JULY 2008
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
West Sussex County Times, 31 July 2008
Two men, Charles Carman and
Nathan French, shot at men, women and children with a
ball-bearing gun "for a laugh".
Carman drove his white van around Worthing while high on cannabis
as French took random shots at people. A 12-year-old boy was
nearly blinded after being shot in the face and a man was shot in the
shoulder in Tarring. The men have received suspended jail
sentences, Carman a 16 week sentence in a young offenders' institution
and French a 26-week sentence. Both have been given 120 hours'
unpaid work.
This is Wiltshire, 31 July 2008
The village of Pewsey
has been plagued by a six-month spate of criminal damage caused by
pellets from an airgun or
ball-bearing gun. Windows and
lights have been smashed and villagers are worried that it is only a
matter of time before someone is injured.
Echo (Essex),
31 July 2008
A 12-year-old schoolgirl was
chased by boys wielding knives and BB guns
in Laindon, Essex. The boys were aged around 11 or 12 and all
three had BB guns.
Chorley Guardian,
31 July 2008
A man has been shot with an
air rifle while walking across a field in
Chorley, Lancashire. The victim had a pellet embedded in his
stomach and suffered minor injuries.
Bucks Free Press,
31 July 2008
A man was discovered shot in
the stomach by a member of the public in Totteridge,
Buckinghamshire. He was taken to hospital with serious but not life
threatening injuries. A man has been arrested on suspicion of
attempted murder and remains in custody.
Oxford Mail,
30 July 2008
Residents in homes in Grove,
Oxfordshire, say yobs have plagued them with threatening behaviour for
almost two years. Homes and gardens have been vandalised, bricks and
eggs thrown and airgun shots fired at
windows. The pensioner residents want a path rerouted around the
outside of the site.
Evening Chronicle, 30 July 2008
An 18-year-old is claimed to
have opened fire with an air rifle in
Slatyford, Newcastle. A property was allegedly damaged.
He has been charged with possession of a firearm.
BBC, 30 July 2008
Stanley Wilkinson and Simon
Dawber have been sentenced to 8 years and 10 years in prison,
respectively. Both men had previously been sentenced to 11 years for
drug offences in Tayside, Scotland. The latest sentences follow a
police raid in which guns (a sawn off shotgun and a converted
air rifle and ammunition), heroin,
amphetamine and ammunition were found in a lock-up garage in Wigan,
Greater Manchester, in 2006. Dawber pleaded guilty to three firearm
offences as drug offences. Wilkinson pleaded guilty to drug
offences.
BBC, 30 July 2008
Two men who are alleged to
have run an illegal gun factory to turn replica
guns into live weapons, later used in 51 shootings
including eight murders, have denied nine charges of firearms offences.
The case follows the discovery of weapons and ammunition at Three Mile
Cross, near Reading in Berkshire in July 2007 (see
Incidents).
One man is alleged to have bought 90 replica guns which he told the dealer
were for a James Bond film. The pair converted the replicas into
real Mac 10 sub-machine guns.
Burnley Express,
29 July 2008
A man from Burnley was
expected to appear in court charged with two counts of battery and
possession of a firearm and ammunition.
BBC,
29 July 2008
Five men arrested after
officers were called to a firearms incident in Desborough,
Northamptonshire, have been released. The police had found a man
with facial injuries.
Henley Standard,
28 July 2008
A robber held up staff at a
bookmakers in Caversham, Berkshire, at gunpoint and stole cash.
Evening Gazette,
28 July 2008
Sean Diggle from Billingham,
Teesside, has been jailed indefinitely for the rape and sexual assault of
a young girl. He had engaged children to play strip poker and with
BB guns and knives.
BBC,
28 July 2008
Three men, one armed with a
handgun robbed a post office in Camp Hill, Northampton. They
forced a member of staff to let them into the counter area and stole cash.
Citizen (Preston),
27 July 2008
A 17-year-old is being
questioned after a taxi driver was robbed of his takings at gunpoint.
The driver was ambushed by three youths in Fishwick who demanded
cash from him.
BBC,
27 July 2008
A man has been shot and killed
outside a nightclub in Limehouse, east London. The victim was
pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance staff. A man has been
charged with murder (BBC, 31 July 2008).
Somerset County Gazette,
26 July 2008
Henry Hayes was ejected from a
hotel in Dunster, went home and picked up an
air weapon. He was then seen
holding the weapon up to his head as he crossed a road. He was
arrested later after he had been persuaded to leave the gun at a friend's
house. He pleaded guilty to carrying an air weapon in public.
The case has been adjourned for a pre-sentence report.
Herald Express,
26 July 2008
John Loud, a 90-year-old RAF
veteran from Shaldon, Devon, has pleaded guilty to possessing a
.22 air rifle without the required
firearms certificate in February 2008. He also pleaded guilty to
possessing 13 .22 rimfire cartridges without a firearms certificate.
In mitigation it was stated that Loud had always been interested in guns
and that when he was a child "guns weren't taken as seriously as they are
today". He was given a 12-month conditional discharge. The
magistrates ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the firearm and
ammunition.
