AUGUST 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
Sunderland Echo,
31 August 2007
A jury has failed to reach a
verdict in the case of a man accused of shooting an
air rifle at a teenage girl as she waited
at a bus stop in Wingate, County Durham, in December 2006.
The 19-year-old defendant denied possessing a firearm with intent to cause
another person to fear violence would be used against them.
Prosecutors have been given time to decide if they want a retrial.
The air rifle was shot from a passing car but the jury heard conflicting
accounts from two of the four men in the car.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
31 August 2007
A woman was in the garden of
her home in Waterloo, Huddersfield, when she was shot at by two
boys, aged about 13, standing in the wood behind the house. She
pretended to phone the police and was threatened by the youths who then
fired a shot at her head. She removed an
airgun pellet that was embedded in her head and was taken to
hospital to have stitches.
Evening Star,
31 August 2007 *
A male cyclist was taken to
hospital following an incident in Lowestoft, Suffolk, when he was
shot with a BB gun. A ball
bearing penetrated his skin and became lodged close to his spine,
requiring an operation to remove it. In another incident in the town
four teenagers were arrested and an imitation firearm recovered after a
number of vehicles were damaged by youths firing
paintball gun pellets (Lowestoft Journal, 31 August
2007). A 19-year-old is due to answer bail in connection with the
attack (Lowestoft Journal, 5 October 2007).
BBC,
31 August 2007
Police were looking for two
teenage girls caught on CCTV brandishing what looked like handguns in
Manchester city centre. The guns were believed to be
replicas. Two 15-year-old girls
have been cautioned by police who were satisfied that the weapons seen
were toy guns (BBC, 2 September 2007).
Incidents from 30 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Report of a man with a handgun
on the A14 near Spittals, Cambridgeshire
Report of youths with a rifle in
Widnes, Cheshire
Report of suicidal man with a
weapon in Peterborough
Gang of youths with a handgun
rob two people outside a pub in Wolverhampton
Man arrested for making threats
with a gun in Godalming, Surrey
Woman threatened with a shotgun
at Seaforth railway station, Merseyside
Man shot in the leg outside a
pub in Newton Heath, Manchester
Incidents from 29 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Report of an 11-year-old with a
BB gun shooting at children in the
street in Crewe
Gun raider attempts to rob post
office in Brigstock, Northamptonshire
This is Cheshire,
29 August 2007
A teenage gunman pointed a
handgun at the head of a man in Hale Village. He threatened
to shoot the man, who was with his wife, and demanded car keys before
firing two shots in the air. The victim fought off the gunman with a
stick.
The Press (York),
29 August 2007
At least two people were hit
by pellets from an air rifle in a busy
street in York. One of the victims was working the door of a
pub, the other was a visitor who was with his family. Police found
an air weapon inside a flat and three people, an 18-year-old man, a
14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were arrested and bailed.
Oldham Advertiser,
29 August 2007
A 14-year-old boy nearly
blinded a shopper in Chadderton in July 2007 with a ball bearing
fired from a replica gun. The
boy pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and common assault. He
was given a three-month-action plan order, ordered to pay £150 in
compensation and £60 costs.
Mansfield Chad,
29 August 2007
A man has described how he was
one of several pedestrians hit by pellets fired from a
BB gun whilst he was on holiday in
Skegness, Lincolnshire. Two men in their 20s had opened fire
from a car travelling between Skegness and Ingoldmells. Two men were
arrested and issued with fixed penalty tickets for disorderly behaviour.
Two BB guns were seized from their vehicle.
Daily Echo,
29 August 2007
A sniper with an
airgun fired shots at firefighters
responding to a 999 call on Portland, Dorset. Pellets were
fired at the windscreens of a car and a fire engine.
BBC,
29 August 2007
Three people, one of them
believed to be a 17-year-old boy, were dead after a shooting at a house in
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Two women were injured in
the attack and a three-year-old girl survived uninjured. Police
believe that the killing was carried out by professional hitmen who fired
up to 10 shots (This is London, 30 August 2007).
Incidents from 28 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Man reported shot in the back by
an air rifle in Mansfield,
Nottinghamshire
Youth shot in torso and arm in
Tottenham, North London
Two youths seen carrying an
air rifle in Ferry Meadows Country Park,
Cambridgeshire
Policed seize
gas-powered BB gun from youths in
Warminster, Wiltshire
A man pulls a handgun in a shop
in Wallsend, Tyneside
Worcester News,
28 August 2007
A woman cashier was confronted
by a man carrying what may have been a plastic
replica handgun at a petrol station in Droitwich.
