the driver of a taxi drove past and
shot her with a paintball, covering her
in green paint. She says she is now frightened of going out at night
after the incident. The paintball hit her so hard that she fell over
and hurt one of her toes.
Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 12 June 2007
A woman was hit in the back with
a small plastic pellet fired from an airgun
as she was standing in front of a house in Chatteris,
Cambridgeshire. The victim received minor injuries.
Gazette & Herald,
11 June 2007 *
Scott Symonds, 18, of
Penhill, Swindon, has admitted a charge of possessing an imitation
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and criminal damage to a
van. He had threatened a woman with the gun, a
Skif A3000 air weapon, by pointing the
gun into the face of the victim. He denied an allegation of common
assault and criminal damage to the victim's door. Symonds, who was
currently in custody was remanded until July and the judge ordered a
pre-sentence report. He has been jailed for two years (Swindon
Advertiser, 9 July 2007).
BBC,
11 June 2007
A 19-year-old youth was
arrested for carrying an imitation gun
which he had bought for £8 at a car boot sale. An armed response
unit attended a retail park and monitored the situation before arresting
the man when a car was stopped by four officers in Wootton,
Northamptonshire. Chief Constable Peter Maddison called the act of
carrying the gun "extremely irresponsible because it put the man's life in
danger". The man was given a conditional discharge by magistrates.
BBC,
11 June 2007 *
A court has heard that a man
attempted to murder a police officer simply because he wanted to shoot a
policeman. A plain clothes officers was shot twice in the shoulder
in Wolverhampton in November 2006 (see
Incidents) after a first shot had missed
him. He underwent a four-hour operation to repair a damaged artery.
Marcus Bailey denied attempted murder and two counts of possessing a
firearm but was convicted and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in jail (BBC,
19 June 2007). Bailey has received a further sentence for possession
of a Mauser pistol (see June
2008 Incidents).
BBC,
11 June 2007
Two teenagers were shot by a
gang of five men who were driving in a car that had been stolen at
gunpoint in Hulme, Greater Manchester. The teenagers were
targeted in Moss Side. It is thought that two of the men in
the car were holding handguns and they fired a number of shots towards the
boys. The car was recovered a short time later. Both teenagers
suffered minor injuries in the shooting.
BBC, 11 June 2007
A woman has been shot and killed
by armed police in Sevenoaks, Kent. They were called after a
woman with a gun was seen in the centre of the town. The woman was
given first aid at the scene but pronounced dead. A firearm was
recovered. The Independent Police Complaints Commission
said that an investigation would be carried out. It is reported that
the woman's gun, which she refused to drop, was a realistic looking
ball-bearing gun (Guardian, 12 June
2007).
News Shopper, 10 June 2007
Police are hunting three men who
burgled and threatened a couple with a handgun in Orpington, Kent.
The couple were assaulted and threatened before being tied up. The
suspects stole over £6000 in British and Hong Kong currency, along with
several items of jewellery.
BBC, 9 June 2007
A man was recovering after a gun
attack in Swinton, Greater Manchester. The victim was found by
police in the front garden of a property and had been shot in the leg.
His injury is not believed to be life-threatening.
Willesden & Brent Times, 8 June 2007
Eighteen-year-old Jerrell Gourde
will serve at least six years behind bars after shooting a 16-year-old in
the stomach with a sawn-off shotgun in a recreation ground in Neasden
in November 2006. Gourde was high on cocaine at the time and acted in
revenge after rowing with the younger teenager when he crashed into him on
his pedal cycle at the park entrance. His victim had threatened him with a
brick. Gourde was convicted of attempted murder in April.
Wigan Today, 8 June 2007
A pensioner had a rifle-style gun
pointed at her after chasing a youngster who fled from East Leigh
Labour Club when he saw her. The boy ran across the road before
turning back and training the gun on her, then aimed at a window before
pulling the trigger. It is believed that the weapon was probably a
BB gun.