Evening Star,
26 July 2008
A man shot himself in the head
with a shotgun at the side of a fishing pond on Orwell Park estate
in Suffolk in June 2008. The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.
Bolton News,
26 July 2008
Wayne Catterall has pleaded
guilty to selling or transferring ammunition without a certificate and
possession of a firearm. The charges followed the seizure by police
of a shotgun and rounds of ammunition following raids in Bury in
January 2008. Police found a sawn-off shotgun and eight loose
cartridges. Two other men were later arrested. In May
Michell Metcalf was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to
possessing and supplying ammunition. The other man is awaiting
trial.
BBC,
26 July 2008
Streets at Belgrave
Middleway, Birmingham, were sealed off after reports that shots were
fired, possibly from two vehicles. There was no evidence of anyone
being hurt.
Guardian,
25 July 2008
Marcus Henry has been jailed
for nine years for shooting a fellow clubber in Central London
with a tiny key fob gun. His victim was lucky to survive being
shot from close range in December 2007. He was found guilty of
unlawful wounding and two firearms charges. Police believe around a
hundred of the four-inch Bulgarian-made weapons are currently in
circulation and have warned that they are highly dangerous.
Gazette (Blackpool),
25 July 2008
Karl Crookall was caught with
a gun and ammunition in his luggage on a flight through Blackpool
airport in September 2007 (see
Incidents). He had bought the F92-self loading
replica pistol back after buying it from
a shop in Spain. Security officers found the gun and 49 rounds of
blank cartridges in his hand luggage. Crookall who held a firearms
licence and was said to be fascinated by firearms claimed he did not
realise he could not bring the weapon into Britain and did not think he
had done anything wrong. He was sentenced to 28 days in prison,
suspended for 12 months. He has voluntarily surrendered his firearms
licence.
Bolton News,
25 July 2008
A 10-year-old girl was hit in
the face by a plastic pellet fired from a BB gun,
possibly by a boy as young as eight. She was playing in a park in
Astley Bridge at the time. The girl was from Glasgow and was
targeted by a group of boys who were abusing her because she was Scottish.
The girl suffered bruising but escaped serious injury. A 10-year-old
boy has been cautioned (Evening Times (Glasgow), 6 August 2008).
The shopkeeper who sold the weapons has taken them off his shelves (Bolton
News, 5 August 2008).
BBC,
25 July 2008
A drug dealer had been told
that he faces a long prison term after he admitted two counts of
possessing firearms and drugs offences. Simeon Moffatt reached for a
loaded handgun during a raid at his former home in Radford,
Nottingham, in February 2008. An identical gun was found in a search
of his girlfriend's house.
Evening Leader,
24 July 2008
Several people were detained
after police were called to a street in Blacon, Chester, following
reports of a man brandishing a firearm. The siege was brought to a
peaceful end. A man arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm
has been released without charge. A woman was arrested on suspicion
of cultivating cannabis. It is unclear if a firearm was actually
involved.
Camden New Journal,
24 July 2008
A teenager was found bleeding
from a bullet wound in Camden Town, north London. He flagged
down a passing police car and told officers "I've been shot". A
member of the same gang, The Money Squad, was the victim of a fatal
shooting in the same area in May 2008 (see
Incidents).
BBC,
24 July 2008
A man has been charged after
more than 80 imitation guns were
allegedly seized at a toy shop in Salford. He was charged
with selling realistic imitation firearms.
Wigan Evening Post,
23 July 2008
Two Wigan men have been
charged with firearm offences after two men were seen driving around
Newquay, Cornwall, wielding an air pistol.
The gun and a lock knife were seized when police stopped a car.
Mid Cheshire Chronicle,
23 July 2008
A 17-year-old boy will appear
in court later this year charged with possession of a firearm with intent
to endanger life. He is accused of firing a shot at a house in
Winsford in June 2008.
Dudley News, 23
July 2008
A man from Upper Gornal,
West Midlands, shot himself in the chest with his own shotgun an inquest
has heard. A work colleague found him in the back garden of his home
in March 2008. The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.
Birkenhead News,
23 July 2008
Bullets were fired at a car in
what appears to have been a targeted shooting outside an apartment block
in Bebington, Wirral. No one appears to have been injured in
the incident.
BBC,
23 July 2008
Carl Fury, who was involved in
the fatal shooting of a man in Halewood, Merseyside, in January
2008 (see Incidents),
has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and been jailed for twelve and a half
years. He knew that the passenger in the car he was driving had a
loaded gun with which they intended to intimidate the victim but did not
intend to kill him.
BBC, 23 July
2008
A teenager was arrested and
then released without charge after an incident involving a firearm in
Ribbleton, Lancashire. A gun was found at a house.
BBC, 23 July
2008
A man armed with a gun stole
money from a bank in Hull. No shots were fired and the
offender made off on foot.