The man escaped with a small amount of cash. The woman was left
shaken but unhurt.
BBC,
28 August 2007
A woman was shot several times
outside a nightclub in Old Kent Road, south London. A gun was
fired into a crowd and the victim was accidentally caught up in
a feud between bouncers and four men. She was in a stable condition
in hospital. A man has been arrested and charged with attempted
murder and other offences. A second man has also been charged with
firearm offences (Croydon Guardian, 3 September 2007).
BBC,
28 August 2007
A man underwent emergency
surgery after being shot in a street in Streatham, south London.
He had suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh. He was in a stable
condition in hospital.
BBC,
28 August 2007
Two shootings occurred at the
Notting Hill Carnival in west London. A 17-year-old
was taken to hospital with a shoulder wound. An arrest was made in
connection with the incident. Later a 14-year-old was shot in the
leg. Three people were arrested in Bayswater Road on
suspicion of possession of firearms.
BBC,
28 August 2007
A masked man brandishing a
firearm threatened staff at a petrol station in Corby,
Northamptonshire. He demanded cash and fled on foot carrying a bag.
BBC,
28 August 2007
Three men were arrested and a
road in the Englishcombe area of Bath was sealed for more than an
hour after reports of shots being fired. A
blank firing pistol was recovered. The men were later
released without charge.
Incidents from 27 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Man seen waving a handgun a
youths in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
Youth reportedly seen with a
handgun in Wilmslow, Cheshire
Man with suspected handgun in
Queensgate car park, Peterborough
Man charged with possession of
an imitation firearm in Nuneaton
Man seen with a weapon in
Kegworth, Leicestershire
A 16-year-old arrested for
possession of a firearm in Cliff Street, Sheffield
Two teenagers seen with
suspected handgun in Pocklington, Humberside
Life Style Extra,
27 August 2007
Four people were arrested by
armed police for possessing a firearm after a raid on an address in
Maida Vale, London. A firearm was seized.
Birmingham Mail,
27 August 2007 *
Police are hunting a burglar
who stole an airgun and 500 pellets as
well as cash from a house in Rugeley, Staffordshire.
BBC,
27 August 2007
A robber, thought to have been
carrying a firearm, threatened a female cashier at a bus company's
premises in Cowley, Oxford. After a short struggle the man
left empty handed on the back of a large motorcycle.
Scotland on Sunday,
26 August 2007 *
Three youths were convicted of
murdering a leading member of a notorious Merseyside gang who was shot
dead yards from the entrance of Altcourse prison in Liverpool in August
2006 (see Incidents).
Ryan Lloyd, 20, who ordered the killing from prison was jailed for life
with a minimum of 28 years. Thomas Forshaw, 18, was jailed for life
with a minimum term of 20 years and a 16-year-old youth was jailed for
life and must serve a minimum of 18 years. A fourth person, Liam
Duffy was jailed for 20 years for manslaughter (Liverpool Echo, 28
September 2007).
BBC,
26 August 2007
A 13-year-old boy was one of
three victims of a shooting during a house party in Tottenham,
north London. The boy was shot in the leg. An 18-year-old
woman suffered a gunshot wound to her lower back and an 18-year-old man
was shot in the chest during the incident. The injuries were not
life-threatening.
Incidents from 25 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Man shot in face in
Cheetham Hill, Manchester
Shots fired though house
window in Tuebrook, Liverpool
Man reported carrying a sword
and gun in Bristol
Two arrested in Ellesmere
Port, Cheshire, after four men point a shotgun at children
In Slough, Berkshire,
one man threatens another with a replica pistol
Man pulls handgun on three
girls, demanding a handbag, in Telford, Shropshire
A 10-year-old threatens a man
with a handgun on a train in Preston
Three 18-year-olds say a
shotgun is fired at them in New Mills, Derbyshire
Man is shot with
air pellet in Killingholme,
Humberside
Woman is injured by a
pellet in Blaby, Leicestershire
Group of youths in Eye,
near Peterborough, reported with a 9mm Glock pistol
Woman seen to fire a
long-barrelled weapon at a neighbour in St Neots, Cambridgeshire
Daily Post,
25 August 2007
Two doormen were shot outside
a nightclub in the Mossley Hill area of Liverpool. One of the
victims was in a critical condition with stomach injuries, the other was
in a stable condition with leg injuries.
BBC,
25 August 2007
A 10-year-old girl suffered
minor facial injuries after being shot at with a
BB gun in Cannock, Staffordshire. Earlier in the
month police had also received reports of a passenger in a car firing
pellets from the vehicle in the town.