Richmond and Twickenham
Times, 8 June 2007
Armed police were called to
Richmond station after an off duty officer thought he saw a man with a
small silver handgun in his trousers. The man was chased along the railway
line towards Kew and then into Old Deer Park but was lost. Because no
crime was committed as the sighting of the gun was not confirmed and no suspect
or gun was found, there is no investigation according to British Transport
Police.
Hackney
Gazette, 8 June 2007
A man out walking his dog in
Dalston was forced to hand over the puppy to a four-strong gang who
threatened to shoot him unless he let go of the puppy. A car pulled up
alongside him and two passengers leapt out and started asking questions
about the dog. One of them took hold of the lead and after a struggle
put his hand down the waistband of his trousers as if to get a gun and
threatened to shoot the owner.
Bedford Today, 8 June 2007
Kieran Johnson carried out a
raid on a post office and newsagents in Henlow in July 2006 (see
August 2006 Incidents)
to get money for heroin. He has pleaded guilty to robbery and
possessing an imitation firearm with
intent and was jailed for four years. He held up the couple who ran
the post office with a small imitation handgun and a knife. He made
his escape on bicycle pursued by the shopkeeper but got away by
riding over the foot of another man who tried to stop him.
BBC, 8 June 2007
Mark Mawson, a psychiatric
patient, took a woman hostage in a siege at a house in Chadwell St Mary
in Essex using an imitation gun he had
fashioned a weapon out of marker pens taped to a vacuum cleaner handle.
He had absconded from a hospital while on a trip in February 2007 and
entered his girlfriend's mother's home. The woman was not injured in
the siege which ended when police fired a baton round and threw grenades
into the building.
BBC, 8 June 2007
Three teenagers have been
arrested after an incident in East Bridgford, Nottingham, when a man
walked up to a taxi and tapped a gun on the window to distract the driver.
At the same time the passengers, two teenage girls, got out without paying
their fare and ran off with the man. Police arrested an 18-year-old
man and two girls aged 15 and 16.
This
is Local London, 7 June 2007
A man, registered with Kent
Police as a firearms dealer, is on trial after he was caught allegedly
selling illegal pistols from his home. Police seized a cache of
around 900 firearms from the house in Dartford in September 2006
(see Incidents).
According to the prosecution, the haul included illegal weapons
including Browning semi-automatic pistols, double-barrelled shotguns,
Remington double-barrelled pistols and Wild West-style Colt single-shot
guns. The defendant claims all the guns are antiques. He was
arrested after Operation Trident officers recovered a Smith and Wesson
revolver from a youth in the Old Kent Road in December 2005. The
man was accused of
conspiracy to possess firearms
with intent to cause fear of violence, eight counts of selling or
transferring a prohibited weapon, 12 counts of possessing a prohibited
weapon and one count of possessing explosives. Nine of the 22
charges were dropped (BBC, 22 June 2007). He was found not
guilty of all the remaining 13 charges (BBC, 29 June 2007).
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
7 June 2007
A mother was shot in front of
her two children when youths opened fire with an
airgun from the grounds of a church in Kirkheaton.
The family were at a popular funfair. The victim had a .22 pellet
removed in hospital and has six stitches from the middle of her mouth to
the back of her teeth. Two other women were injured by a volley of
shots. An airgun was recovered from the church graveyard after the
incident, and two youths, aged 15 and 16, were arrested and released on
bail pending further inquiries. It was reported that a few days
earlier a group of four teenagers had been spotted with an air rifle in
the graveyard and a youth had been seen to shoot a pigeon out of the
trees. After an argument with the group the witness believes he was
shot at and called the police right away, but learnt later that no patrol
car had been sent for three hours.
BBC,
7 June 2007
Dean Stanbury has been jailed
for at least six years after he was found guilty of wounding with intent
and a firearms charge. He shot a policeman and fired shots at two
other officers on a busy street in Leytonstone, east London, when he
opened fire after discovering that the officers were keeping him under
surveillance in June 2006 (see
Incidents). He was cleared of three counts of attempted
murder by the court.