This is South Devon,
22 July 2008
Two gunmen tied up a father. a
stamp dealer,
and his sons during a robbery which took place at the family home in Barton,
Devon. A shot is believed to have been fired accidentally. No
one was badly injured, except one son who hurt his leg slightly in a jump
from an upstairs window to escape. The raiders are reported to have
posed as armed police and were carrying
ball-bearing guns. Their haul of stamps was worth more
than £400,000 (Herald Express, 23 July 2008).
The Citizen (Chorley),
22 July 2008
Police in Chorley,
Lancashire, have sent out a stark warning following two incidents
involving BB guns. A 15-year-old
boy had a gun put to his head by a youngster, and although the gun was not
loaded the victim was very distressed. A 17-year-old has been
arrested. The second incident happened outside a high school when
youngsters fired a BB gun. Another 17-year-old was arrested and
charged with firearms offences.
BBC, 21 July
2008 *
A man was in hospital after
being shot three times inside a pub in Wolverhampton. His
condition was described as stable. City councillors have decided to
shut the pub permanently. It has been the scene of shootings,
violence and anti-social behaviour (BBC, 15 August 2008)
BBC, 21 July
2008
A man was in custody after
being arrested in Norwich following reports of a man claiming to
have a gun and threatening to harm himself and others.
This is South Devon,
19 July 2008
Armed police surrounded a
property in Teignmouth after a man was reported to be firing
shots from the address. No one was hurt in the stand-off which lasted
two hours. It was confirmed that an air
rifle was being fired at buildings in the area.
Liverpool Echo,
19 July 2008
Christopher McGhee has been
jailed for 12 years after shooting a landlord's brother in the leg.
McGhee had been thrown out of a pub in Kensington, Liverpool, in
November 2007. He returned later with a handgun and confronted his
victim. Five bullet casings were found at the scene. McGhee
was convicted of wounding with intent and two offences of possessing a
handgun with intent to endanger life.
BBC,
18 July 2008
A man went into a bookmakers
in Leicester and threatened a worker with what was thought to be a
gun. The offender escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
BBC,
18 July 2008
Two men were arrested on
suspicion of firearms offences at the scene of a car crash in Pelaw,
Tyneside. A bag, pulled from a car which pulled into the path of
another vehicle, was found to contain a shotgun and cartridges.
Thorne and District Gazette,
17 July 2008
Ball
bearings were fired at a party being held in the garden of a
property in Hatfield, South Yorkshire. One of the homeowners
was hit. Two bearings also smashed a bedroom of the house.
Lincolnshire Echo,
17 July 2008
Armed police were called out
after reports of an air rifle fired at
a car in Gainsborough. No arrests were made.
BBC,
17 July 2008
A 16-year-old was taken to
hospital with a pellet embedded in his forehead following an incident at a
pub in Eighton Banks, Gateshead on Tyneside. Two men, aged 17
and 20, were questioned, but the police have concluded that the
airgun was not deliberately
discharged.
Welwyn & Hatfield Times,
16 July 2008
James Chittock has been
sentenced to jail for five years having admitted possession of a
prohibited weapon, a sawn-off shotgun. He purchased the gun from a
man in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, for £400. He and
another man were involved in an incident in the town in March 2008 (see
Incidents) when two
gunshots were fired in a field behind his home.
This is Plymouth,
16 July 2008
Police recovered three
dangerous weapons, a gun and two knives, after being called to an
'organised fight' between schoolchildren at a restaurant in Crownhill,
Plymouth. The gun was a G2000 Repeater 1.77-calibre
air pistol. Two teenagers were
arrested and were being questioned by police.
This is Local London,
16 July 2008
Two men were kidnapped by a
gang armed with a gun and a baseball bat and were seen being dragged into
a house in Kingston, south west London, last month. The
kidnappers left the property and the victims smashed windows to escape.
Three men have been arrested. A police spokesman said the hostages
had been kidnapped from Southwark, south London.
Champion,
16 July 2008
Three teenagers were arrested
in Formby, Lancashire, after allegedly threatening a train
inspector with a gun. The incident happened when they were escorted
off the train after they were unable to present valid tickets. A
ball-bearing gun was later discovered.
Skegness Standard,
15 July 2008
A gunman entered a betting
shop at Butlins in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, and demanded the
staff hand over cash.
The
Gazette (Blackpool),
15 July 2008
Shots have been fired at a
tram in Rossall, Blackpool, on successive nights. In one of
the airgun attacks an elderly couple
were covered in shards of glass.
Evening Telegraph (Northamptonshire),
15 July 2008
Patrick Kenrick was caught
hiding in a cupboard with a stun gun after fleeing the scene of a domestic
dispute in Wellingborough. He pleaded guilty to possessing
the weapon and could face a lengthy jail sentence.
Burton Mail,
15 July 2008
A quad biker was hospitalised
after being shot with an air rifle
pellet in Rolleston, Staffordshire. The female victim
suffered a wound three millimetres deep. The shot was fired from
vegetation at the bottom of gardens at the back of houses. A man
wearing a military styled jacket was seen acting suspiciously after the
shooting. As part of their house to house enquiries police seized an air
rifle, which will now be destroyed, however there is no suggestion that
the weapon was used in the attack.