BBC,
25 August 2007
A 13-year-old boy is being
treated in hospital after being shot with what is believed to be a pellet
from an air weapon in Hulme,
Manchester. No arrests have been made.
Incidents from 24 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Man threatens to shoot a shop
worker in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
Man reported with a handgun
sitting in Grafton Centre car park, Cambridge
Property tycoon suffers minor
facial injuries in a shooting in Moortown, Leeds
This is Derbyshire,
24 August 2007
A 10-year-old boy has been
shot in the leg and head whilst playing with friends in Midway,
Derbyshire. A 15-year-old boy was interviewed by police and issued
with a reprimand for assault. Two
ball-bearing guns were confiscated from him and destroyed.
Hackney Gazette,
24 August 2007
A teenager fired between three
or four shots in Broadway Market, east London, sparking fears that
a gang "turf war" was escalating. Six weeks before a teenager was
chased by men firing a gun and earlier in the year picnickers diver for
cover when a motorcyclist opened fire on a group of youths in London
Fields.
BBC,
24 August 2007
A man died after an apparent
shooting accident on remote farmland between Wolsingham and
Frosterley in County Durham. The alarm was raised when a man
reported that a colleague had been badly hurt after a shotgun had been
fired. The man was declared dead at the scene.
BBC,
24 August 2007
The M5 motorway was closed
after shots were fired at a police car when another vehicle was stopped as
part of a routine check in Gloucestershire. No one was
injured. Police gave pursuit but lost track of the car from which
the shot were fired.
Worcester News,
23 August 2007
Craig Taylor has been given a
suspended jail sentence after police found him with an
imitation handgun in his jacket pocket. He was a
passenger in a car searched by police in Droitwich in November
2006. Taylor admitted being in possession of an offensive weapon.
News & Star,
23 August 2007
A teenage cyclist suffered a
collapsed lung after being shot by an airgun
sniper in Carlisle. The victim is now recovering at home.
He had been hit in the chest. He is still suffering medical problems
more than three weeks after being targeted.
National Newspapers,
23 August 2007 *
An 11-year-old boy, Rhys
Jones, has been
shot dead, allegedly by a hooded teenager on a BMX bike. The victim
was in a pub car park in Croxteth, Liverpool, where he was kicking
a football when the attack occurred. Three shots were fired one of
which hit the boy. Detectives investigating the murder believe they
have now found the gun used by the killer (BBC, 20 February 2008).
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder and five other people
(including 3 teenagers) have been charged with assisting an offender.
One of the teenagers has been charged with possessing a firearm (BBC,
16 April 2008).
Luton Today,
23 August 2007
A man was forced to hand over
the key to his luxury car at gunpoint after he had just parked the vehicle
in Luton. He was approached by two men who eventually drove
off in his car which was found later parked in the town. One of the
two men was armed with a handgun.
The Comet,
23 August 2007
Two men were
seriously injured in a street shooting in Letchworth Garden City,
Hertfordshire. The victims were taken to hospital where the
condition of one is described as serious and the other as stable.
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and a woman
was also arrested for violent disorder.
BBC,
23 August 2007
A police constable was shot
accidentally by a colleague at a firing range at Gatwick police
station, Sussex. The officer, who was wearing body armour, was not
seriously injured and was taken to hospital with bruising.
BBC,
22 August 2007
A man has been arrested on
suspicion of attempted murder after another man was shot whilst walking
between his car and a house in Bingley, West Yorkshire. The
victim was able to take himself to hospital where his condition was
stable.
BBC,
22 August 2007
A loaded
air rifle, used to kill vermin, was stolen during an attack
on an allotment in Easterside, Middlesbrough. Three racing
pigeons had their necks broken during the raid and other birds were
stolen.
BBC,
22 August 2007
A youth turned his
air rifle on an elderly man who had told him to stop firing at
ducks on a reservoir near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The
youth fired the gun in the man's direction but he was uninjured.
Asian Image,
22 August 2007
Murtaza Hussain brandished an
airgun that looked like a semi-automatic pistol when he
attempted to rob a corner shop in Thornbury, Bradford, in May 2007.
The shopkeeper pushed the panic button and Hussain was arrested after the
being chased by the shopkeeper. He was sent to a young offenders
institution for 18 months after pleading guilty to attempted robbery and
possessing an imitation firearm.
News Shopper,
21 August 2007
A man has been given a two
year rehabilitation order for child cruelty and assaulting his wife.
Among various actions, the man from Crayford, Kent, had shot his
daughter in both knees with a ball-bearing gun,
claiming it was an accidents.