Sky News,
6 June 2007
A serving soldier has been
charged with illegal possession of ammunition after being arrested at a
barracks at Thorney Island near Chichester. It is believed
that police officers from Operation Trident were acting on a tip-off over
the sale of army-issue bullets. He has been jailed for three years
(see September 2007 Incidents).
Lewes Today,
6 June 2007
Cars were shot at with an
air rifle as they drove through an estate
in Lewes, Sussex. Three drivers were shocked to be targeted.
None of the drivers was injured but the windscreen of one of the cars was
smashed.
BBC,
6 June 2007
Armed robbers threatened staff
at a bank in Goring, West Sussex, with a pistol before fleeing on a
motorbike. The two men stole a quantity of cash. No shots were
fired but staff were left shocked by the incident.
News & Star,
5 June 2007 *
A gunman demanded cash from a
cashier at a post office in Arnside, Cumbria. After the
incident the man was seen being driven away in a car. Martin
Bullough and David Atkinson have admitted robbery and possessing an
imitation firearm. Bullough has
been jailed for six years and Atkinson five year (Lakeland Echo, 24
July 2007).
Hereford Times,
5 June 2007
Police in Herefordshire have
issued a warning about the use of BB guns
in public places. The warning comes after an increasing number of
incidents in which individuals - many of them teenagers - have been seen
carrying and sometimes firing the weapons in Hereford city centre.
In recent weeks BB guns were confiscated from teenagers after they were
reported firing them inside an underpass. A 21-year-old man was
arrested after two motorists reported having pellets fired at the
vehicles on Hereford's ring road. One of the pellets struck
a female moped rider on her helmet.
BBC,
4 June 2007 *
A street in Avenham,
Preston, was cordoned off by police after locals reported hearing gunshots
being fired. Officers took away a car they were examining. Two
men are one trial after being charged with various offences in connection
with the incident (see December
2007 Incidents).
Sunday Telegraph,
3 June 2007
Philip Cottam has admitted
having an air rifle in a public place
and possessing an offensive weapon. This follows an incident in a
bar in Sheffield in March 2007 when actress Joanna Lumley saw a
weapon fall to the floor from a man's bag. She talked to the man
while police, alerted by others in the bar, rushed to the scene. The
weapon was a gas-propelled airgun that was loaded with 13 pellets.
Cottam told police he was taking the gun to a shop to have a laser sight
fitted to it but had stopped for a drink. He was given a four-month
jail term suspended for 12 months and placed on a curfew until he begins a
rehabilitation placement.
Observer,
3 June 2007
Two 12-year-olds were being
questioned by police after a bus driver was shot in the face aboard a bus
in North Baddersley, near Southampton. The pair demanded cash
before one of them drew an airgun and
fired shots at the driver. The victim was not badly hurt.
BBC,
3 June 2007
An armed men threatened
members of the public in a street in Lincoln with a knife and an
air rifle. Armed police were called
out and a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.
No-one was injured during the incident.
BBC,
3 June 2007 *
A masked gunman shot dead a
man in Romford, Essex. The victim is believed to have driven
to the scene and was shot when he walked towards a van parked there.
It is thought that the gunman emerged from nearby shrubbery. Four
men have all denied murder (Romford Recorder, 25 April 2008).
Hartlepool Mail, 2 June 2007
In a second attack reported
by the newspaper, a teenager was left with blurred vision after a gang
of youths fired a ball-bearing handgun
at him in an unprovoked attack in Peterlee. The shot
resulted in a bruised iris. The perpetrators were said to be
around 18 years old.
Hartlepool Mail, 2 June 2007
A 12-year-old schoolgirl was
shot twice with a ball-bearing gun
in the West View area of Hartlepool by a balaclava-clad attacker.
She was shot in the neck and leg in what police said could have had
"horrific consequences".