BBC,
15 July 2008 *
Lance Hasdell has been found
guilty of possessing a prohibited firearm and using it to cause fear of
violence. He was arrested in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, after an
incident in Luton, Bedfordshire, in April 2007 in which he
threatened some youths with a sawn-off shotgun. The gun was found in
October 2007 in a laundry basket in Luton. He has been jailed for
seven years (BBC, 15 August 2008).
Banbury Guardian,
15 July 2008
At the trial of a man from
Banbury, Oxfordshire, who is charged with attempted murder and
grievous bodily harm his former partner described how he had become
violent and controlling, even threatening her with an
airgun.
Gazette & Herald,
14 July 2008
Jamie Antal, 19, has admitted
having an imitation firearm during a
staged armed robbery at the supermarket where he worked in Malmesbury,
Wiltshire. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and
perverting the course of justice. Two other men, David Locke-Wheaton
and Brian Jones, also admitted conspiracy to steal and possessing an
imitation firearm. A fourth man has pleaded not guilty and
will face trial. In April 2008 Antal claimed to have been the victim
of an armed robbery but it was later found the whole event had been staged
and a metal cigarette lighter shaped like an automatic pistol was
recovered.
BBC,
14 July 2008
A man was arrested on
suspicion of making threats to kill and possessing a firearm following an
armed siege in Consett, County Durham. A street was sealed
off after reports that a man had a gun in a flat. Three men, a woman
and two children were able to leave and a man surrendered five hours
later. He was bailed pending further inquiries.
The Argus,
14 July 2008
Cab drivers have been warned
by detectives to be on their guard after a spate of armed robberies.
Two cabbies in Crawley, Sussex, have been robbed at gunpoint while
waiting for their fares. In the latest incident the driver was
threatened by a man with a handgun who stole a small quantity of cash.
Forty-eight hours earlier there had been a similar robbery.
This is Hampshire,
13 July 2008
A man brandishing a gun
pointed it at staff in a bookmakers in Bassett, Southampton, and
demanded cash. The staff confronted the man and gave chase out of
the shop.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
12 July
2008
An
airgun was among items stolen from a portable cabin at a
business park in Paddock.
This is Lancashire,
11 July 2008
A man in Standish had a
handgun pointed at him by three men as they assaulted him and stole his
Bentley car. He had been warned by his wife that three men were
acting suspiciously near their home.
Northumberland Gazette,
11 July 2008
Matthew Johnson from
Shilbottle was given a 12-month community order for possessing an
imitation firearm and failing to comply with a direction order.
He was caught with it when a car he was travelling in was stopped by
police on the A1. The gun, which he admitted to buying from a friend
that day, was found in the back of the car.
Citizen (Gloucestershire),
11 July
2008
Armed police stormed a home in
Newent after a man allegedly threatened youths with an
air rifle. A firearms warrant was executed at the cottage
following the incident five days earlier. The police seized two
firearms and arrested a man on suspicion of being in possession of a
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
BBC,
11 July 2008
A young man has been shot dead
in Spital Hill, Sheffield, in what is believed to have been a
targeted attack. The 17-year-old victim was shot in a barber's shop.
The police believe he was carrying a firearm and that the shooting may be
gang-related (BBC, 12 July 2008). Six people have been held
and released on bail and a 19-year-old has also been arrested (BBC,
24 July 2008).
This is Total Essex,
10 July 2008
Armed robbers fled with just a
few pounds in loose change after holding a bus driver at gunpoint in
Waltham Abbey. One of the men said he had a gun, but the driver
only saw something that he thought might have been a handgun.
Lancashire Evening Post,
10 July 2008
A taxi driver was robbed of
his takings during an armed hold up in Clayton Brook. The
offender, who was carrying a gun, demanded he handed over all his cash.
Goole & Howden Courier,
10 July 2008
An 18-year-old has appeared
before magistrates charged with possession of an
imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence,
possession of an imitation firearm in a public place and attempted
robbery. The charges follow an incident at a takeaway in Goole,
East Yorkshire.
Fleetwood Weekly News,
10 July 2008
A shotgun, ammunition and a
quantity of drugs were recovered by police when they executed a search
warrant on a house in Northern Moor, south Manchester.
Fleetwood Weekly News,
10 July 2008
A man is critically ill in
hospital after he was shot in Everton, Liverpool. Police
officers found the victim with a gunshot wound to his chest. His
condition is critical by stable.
Devon 24,
10 July 2008
A Falco single barrel .410
calibre shotgun was stolen during a house burglary in Alfington,
Devon.
Whitehaven News,
9 July 2008
Warnings have gone out from
police about the use of air rifles in
and around the village of Moresby Parks, Cumbria, where two have
already been seized. The police action was taken in response to
concern from some members of the public about the use of air rifles and
the associated risk to pet animals.
The Star (Sheffield),
9 July 2008
A 16-year-old boy was taken
home by police after he was spotted carrying what officer thought was a
machine gun in Creswell. The gun turned out to be a
ball bearing gun. The weapon was
later destroyed. The dangers of carrying imitation weapons in public
were discussed with the teenager and his parents.