Cambridge Evening News,
21 August 2007
Two teenagers were arrested in
Newport, near Saffron Walden in Essex, after a concerned woman saw
teenagers carrying a weapon. The two will appear in court later this
month. The police have issued a warning that possessing a loaded
air rifle is a public offence.
BBC,
21 August 2007
Colin Joyce and Lee Amos,
leading members of the Gooch gang in Manchester, have been arrested
for breaching the terms of their licence, following release from prison.
Detectives believe the pair were linked to a recent spate of shootings in
Manchester. Three other men were also arrested in connection with
gun crime incidents and firearms were recovered.
BBC,
21 August 2007
A man has been charged with
attempted armed robbery and possession of an
imitation firearm while committing a serious offence after an
incident on a street in Worsley, Greater Manchester.
BBC,
21 August 2007
A three-year-old girl was shot
in the head with an airgun at a pub in
Stoke-on-Trent in what was being described as "a tragic accident".
She was taken to hospital where her condition was described as stable.
She has a pellet lodged in her brain. Police have spoken to another
child, reported to be her six-year-old sister, who was in a bedroom with
the girl at the time of the shooting. A weapon has been recovered (BBC,
22 August 2007).
BBC,
20 August 2007
Staff at a post office in
Corby, Northamptonshire, were forced to hand over cash to a masked man
brandishing a firearm. The robber made off with an accomplice.
Police said a link to a robbery at a betting shop in Corby could not be
ruled out.
This is Gloucestershire,
18 August 2007
A man stole £400 from a
betting shop in Podsmead after threatening a young male member of
staff with a handgun.
Sunderland Echo,
17 August 2007
Children found a sawn-off
shotgun in a bag hidden in dense woodland close to Frankland Jail in
Durham. The bag also contained 20 shells and two black
balaclavas. The police were keeping an open mind about where the gun
came from.
Life Style Extra,
17 August 2007
Craig Dyer, 19, has been given
28 months youth custody after pleading guilty to possessing an illegal
firearm and ammunition. Police had discovered a
converted firearm
and 9mm bullets during a search of his flat in South Norwood, south
London, following the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Streatham in
February 2007 (see Incidents).
Kilburn Times,
17 August 2007
A third man has been jailed
for the murder of a man who was shot dead in Willesden in January
2005 (see Incidents).
Darren Mathurin was found guilty of conspiracy to murder. Roberto
Parchment and Romain Whyte had previously been jailed.
BBC,
17 August 2007
A man was arrested on
suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after
police were called to a pub in Newquay, Cornwall. Witnesses
said a man was pointing a gun through the pub window.
BBC,
17 August 2007
A man was in a stable
condition in hospital after being shot near Tulse Hill station in
south London. Police are investigating whether the man was chased by
youths before being shot.
Evening Star,
16 August 2007
Four men were due to be
questioned after being found with a firearm in a street in Ipswich.
The men have been released on bail (Evening Star, 17 August 2007).
This is Wiltshire,
15 August 2007
Police are stepping up
measures to combat a rising spate of air rifle
attacks on residents and animals in an area of Warminster. A
number of people have complained about being targeted in their own back
gardens in recent weeks.
This is Cheshire,
15 August 2007
A gunman opened fire on a
house in Widnes. A bullet tore through a sofa minutes after a
four-year-old boy had been sleeping there. The boy's father and his
two-year-old sister were also asleep in the house. The gunman was
described as being aged between 16 and 20.
ic Surrey,
15 August 2007
Jephat Sango, 19, has pleaded
guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm and sentenced to
concurrent sentences of four years and four and half years detention at a
young offenders' institution. In March 2007 he had threatened a
woman with a replica ball-bearing gun
in a street in Croydon and demanded that she hand over money.
Citizen (Burnley),
15 August 2007
Michael Redmond from
Burnley, who pointed a ball-bearing gun
at a man at his ex-girlfriend's house, has been given a one year jail
sentence, suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and the
Think First programme. He had admitted possessing an imitation
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. Although Redmond's
defence described the weapon as a "glorified toy gun" the judge said that
the victim did not know this.
Nottingham Evening Post,
14 August 2007
Two masked men were being
hunted after terrifying a family in their home in Ilkeston.
The men were armed with a starting pistol
and a machete and during the raid the gun was fired and one family member
was hit on the back with the machete.
BBC,
14 August 2007
A man was arrested after
police officers used a stun gun to disarm him. He was armed with an
air rifle and a knife and was refusing
to leave his flat in Blandford, Dorset.