Pendle Today, 1 June 2007
A powerful
air rifle has been stolen from a pigeon
loft on an allotment in Colne. The Deirach .22 calibre
under-lever gun is a type often used for killing vermin and shooting rabbits
and was taken from an unlocked wooden shed.
BBC,
1 June 2007
Three masked intruders broke
into the home of a man in the Parson Cross area of Sheffield and
threatened him with a shotgun. The man and his family were uninjured
but shaken. The men had demanded cash, but police say they were
unsure of the motive.
BBC,
1 June 2007
A large amount of cash has
been stolen in an armed raid in Croydon, south London. Up to
eight people entered the American Express shop and threatened staff with a
gun, which was also fired. The gang ran off to two waiting cars.
SCOTLAND
Daily Record, 30 June 2007 *
Shots were fired at two cars
outside the home of a man who was shot dead in March 2007. Up to five
shots were fired outside his family's home in Carntyne, Glasgow.
Daily Record,
29 June 2007
Ryan McWilliams, who fired a
.22 air rifle at youths and threatened
them with knives, has admitted a number of public order and firearms
offences. The incidents occurred in Strathpeffer, Wester Ross
in March 2007. His defence claimed he was defending himself.
Sentencing has been deferred.
BBC,
28 June 2007
A man has died after a
shooting outside a pub in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire.
The victim was taken to hospital but was dead on arrival.
Evening News (Edinburgh),
25 June 2007
An eight-year-old boy was shot
in the eye with a BB gun by a gang of
youths in Edinburgh. The boy was playing outside a house at
the time and was very frightened after the attack. He was
immediately taken to hospital for treatment. His eye has remained
bloodshot with bruising to the back of the eye and swelling to the front.
Evening News (Edinburgh),
22 June 2007
Following a spate of incidents
in the Lothians two young children have been charged with shooting and
threatening girls with pellet guns. A 12-year-old boy was charged
with assault after a 14-year-old girl was shot in the head and leg as she
walked along a street in Mayfield, Midlothian. She was shot
with a BB gun, and, although her
injuries were not described as serious, she was left badly shaken by the
attack. In another incident in Midlothian two girls aged 15 and 17
had a BB gun pointed in their faces in
a street in Loanhead. A 13-year-old boy was later charged
with a breach of the peace. In a third incident a man was struck
with a pellet from what is thought to have been an
airgun as he cycled through Prestonpans. Four
youths were seen running away following the incident.
BBC,
21 June 2007
In January 2007 a pair of boys
walked into a shop in Stranraer with their faces masked, pointed an
air pistol at an assistant and
demanded money (see Incidents).
A 13-year-old and a 14-year-old have admitted assaulting the shop worker,
threatening her with violence and stealing money and cigarettes.
Sentence was deferred to next month.
BBC,
18 June 2007
Two shootings in the south of
Glasgow were being linked by police. In the first incident two men
fired a gun from a car at a man walking his dog in Pollok. On
the following evening a gun was fired through a house window in Darnley.
A car, similar to the one used in the first incident, was seen leaving the
scene of the second shooting. An unoccupied, fire-damaged car was
later found by police. No one was injured but the dog sustained a
wound to its leg and was treated by a local vet.
Evening News (Edinburgh),
7 June 2007
Police are hunting children as
young as six after a 15-year-old schoolboy was shot in the eye with a
pellet from a BB gun as he walked
along a lane in Dalkeith. Three children, aged between six
and eight, were seen running from the scene. The victim was lucky to
escape serious injury and could easily have been blinded.
BBC,
6 June 2007
A firefighter narrowly escaped
injury after air rifle shots were
fired at Alloa Fire Station, Clackmannanshire. The shots were
fired from a field behind the station and hit the wall. Firefighters
were clearing up after training exercise at the time.
BBC,
6 June 2007
An 18-year-old female driver
has been shot in the head with an airgun
while she was driving her car in Rosyth, Fife. A pellet
was fired through her open car window. The pellet was removed
during an operation and the victim is recovering from the incident.