Northern Echo,
9 July 2008
A man has been found not
guilty of carrying out a gunpoint raid at a shop in Seaham, County Durham, in January 2007.
The man had been arrested and an imitation handgun
found under his bed, but the court heard that the imitation Taurus-type
handgun had been given to his 4-year-old son by an uncle.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
9 July 2008
A man was arrested in
Lavendon, Buckinghamshire, following an incident in which a single
shotgun round was fired through the window of a house in Northampton.
Two people were inside but were uninjured.
News & Star, 9
July 2008
Adam Hoyle was caught with a
1917 Luger pistol which he had taken to his home in Kirkby Stephen,
Cumbria, after finding it in a skip. He was given a 12-month prison
sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid
work. He admitted possessing the pistol without a licence.
Lancashire Evening Post,
9 July 2008
A woman who visited the police
station in Leyland to try and hand over a gun,
a Colt 45, has been told that she risked arrest for possessing a firearm.
The weapon belonged to her late ex-husband and she had found it when
clearing out a shed: he had collected firearms as part of his passion for
cowboy films. The police have advised anyone in a similar situation
not to handle a firearm or take it into a public area, but instead to call
police who will deploy suitably-skilled officers to the incident".
BBC, 9 July
2008
A security guard was robbed at
gunpoint at a service station in Digbeth, Birmingham. The
gunman threatened the guard before taking a money bag and escaping.
Batley News, 9 July
2008
Six people were arrested after
an air pistol was fired during an
argument at a petrol station in Batley, West Yorkshire. Those
arrested included three 15-year-old girls and a 17-year-old man.
Fleetwood Weekly News,
8 July 2008
Thieves put a gun to the head
of a taxi driver in Wythenshawe, Manchester, before robbing him.
The doors of his vehicle were pulled open and he was confronted by three
men. The men stole a quantity of cash and other items before running
off.
Express & Echo,
8 July 2008
A street in Exeter was
cordoned off as police arrested a man following an offence involving a
ball-bearing gun. He was reported
to police after allegedly aiming the gun at nearby seagulls.
BBC,
8 July 2008
Five teenagers were arrested
after a person was threatened with what police believe was a gun at a
shopping centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The youths were
detained on suspicion of offences including affray and possessing an
offensive weapon and assault.
BBC,
8 July 2008
Part of Woking, Surrey,
was closed off after residents reported that gun shots were being fired
from a building. The police said a ball
bearing gun and pellets were found at the scene.
Argus Lite,
8 July 2008
A masked robber waved a pistol
in a security guard's face as he delivered cash to a building society
branch in Hove, Sussex. The gunman grabbed the cashbox and
ran off.
West
Sussex County Times,
7 July 2008
A masked gunman robbed a
bookies in Broadfield Barton. He entered the shop and
threatened staff with what has been described as a handgun. He took
an undisclosed sum of cash before fleeing on foot.
This is Exeter,
7 July 2008 *
Christopher Gibbons has
admitted taking an imitation firearm
back to a nightclub in Exmouth, Devon, after he was ordered to
leave in November 2007 (see
Incidents). He also wandered the streets with a samurai
sword. He was jailed for two years. A doorman who wrestled the
gun from Gibbons is getting a police bravery award (This is Exeter,
13 August 2008).
Evening Post (Bristol), 7 July 2008
A teenager was threatened by a
man who pulled a handgun on him and a woman in a park in Long Ashton.
The gun was later found to be an imitation. A man was arrested on
suspicion of robbery and possessing an imitation
firearm.
Evening Herald (Plymouth),
7 July
2008
Five men have pleaded guilty
to common assault, and one of them has also pleaded guilty to possessing a
firearm with intent and to attempting to intimidate a witness. The
men burst into a home in Plymouth and viciously attacked a
middle-aged man and his stepson. They also threatened to petrol-bomb
the house. Curtis Peacock returned several months later in December
2007 and shot at the house repeatedly with an
airgun in a bid to terrify the victim into dropping charges.
Peacock was given two 16-month terms in a young offenders' institution for
the firearms and witness intimidation offences plus two months for
assault. The other men were also given custodial sentences.
Daily Echo, 7 July 2008
Dorset Police have apologised
to a man who was pinned to Bournemouth railway station platform by armed police in a case of mistaken identity. He was ordered at
gunpoint to lie on the ground following an alleged armed incident in
Basingstoke, Hampshire. The IPPC has told Dorset police to
investigate the case (This is Hampshire, 9 July 2008).
Coventry Telegraph, 7 July 2008
Paul Heath, 20, and Deke
Hogan, 19, have been jailed for threatening staff at a shop in
Willenhall, Coventry, with a knife and an
imitation gun during a raid in September 2007. They stole
a jar of cash containing £17. They were given custodial sentences of
two-and-a-half years and a minimum of four-and-a-half-years, respectively.
Hogan was in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for assaulting a
police officer.