Nottingham Evening Post,
13 August 2007
Police are investigating
reports that a gun was fired at a house in Lenton. A window
was shattered following what police described as an "ongoing feud".
No one was injured.
Luton Today,
13 August 2007
A woman council worker was hit
by a missile fired from a ball bearing gun
by a gang of youths as she was working at a recreation ground in Luton.
She was shocked by the attack but not injured.
Grimsby Telegraph,
13 August 2007
Nineteen-year-old David Riley
fired a ball bearing gun while at work
in a factory in Louth. He has been given a four month prison
term, suspended for 12 months. He had pointed the gun at three
workmates and one pellet was fired which ricocheted and struck one of them
on the hand. Riley was placed under an 18-month supervision order,
told to carry out 40 hours' unpaid work and ordered to pay £100
compensation to his workmate.
BBC,
13 August 2007
A motorcyclist was shot dead
as he was travelling on the southbound carriageway of the M40 near
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Police have said that biker gangs
are a "strong line of inquiry" and they wish to trace the occupants of a
green Rover 620 seen nearby. Four men have appeared in court in
connection with the murder, three charged with murder, possession of a
firearm with intent to endanger life and one other firearms offence.
The fourth man has been charged with a firearms offence (BBC, 25
August 2007).
BBC,
12 August 2007
Two men have been arrested
over a double shooting in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, in which
two other men received gunshot wounds. One of the victims was shot
in the torso and arm, the other in the neck. Both are recovering in
hospital. A 17-year-old boy and a man has been charged with
attempted murder (Manchester Evening News, 5 September 2007).
BBC,
12 August 2007 *
A 21-year-old woman has been
charged with firearms and drugs offences after police found a handgun and
accessories when her car was pulled over as part of routine stop-checks in
the Fulwood area of Preston. The woman and three other people
have pleaded guilty to possession of the firearm (see
February 2008 Incidents).
BBC,
12 August 2007
A 20-year-old man has been
shot dead on a busy street in Wavertree, Liverpool. He was
walking back to a friend's house when then shooting occurred.
Wear Valley Mercury,
11 August 2007
Airgun slugs were found after 12 windows of the clubhouse of
Hunwick Cricket Club, County Durham, were smashed. Windows had
also been broken in May.
Southern Daily Echo,
10 August 2007
Ian Smith left a trail of
panic in his wake when he went on the rampage in Lyndhurst,
Hampshire. Whilst high on a mix of medication and alcohol he first
raided an off licence in the town where he loaded an
air pistol and pointed it at the shop
assistant. Smith grabbed a fistful of notes from the till and filled
a bin liner with cigarettes. He fired the gun, smashing something at
the back of the shop. Minutes later he entered a restaurant and then
a pub where a customer took the gun off him. After that he went to a
supermarket in Calmore and pretended to be armed and swung a bottle
at the manager. He pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and
possessing an imitation firearm for robbery and putting people in fear of
violence. He has been jailed indefinitely.
Nottingham Evening Post,
10 August 2007
An 18-year-old man in on trial
accused of pulling a sawn-off shotgun on three people in Clifton in
November 2006. He denies possession of a firearm with intent.
Birmingham Mail,
10 August 2007
Reis Kelly of Chelmsley
Wood was given a six-month community order for having a loaded
air rifle in a public place and
possession of cannabis.
BBC,
10 August 2007
A Baikal SL handgun and
ammunition were recovered by police in an alleyway in Ardwick,
Manchester. They were discovered after officers patrolling the area
noticed two men crouching in the grounds of a school who both fled when
they realised they had been spotted. An 18-year-old has been
arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm.
BBC,
10 August 2007
A 20-year-old man has been
charged with possessing an imitation firearm
with intent to cause fear of violence. The offence is
believed to be linked to the murder of a man in Huyton, Merseyside.
ic South London,
9 August 2007 *
A teenager has been arrested
with a massive arsenal of weapons in Bermondsey. He was
caught with eight stun guns, more than 20 CS gas cannisters and a Brocock
gas-powered handgun.
Police fear he was supplying gangs.
ic Coventry,
9 August 2007
Two men arrested on suspicion
of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence were
released without charge. The arrests followed reports that someone
had a gun or had been threatened with a gun in a street in Hillfields.
No weapons were recovered.
BBC,
8 August 2007
A nine-year-old boy was taken
to hospital with a serious eye injury after an incident in Chesterfield
when he was hit in the face with a pellet fired from a
BB gun. Derbyshire Police warned
young people not to carry BB guns and encouraged traders to sign up to the
Gunsafe initiative and withdraw BB guns from sale.