BBC,
4 June 2007
A theft of two shotguns and
cartridges from a house in Edinburgh is being investigated.
The weapons were a Beretta Silver Pigeon and a Yildiz. They were
taken from a house broken into in the Wardie area of the city.
Sunday Mail,
3 June 2007
A taxi driver was shot in the
head with an air rifle after a row
over a fare. After arriving at the house of two of the passengers in
Bearsden there was a dispute over the fare and one of the men went
into the house, came back with an air rifle and shot the driver in the
forehead. The driver was treated in hospital and released.
WALES
BBC, 27 June 2007 *
A man is in a critical condition
after being shot in the stomach by a police officer in Rassau, Ebbw
Vale. Firearms officers and negotiators went to a house in the area
after claims that a man with a gun was inside. The Independent Police
Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating. The man was jailed for
two years after pleading guilty to two counts of possess an
imitation firearm with intent to cause fear
of violence and one count of making a threat to kill (see
November 2007 Incidents).
BBC, 14 June 2007
A 13-year-old boy has
permanently left a private school in Llanelli after firing plastic
pellets from a BB gun at other pupils.
One pupil had to be taken to hospital after being shot in the eye. The
incident took place in one of the back fields where the pupils play at break
times. According to the Western Mail (15 June 2007) the
boy was rugby tackled by classmates who wrestled the gun off him before
alerting teachers.
South Wales Echo, 13 June 2007
South Wales Police have not
ruled out that an air rifle was used in
an attack on a car being driven on the A473 between Llanharan and
Llantrisant. A roadside missile shattered the window of a car in
which a woman and four children were travelling. Glass covered the
back seats but luckily none of the passengers was injured. A
20-year-old, fined £80 after being caught firing an airgun at a woodland
target near the scene, was not being linked to the incident.
South Wales Echo, 1 June 2007
Sam Bisgrove, 18, pointed an
air rifle at a frightened family on their
own doorstep over an alleged £10 debt. He said "I'll shoot you if you
don't give me my money now". The unloaded gun was later found under
Bisgrove's bed in Barry. He pleaded guilty to possessing an
imitation firearm. He has been given an eight month jail sentence,
suspended as long as he completes 150 hours community work and attends one
of the probation service's "Enhanced Thinking Skills" courses.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
See Also
Personal Accounts
Express & Star,
29 June 2007
A baby swan was found shot
dead after an airgun attack on the
River Tame in Sandwell, West Midlands. A local campaigner has
offered £500 to help catch the person responsible for the latest in a long
line of attacks on birds.
Northern Echo,
28 June 2007
A family has offered a reward
after the fatal shooting of their cat who was found lying in distress on
the drive way of their cottage in Newton Hall, Co. Durham. An
x-ray revealed an airgun pellet in his
abdomen. The cat had been shot about the top of his front let and
the pellet had gone through his chest, shattered a rib, which collapsed a
lung and went on into the abdomen.
Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News,
25 June 2007
A gunman using an
air rifle to take pot shots at birds in
Burnham, Somerset, is causing "extreme concern" for animal experts.
A herring gull had to be put down after receiving serious injuries and
another bird has been shot through the wing.
Evening News (Edinburgh),
23 June 2007
A cat owner from Ratho
Station, Midlothian, says her pets are being deliberately targeted
after one was shot with an airgun and
the other badly injured in a suspected beating. A pellet was removed
from a wound in the side of the shot cat by a vet. The Scottish SPCA
have reported that there were 32 airgun attacks on animals in the Lothians
in 2006, compared with 23 in 2005.