BBC, 7 July
2008
A teenage girl and two men
have been arrested after a gun was found at a house in Blackpool,
Lancashire. Police are trying to establish what type of gun was
recovered. One man is still being questioned but the other two have
been released (The Gazette (Blackpool), 8 July 2008).
Northern Echo,
6 July 2008
A man will appear in court
following his arrest for allegedly being in possession of a firearm and a
quantity of drugs. It follows a previous incident in which a firearm
was discharged at a house in the Berwick area.
BBC, 6 July
2008
A man was shot during an
incident in Dudley, West Midlands. Emergency services found a
man with stomach injuries. He was taken to hospital where his
condition is described as stable.
Gloucestershire Echo, 5 July
2008
Joseph Rose, 19, has been
fined £250 and given 80 hours' community service after pleading guilty to
brandishing an air rifle in public.
He was spotted by police carrying the gun along a street in Cheltenham.
He was seen to cock the empty gun and fire it four times. At the
time of the incident he was under a community order after being convicted
for his part in handling stolen property.
BBC, 5 July
2008
A man was threatened at
gunpoint by two men who stole goods from his home in Oxley,
Wolverhampton.
BBC, 5 July
2008
Joseph Greenland has been told
that he would serve a minimum of 30 years in prison after being convicted
of murdering a man at a party in Carshalton, Surrey, in December
2006 (see Incidents).
He fired six shots at his victim.
Evening Post (Bristol),
4 July 2008
Rangano Powell, who shot a
Bristol nightclub doorman after being barred, has been sentenced to a
minimum of three years in jail. He pleaded guilty to possessing a
firearm with intent to endanger life and attempting to cause grievous
bodily harm.
Skegness Standard,
3 July 2008
A man was discovered with a
shotgun wound to his head in a lane at Chapel St Leonards,
Lincolnshire. The death has been reported to HM Coroner and an
inquest is due to be opened.
Cheshire Chronicle,
3 July 2008
John Chiotis pleaded not
guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear after his shotgun
went off at his home in Mickle Trafford after he argued with his
daughter. He has escaped trial after his daughter retracted a
statement to police. The judge said that "It was an accident that
should never have been allowed to happen. Having a loaded firearm in
the house is wholly inappropriate whatever the circumstances".
Chiotis was bound over to keep the peace for two years and his licence was
revoked.
BBC, 3 July
2008
A gunman has held up a bank in
Oxted, Surrey. He shouted at customers and threatened staff
with a small gun. He escaped with a second man who waited outside
the bank.
BBC, 3 July
2008
A man thought to be
brandishing a gun was shot with a plastic bullet and stun gun in an armed
stand-off with police. The incident occurred in the Kenton
area of Newcastle and is being investigated by the Independent Police
Complaints Commission.
BBC, 3 July
2008
A third man has been shot in a
targeted shooting in Liverpool in five days. The victim was shot in
Kensington and was being treated for a gunshot wound to his right
leg. The police say that the shooting is not linked to the other
shootings.
Sussex Express,
2 July 2008
Two men are on trial both
charged with blackmailing and threatening two men in August 2007.
They are alleged to have held a businessman hostage at gun point at an
address in Crawley.
Liverpool Daily Post,
2 July 2008
Police cordoned off part of an
estate in Norris Green after several reports of a shooting.
Liverpool Daily Post,
2 July 2008
Neil Delacruz has pleaded
guilty to taking a revolver with cartridges to his mother's house in
Childwall, Merseyside, and attacking another man in April 2008.
The gun was fired and a bullet was later found in the room. He
denied further charges including possessing a firearm and ammunition.
A woman accused with him denied possessing a prohibited weapon and
ammunition and making threats to kill and unlawfully wounding the victim.
Fleetwood Weekly News,
2 July 2008
A man had a handgun held to
his head by masked robbers in Manchester. His mobile phone
was stolen.
Evening Telegraph (Northampton),
2 July 2008
Two 17-year-olds have been
arrested after an incident involving an airgun in Corby. A
cyclist was struck in the body with an airgun
pellet causing him to swerve into the road.
Bexley Telegraph,
2 July 2008
Two men are on trial accused
of murdering a man who died after being shot in the stomach during a
stand-off between two groups of young men in Woolwich, south east
London, in July 2008 (see
Incidents).
Both were cleared of murder and manslaughter after claiming that the
pistol went off by accident. One of the defendants claimed he found
a gun lying on the ground and picked it up fearing he might be attacked,
but he did not deliberately fire it. Musa Ibrahim admitted holding
the gun (This is Local London, 25 July 2008).
BBC, 2 July
2008
A house in Derby was
damaged after shots, apparently from a replica
airgun, were fired. A window was smashed and a car was
damaged during the incident. A man was arrested on suspicion of
causing criminal damage.
This is Hampshire,
1 July 2008
Armed robbers threatened staff
with a handgun in a raid on a betting shop in Swaythling,
Southampton. A handgun was pointed at staff. The gang of three
men escaped with cash in excess of £1,000.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
1 July 2008
Andrew Heron, a former
soldier, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after threatening a
cashier at a petrol station in Northampton with a
ball-bearing gun. The incident took
place in March 2008 (see
Incidents).