BBC,
8 August 2007
A 16-year-old girl was shot in
the leg while walking along a street in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
An unknown attacker had fired an air rifle.
She was taken to hospital as a precaution.
ic Coventry,
7 August 2007
A youth has been arrested on
suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence
for allegedly threatening a woman in Bedworth town centre.
She claims the teenager made verbal threats to her and also believed she
had seen him with a handgun. An air rifle
was recovered which is not believed to be linked to the incident.
Express & Star,
7 August 2007
A boy aged 10 shot at two
schoolgirls with a ball bearing gun as
they walked close to a play area in Heath Hayes, Staffordshire. One of the
girls was hit on the arm.
Bolton News,
7 August 2007
Two men have been jailed for a
total of 19 years after a raid at Atherton railway station in
December 2006. They escaped with more than £2000 after threatening a
cashier with a fake handgun.
Paul Anthony Benson pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a firearm and
three burglaries and received 11 years in total. Shane Francis
Scally was jailed for 8 years after pleading guilty to robbery.
Evening Star,
6 August 2007
A man has been found dead on
farmland off the road linking Bruisyard and Peasenhall in
Suffolk. A shotgun was recovered from the scene. It is
believed he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police are not
treating the death as suspicious.
BBC,
6 August 2007
One arrest was made after
reports of a man with a gun in Bridgwater, Somerset. Council
CCTV operators had raised the alarm. The man was released on police
bail.
Avon and Somerset
Constabulary,
4 August 2007
Police arrested a man on
suspicion of being in possession of a firearm after an incident in
Bristol. There were reports that a shot had been discharged
towards the ground resulting in one person sustaining a minor injury from
debris.
AOL News,
4 August 2007 *
A teenager, believed to be
aged 18 or 19, has become the latest victim of a fatal shooting in south
London. Police found him near Brixton underground station
after they were called to reports of shots being fired. A man on a
motorcycle had ridden up to a group of 11 or 12 youths and spoke to them
before pulling out a gun and shooting at them (BBC, 4 August 2007).
A teenager has been found guilty of murder (see
May 2008 Incidents).
Telegraph,
3 August 2007
Colin Gunn, described as one of the country's most feared and dangerous
criminals, has been jailed for
life following an unprecedented undercover police operation.
Gunn ran a Nottingham-based gang with his brother David. He was behind the murders of a couple at their home in
Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire, in August 2004 (see
Incidents) and was linked
to the murder of jeweller Marion Bates in Arnold, Nottingham, in
September 2003 (see Incidents). He had
been connected to at least six murders and 50 shootings. He was
serving a minimum of 35 years for masterminding the Trusthorpe murders and
has now been sentenced to another nine years for his role in police
corruption. An order banning his identification was lifted.
Sidmouth Herald,
3 August 2007
A seven-year-old boy from
Sidford, Devon, narrowly escaped serious injury after being shot just
below the eye by a BB gun.
Police are keen to track two youths following the attack. The attack
occurred a week after police warnings over BB guns following the seizure
of three weapons from Swedish students in Sidmouth.
Lancashire Evening Post,
3 August 2007
Abdul Ibrahim, 16, and a
14-year-old boy have been sentenced to five years and two years and eight
months in custody, respectively, for their part in an attack in which a
teenager was almost beaten to death in a park in Preston in
February 2007 (see Incidents).
The victim was attacked in a robbery by the pair who were armed with a
cosh-type weapon and a ball-bearing gun
which they fired at the victim's friends.
ic Berkshire,
3 August 2007
Zafram Saleem, 19, has had an
appeal against criminal conviction turned down. He was one of four
people convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following an
attack in a park in Maidenhead in February 2005 which involved a
Stanley knife and an airgun.
Saleem had captured the attack on mobile phone and was sentenced to two
years in jail,
Life Style Extra,
2 August 2007
Christopher Toussant-Collins,
19, has been found guilty of being one of a gang of armed men who lay in
wait outside a man's home in Wembley, north London, in July 2006
(see Incidents).
The victim was shot as he was about to take his two children to school and
died of his injuries. Toussant-Collins has been warned that he would
be sent to jail for life.
Kent News,
2 August 2007
After a boy was shot in the
leg with an air rifle as he walked by
the River Medway in Tovil two youngsters were arrested, one
(aged 15) for assault and possession of a firearm with intent to cause
injury. The shot was one of three fired by one of a gang of five
youths who took aim at a group on the opposite bank of the river.
This is Grimsby,
1 August 2007
A man is unable to see out of
one eye after being shot in the head with an air
rifle or pellet gun.