politics.co.uk,
20 June 2007
Following a prosecution
brought by the RSPCA Richard Freeman, 18, has admitted his part in the
torture of a kitten and been ordered to do unpaid work for 200 hours and
to complete a 12-month supervision order. A 16-year-old girl was
sentenced to a 12-month referral order. Both were disqualified from
keeping animals for 10 years and ordered to pay £250 costs and £25 for
vets bills. One other male youth pleaded guilty to cruelly
ill-treating the kitten and another to aiding and abetting and cruelly
ill-treating. They were both given a 12-month supervision order
combined with a six-month surveillance programme for 90 days with a
curfew. They too were banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
The cat's owner, Debbie Brown, had pleaded guilty to two offences of
causing unnecessary suffering by failing to exercise reasonable care and
supervision and of failing to obtain veterinary attention. The
kitten was shot in the face by an airgun
close to his eye in August 2006 as well as being thrown up and down a
stairway. The torture was captured on a mobile phone. The
RSPCA were called to an address in Stoke-on-Trent the day after
where two kittens, one of which had blood on his face, were found.
Birmingham Mail,
19 June 2007
A family from Pensnett,
near Dudley, have had six cats shot in the past seven years, according to
the RSPCA, and only one of the six survived. In the latest incident
a female cat was found dead in a neighbour's garden with a puncture wound
in her side.
BBC,
18 June 2007
The RSPCA in another region,
the West Midlands, has released figures showing an increase in
airgun attacks and has urged people to
report gun incidents. In 2006 they received 90 calls to airgun
incidents, 33 involving shot cat and 37 concerning injured birds. A
recent victim of a fatal airgun attack was a cat who was shot in
Willenhall in the Black Country in May. A pellet fired from a
gas powered air rifle snapped her spine, leaving her paralysed (Birmingham
Mail, 19 June 2007).
BBC,
18 June 2007
The RSPCA in Wales has
condemned "mindless" airgun attacks on
pets and wildlife, the majority of which occurred during school holidays
or lighter evenings. There were 42 incidents in 2006 (22 involving
wild birds and 14 involving cats), but the charity believes that this
offers only a snapshot of a "serious problem" in Wales. A recent
incident in Brackia, Bridgend, resulted in a cat being shot four
times in the back garden of her home. Other incidents in recent
weeks have resulted in two blackbirds, a seagull and a magpie shot dead in
Grangetown, Cardiff. Another gull was shot in Barry Island
and had to be put down.
Somerset County Gazette,
11 June 2007
A cat who was found under
foliage in a neighbour's garden, unable to move, has had to be put down
after x-rays showed he had been shot with an air
rifle. The cat from Comeytrowe had a pellet lodged
in his intestine causing such serious injuries that he could not be save.
Bolton News,
11 June 2007
A cat taken in as a stray by
an animal lover has died after being shot with an
air rifle. His owner found the cat
looking scared and disorientated outside her home in Kearsley.
A vat discovered on an x-ray that a .22 calibre pellet was lodged in the
cat's bladder and had caused severe internal injuries. The cat had
to be put down.
Southern Daily Echo,
10 June 2007
A cat owner has offered a
£2000 reward to catch the person who shot his cat in the face with a
shotgun. The cat suffered horrific injuries and was lucky to survive
after pellets had lodged in her neck and throat, shattered her front leg
and pierced her ear. The cat was left for dead after the attack
which took place in a field in Owlesbury, near Winchester.
Although shooting is allowed on the property no one had the owner's
authority to shoot on the evening of the incident.
This is Hampshire, 9 June 2007
Cat owners in Chandler's Ford
have been warned to be on their guard after a spate of shootings involving
an air weapon. Injures to four
cats have been reported in the last month. It is believed that an air
rifle or similar weapon was used to hit the animals.
Evening Star, 4 June 2007
Eight pigeons belonging to a man
from west Ipswich have been killed in two years. All have been
found with airgun wounds near his home
or, in the latest instance, in his pigeon loft. The latest pigeon to
be killed had just flown 300 miles back from Scotland.
Bury Free Press, 1 June 2007
A cat has lost his front right
leg after being shot with a rifle, probably a rimfire weapon more powerful
than an air rifle. When he was found by his owners in Bury St
Edmonds, Suffolk, his leg was hanging limp and was found to be
completely shattered.