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
1 July 2008
A teenage boy was recovering
from surgery to his left eye after being shot with a
ball-bearing gun as he was fishing in
Northampton. A 17-year-old boy was arrested and released on
police bail following the incident. The victim's father has revealed
that his son could have the pellet in his eye for the rest of his life (Evening
Telegraph, 7 July 2008).
Fleetwood Weekly News,
1 July 2008
Paul Farnhill was arrested
near 10 Downing Street with an imitation
firearm in January 2008. He had also been found with the
weapon at Watford Gap service station. He admitted having an
imitation firearm on both occasions and will be sentenced later.
Evening Telegraph (Northampton),
1 July 2008
Ross Peters fired a sawn-off
shotgun through the window of his neighbour in Rushden. It
followed a long-running feud. He has been given an indeterminate
prison sentence after he admitted three counts of possessing a firearm and
threatening his neighbour in January 2008. He apparently acquired
the gun from a farmer and kept it in the hope of going clay pigeon
shooting.
Evening Chronicle, 1 July 2008
A pub landlord in Knitsley
near Consett, County Durham, has been robbed at gunpoint. The robber
took over more than £3000 in cash and rode off on a motorcycle. A
man and a woman have been arrested and police have seized a firearm (BBC,
4 July 2008).
SCOTLAND
BBC, 31 July 2008
Nayden Zhelyazkov has admitted
carrying out an armed robbery at a betting shop in Glenrothes,
Fife. He was carrying what seemed to be a gun at the time. He
escaped with about £6000 following the raid in April 2008. He
admitted robbing staff by presenting an imitation
gun at them. Sentencing was deferred.
Sunday Mail,
20 July 2008 *
A cache of illegal weapons was
found at the home of the parents of an army sergeant, Duncan MacGillivray.
He took the guns after tours in Iraq, Northern Ireland, the Falklands and
Germany. They included an AK-47 rifle, a Browning Hi-power sidearm a
SPAS-12 shotgun and an MK4 submachine gun. As a quartermaster he had
access to weapons and ammunition, and were found during a raid on the
house in Dunoon, Argyll. Although deactivated they could all
have been used as firearms. Some were covered by MacGillivray's
firearms certificate but five guns and 2500 bullets found were illegal.
He has found guilty of seven offences including the possession of illegal
firearms and ammunition. He has been jailed for five years (Herald,
15 August 2008).
Evening News (Edinburgh),
19 July 2008
Vytauas Gulbinavicius has
pleaded guilty to putting cabin crew and passengers in a state of fear and
alarm after telling a member of the cabin crew of a flight from
Edinburgh to Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) that he had a gun. The
flight was halted on the runway. Sentence was deferred.
West Lothian Courier,
17 July 2008
Christopher Dunbar, 20,
threatened to kill someone with an air rifle
he was carrying in Bathgate in May 2007. He pleaded guilty to
breach of the peace, being in possession of the gun and to causing his
victim to believe that unlawful violence would be used against him.
He has been given a supervised attendance order.
Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser,
16 July 2008
James Kerr has been sentenced
to two years in jail for an attempted robbery on a store in Plains,
Lanarkshire, in March 2008. He had been armed with a knife, a noose
and a fake gun. The shopkeeper
tussled with him and gave him money from his pocket, but was able to grab
the knife and gun. Kerr had been drinking a the time.
Sunday Mail,
13 July 2008
A suspect wanted for a
shooting outside a Glasgow nightclub in July 2004 was arrested in
during a raid by police on a block of flats in Glasgow's west end. A
man and a woman were injured when a sawn-off shotgun was discharged in the 2004
incident.
Evening Times,
9 July 2008
A masked gunman threatened a
security guard delivering cash to a bank in Clydebank. The
thief fled empty-handed after grabbing an empty cash box.
Evening Times,
7 July 2008
A gunman threatened staff and
stole cash during a robbery at a Glasgow betting shop. He
threatened two male members of staff with a gun and demanded money.
Press & Journal, 5 July 2008
A window at Aberdeen
Town House has been smashed with what appears to have been a "bullet".
More than £1000 of damage was caused.
Evening Times,
4 July 2008
Stewart Edwards has been
jailed for three years for carrying out an assault with intent to rob with
an imitation firearm after trying to
rob a post office in Glasgow in January 2006.
BBC, 3 July
2008
James Cryans held up a pub in
East Kilbride in September 2007 whilst armed with a Taser gun.
He stole £6000. He was caught after he left his glasses at the
scene. He has admitted the robbery.
Dumbarton Reporter,
1 July 2008
Armed police arrived at a
primary school in Dumbarton after reports that an assault involving
a shotgun had occurred. No gun was found, but a man was arrested for
the alleged possession of drugs with intent to supply.
WALES
News Wales, 22 July 2008
An 18-year-old girl who was
at a bus stop in Newport was approached by a man who demanded
money and threatened her with what appeared to be a short-barrelled
handgun. The assailant ran off with a small amount of cash.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
Midweek Herald,
30 July 2008
A teenager from Axminster,
Devon, has been left devastated by the amputation of her cat's leg.