He was leaving a house in Cleethorpes when a shot was fired by
someone in a car. Doctors currently cannot tell how much long-term
damage has been done.
Hunts Post,
1 August 2007
A man in St Neots seen
walking along with a silver gun down his trousers, pulled the gun out,
alarming passers-by, before heading off into a nearby flat. He was
later arrested for possession of a BB gun
in a public place.
BBC,
1 August 2007
A dog has died after being
shot when three masked gunmen opened fire at a house in Salford, Greater
Manchester. The dog was behind the door at the time. He had to
be put down after he was found to be too badly injured. Nobody
inside the house was injured.
BBC,
1 August 2007
Police arrested a man on
suspicion of firearms offences and false imprisonment after a number of
people were taken hostage at a hostel in Sittingbourne, Kent.
There was a stand-off which lasted more than seven hours overnight.
The man was armed with an imitation firearm.
SCOTLAND
Incidents from 29 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
A 15-year-old arrested for
aiming imitation handgun at people in
Levenmouth, Fife
Man shot five times in a
drive-by in Glasgow
BBC,
29 August 2007
A man was arrested and charged
after reports of a gun being fired in a street in Dundee.
ic Renfrewshire,
24 August 2007
Police are trying to track a
person they believe has been taking potshots at the bedroom windows of a
care home in Erskine. At least four small round holes have been
discovered in glass panes and the police are working on the theory they were
caused by shot from a ball-bearing gun.
However, a spokesman for the care home said that the damage may have been
caused by stones spat out by mowers.
Herald,
24 August 2007 *
Police are hunting a man who
stole thousands of pounds in an armed robbery at a bank in Troon,
Ayrshire. The man threatened staff with what appeared to be a
firearm.
A man has been jailed for over eight years for this raid and an earlier
one he carried out in Glasgow (see
March 2008 Incidents).
BBC,
24 August 2007
A man was shot with an
air
rifle in an incident at an address in Inverness. The man was taken
to hospital but was not seriously injured.
Evening News (Edinburgh),
23 August 2007
Saeed Sarfraz, 16, has
admitted robbing a woman in Edinburgh with a cigarette lighter
shaped as a gun in January 2007. He also admitted trying to rob
another woman with the same weapon in an Edinburgh street four days
later. He admitted possessing an imitation
gun on both occasions and robbing his first victim of her bag,
purse, money, cards, phone and keys.
BBC,
22 August 2007
A nine-year-old was shot with
a BB gun outside a primary school in
Dumfries. He was taken to hospital but found to be uninjured.
An 11-year-old will be reported to the Children's Reporter following the
incident.
Evening News (Edinburgh),
21 August 2007 *
A pensioner was shot dead with
an airgun at his home in Winchburgh,
West Lothian. A 17-year-old man has been arrested and has appeared
in court charged with murder (Evening News, 22 August 2007).
James Kerr is facing a life sentence after admitting murder. He
battered his victim in the face with the butt of an airgun and then shot
him three times in the head. The airgun was bought for £34 from a
shop in Broxburn two days before the attack (Daily Record,
15 December 2007). Kerr must serve at least 13 years in jail (see
January 2008 Incidents).
BBC,
21 August 2007
A three-year-old boy was shot
with a ball-bearing gun whilst he was
playing in a park in High Valleyfield, Fife. A 13-year-old
boy has been reported in connection with the incident. The victim's
hand was slightly scratched but he did not require hospital treatment.
ic Renfrewshire,
15 August 2007
Two women players at
Elderslie golf club had to run for cover when two boys, aged between
10 and 13, took pot shots at them with a high-powered
air rifle. The gun was fired at
least twice. Other golfers who chased the boys were attacked with
bricks and stones. The area was searched by police but the culprits
were not found.
BBC,
8 August 2007
Two 15-year-old boys suffered
minor injuries when they were shot with an airgun
in a park in Dundee. The police think the weapon may have
been fired from a nearby window and said that the outcome could have been
"much more serious".
Herald,
6 August 2007 *
An 18-year-old, who was shot a
close range as he left a 21st birthday party at a club in Paisley,
died in hospital shortly after the shooting. Another victim has been
left fighting for his life. Three shots were heard and residents saw
a saloon car speed away from the scene. A man is expected to appear
in court in connection with the shooting (BBC, 21 January 2008).
ic Renfrewshire,
3 August 2007
A gunman opened fire in a busy
pub in Paisley. The police know the identity of the man who
has apparently gone into hiding. A single shot was fired from a
pistol during a bar brawl.