The wound appeared to have been caused by a bullet which had shattered the
bone, though it seems likely that an airgun
was used.
BBC,
28 July 2008
Someone went into a garden in
Rushden, Northamptonshire, and shot a pet rabbit at close range in
the head with an air weapon. The
rabbit, which was running free in a pen, was killed.
Lowestoft Journal,
26 July 2008
Police are appealing for
information after a baby seagull was killed by an
air weapon in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
It was found still alive but were severe injuries to a want and had to be
put to sleep.
Western Mail,
24 July 2008
A cat has been shot dead in
what the RSPCA has described as a "brutal" attack. The animal was
shot in the neck using an air rifle in
Varteg, Pontypool. The incidents follows a number of attacks
against birds in the same area.
East Lothian Courier,
24 July 2008
A vet says that a horse is
"very lucky" to be alive after it was shot in the neck with an
airgun at a farm at Whitehill Mains.
The pellet lodged in his throat narrowly missing the main artery.
Horncastle News,
23 July 2008
A third
air rifle attack in a month in
Horncastle, Lincolnshire, has left another car dead. The pet was
discovered in a field at the bottom of her owner's garden. She had
been shot in the back of the neck.
Maidenhead Advertiser,
22 July 2008
Two swans have been shot with
an airgun in Iver,
Buckinghamshire. The male was dead after being shot in the neck and
the female, who was nursing seven cygnets with her partner, was shot under
the wing and has had to have the wing amputated. She and the cygnets
were taken to a rescue centre.
Devon 24, 22 July 2008
Police in Honiton are urging
the public to be aware of the seriousness of using air weapons in a
public place following three cat shootings. Two of the animals
died, the third sustained serious injuries.
South Wales Echo,
18 July 2008
A cat was left in agony
after it was shot with an airgun in
Canton, Cardiff. The pellet had gone almost all the way
through his body, grazing his stomach and kidneys. His owner has
now had to spend almost £1000 on vets' bills to help the cat recover.
Scarborough Evening News,
18 July 2008
Pellets from a
ball bearing gun were found near the
scene of a donkey shelter in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, which
had been attacked by vandals. There were no signs, however, that
the donkeys had been harmed.
Manchester Evening News,
18 July 2008
A vet has appealed for an
end to gun attacks on animals after another cat was shot. The pet
was shot in the back near his home in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
The airgun pellet smashed into his
spine narrowly missing vital organs.
Evening Leader,
18 July 2008
A cat has been shot with a
pellet gun on a street in Blacon, Chester. A vet discovered
that a pellet had smashed the animal's femur and had become lodged in
the leg muscle. The pellet must have been fired at close range or
come from a high powered air rifle,
according to a vet.
Great Yarmouth Mercury,
17 July 2008
Another cat was the target
of an airgun sniper in Bradwell,
Norfolk. He was shot in the side, piercing his diaphragm and
damaging his kidneys and liver.
Camden New Journal,
17 July 2008
A dog was shot by an
air rifle sniper whilst he was playing
in a back garden in Highgate, north London. It was the
second time he had been shot in six months. His owner found him
with blood pouring from his side. She says she won't let her
children go out in the garden alone.
BBC,
17 July 2008
A young pet cat has lost an
eye after being shot with an airgun in
Bishopmill, Elgin in Moray. A vet found a pellet and removed
the eye.
Horncastle News,
15 July 2008
A second cat has been shot
with an airgun in Horncastle,
Lincolnshire, in two weeks. The injury was so severe that the vet
could not do anything to save him.
Sunday People,
13 July 2008
Two cats belonging to the same
family have been shot in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. One had to
be put to sleep after an airgun pellet
shattered her spine. Another cat was shot at close range between the
eyes in Polebrook, Northamptonshire. The same article reports
the recent shooting of swans with airguns in Peterborough (one bird
found riddled with pellets), Northamptonshire (two birds shot at
point-blank range after being lured by three youths waving bread) and
Hickling in Leicestershire (three birds shot in the head and neck).
Pontypridd Observer,
10 July 2008
Two pet horses have been
killed inside 48 hours on the same farm in Efail Isaf, South Wales.
One died of a heart attack, but the second horse died after being hit by
airgun pellets.
This is Derbyshire,
8 July 2008
A cat has been blinded in one
eye after being shot twice with an airgun
in Long Eaton. It is believed that the culprit has used an
air weapon to attack other animals in the area.
BBC,
8 July 2008
Two nests of herring gull
chicks have been orphaned after the death of three adult birds who were
illegally shot with an airgun in
Newquay, Cornwall.
Gazette,
7 July 2008
A cat was fighting for its
life after being shot for a second time. He had to have major
surgery after being hit with an air rifle
pellet in Colchester, Essex.
Eastern Daily Press,
2 July 2008
A cat owner in Brandon,
Suffolk, who thought her cat had been hit by a car, discovered, after an
x-ray at her vets, that her pet had an air rifle
pellet lodged in his spinal cord. The cat had to be put to sleep.