Arran Banner,
3 August 2007
A 9-year-old boy has lost part
of a front tooth after being shot in the face with a plastic pellet from a
ball-bearing gun. The boy, who
was on holiday, was playing with other children at a caravan park on
Arran where they were shooting at each other with toy guns. The
guns were on sale in a shop in Brodick for £3.99 but had a sticker
saying over 18s only. They have now been removed from the shelves.
BBC,
1 August 2007
Paul Pitcairn, 21, shot a
13-year-old schoolgirl in the leg while he was high on drink and drugs in
August 2006. He had chased the girl down the street in Blackford,
Perthshire, before pinning her against a fence and shooting her with a
ball-bearing gun. The victim had
bruising on her leg which was painful for a time. Pitcairn was
jailed for 100 days.
WALES
Incident from 29 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Man with an
air rifle disarmed by police during a
domestic incident in Newport
Incident from 28 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Man with an
air rifle makes threats to kill in
Bargoed, Caerphilly
Incident from 27 August 2007 (as reported by the Daily Mirror)
Two men threaten a cashier with
a handgun in Blackwood, Gwent
BBC,
24 August 2007 *
A shop assistant working in
Caerau, Maesteg, was threatened with a gun by a raider who forced her
into a back room where he took a large quantity of money. police
have released CCTV images of the suspect.
News Wales,
6 August 2007
A man armed with a knife and a
handgun took money from the till of a shop in Port Talbot. He
made off with an accomplice on a motorcycle.
Evening Post (Swansea),
4 August 2007 *
An unnamed 16-year-old girl
from Neath has been given with an Asbo for terrorising neighbours,
shooting at youngsters with a ball-bearing gun
and various other offences. Breaching the order could result in five
years' detention. It has since been reported that she has breached
the order 10 times in four month (Evening Post, 7 December 2007).
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
BBC,
31 August 2007
Two young men have been fined
£750 and £500 respectively for shooting three roe deer and a red deer.
Lloyd Fowlie and Steven Wilson shot the animals with an illegally held .22
rifle near Alford, Aberdeenshire, in November 2006 (see
Incidents).
Daily Record,
30 August 2007
A cat found by a crofter in
Banavie near Fort William had an airgun
pellet lodged in his right back leg. The damage was so severe that
vets had to amputate the limb.
BBC,
30 August 2007
A seven-month-old cat who was
shot in a field in Broseley, Shropshire, had to be put down.
The cat had an airgun pellet lodged in
its back.
Evening Leader (Wrexham),
23 August 2007
A cat who had gone missing
from home for five days was taken to a vets in Chirk, Clwyd, and
found to have been shot with an air rifle
which had caused serious nerve
damage and a broken pelvis. It is not known whether the cat will
survive his injuries.
BBC,
17 August 2007
A female swan was killed with
an airgun at Doune Ponds Nature
Reserve, Perthshire. The bird had been shot once in the head and was
discovered beside the water by walkers. The shooting must have
happened within view of the swan's mate.
The Argus,
14 August 2007
A cat has been shot dead in
Hastings, East Sussex. Two men seen playing with an
air rifle are believed to be responsible.
Chester & District Standard,
10 August 2007
A cat has been left paralysed
after an airgun pellet pierced her
spine. The cat was found in Blacon, Chester, by a member of
the public. An RSPCA called to the scene said that she has a slim
chance of survival.
BBC,
9 August 2007
Police have appealed for
information after a young cat was shot with an
airgun in Tarves, Aberdeenshire. The pet was left
with a pellet close to his spine.
Louth Leader,
8 August 2007
Police believe thugs may have
been firing BB guns at cygnets at a
boating lake in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. One cygnet was
found dead and three others have disappeared.
BBC,
2 August 2007
Two cygnets have been killed on a golf course in Telford by someone with an
airgun. The birds had been shot in
the head in separate incidents which RSPCA officials believe were
instances of "target practice".
Mid Sussex Times,
1 August 2007
An
air rifle pellet fired at a pet cat in Cuckfield
narrowly missed his eye. The pellet lodged in his face and was
removed by a vet with no lasting damage.
Cambs24,
1 August 2007
A pet cat has been attacked
with an air rifle in Hall Weston,
Cambridgeshire. Vets discovered he had been shot after the cat was
howling whenever he went to get up.
Bolton News,
1 August 2007
RSPCA chiefs in Bolton
urged cat owners to be on their guard after a cat was hit in the leg by a
pellet from an airgun, the third cat
to be shot in the space of two weeks.
BBC,
1 August 2007
See Incident in
ENGLAND
