AUGUST 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
Sunday Mercury,
31 August 2008
A man who was shot in the arm
is recovering in hospital after being attacked in Small Heath,
Birmingham.
BBC, 31 August 2008
Post-mortem tests on one of
two bodies found at a burnt-out home in Maesbrook, Shropshire, have
revealed that the female victim was shot in the head. A rifle,
identified as being legitimately owned by the woman's husband, was
recovered near the two bodies. Further tests will be needed before
it can be established whether it was the murder weapon. A dog
recovered near the bodies had also been shot. Other post-mortem
examinations carried out on three horses and three dogs found in nearby
outbuildings showed they too had been shot. For more details see
September 2008 Incidents.
BBC, 31 August 2008
A man was injured on the hand
by an airgun pellet after shots were
fired at a group outside a church in Braunstone, Leicester.
Another person had clothing damaged.
This is Derbyshire, 30 August 2008
A man and a woman were
robbed at gunpoint as they crossed a park in Derby. A man
approached on a push-bike, asked they wanted to buy drugs and then
pulled a handgun. He stole a wallet, money and tobacco.
Sunderland Echo, 30 August 2008
A garage worker in
Houghton, County Durham, was injured when he was hit by a drive-by
gunman armed with an air rifle.
Liverpool Echo, 30 August 2008 *
Jude Fursland, 18, was
caught with a semi-automatic pistol and £18000 worth of drugs in his
mother's house in Woolton, Merseyside. An
air rifle and a haul of knives were
also uncovered. After admitting one count of possessing a firearm,
and two further charges of possessing class A drugs with intent to
supply, he has been sent to a young offenders' institute for six years.
Leicester Mercury, 30 August 2008
A woman and a taxi driver who
tackled an armed robber in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, in November
2007 (see Incidents),
have spoken about the incident along with the victim of the initial
attack. The driver had jumped from the taxi after seeing Paul Knight
pull a gun on a passenger he had just dropped off and the woman came to
his rescue. Knight pulled the trigger on the gun but it did not go
off. All three have received police bravery awards. Knight was
jailed for six year for the robbery in March 2008.
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 30 August 2008 *
Northumbria Police
and Durham Constabulary have confiscated a deadly haul of more
than 1400 firearms in the last year. The haul included machine
guns, military assault rifles, revolvers, sawn-off shotguns and
thousands of rounds of ammunition. Northumbria Police revealed
that 229 air rifles and 122
air pistols have been taken off the
streets since April 2007. Full details are available in the
article.
The Citizen (Gloucestershire), 30 August 2008 *
A bus travelling through
Cinderford was hit with an air rifle
pellet which smashed through a window near the back of the vehicle.
The bus was empty at the time of the incident.
BBC, 30 August 2008
A man was taken to hospital
and treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being shot in
Peckham, south-east London. Police have said the shooting could
easily "have resulted in a fatality".
This is South Devon, 29 August 2008 *
A judge has ordered police
to find a man, last living in Newton Abbot and who it is claimed
illegally had a 9mm self loading pistol with the intention of putting a
teenage girl 'in fear' in January 2007. He was due to be tried
next month. He had previously pleaded not guilty to possessing the
blank firing pistol with intent that
the 16-year-old would fear that violence would be used against her.
The man was fined £500 after his plea of carrying an imitation firearm
in a public place was accepted (see
September 2008 Incidents).
Lancashire Telegraph, 29 August 2008
David Church stashed away a
sawn-off shotgun and cartridges at his home in Crawshawbooth,
Lancashire. He was arrested when his former partner called police
who found the shortened shotgun in two parts in a holdall in June 2007.
He admitted possessing the gun, which he said he found during a house
clearance in Oxfordshire, and will be sentenced later.
Birmingham Post, 29 August 2008
A man was arrested when police
attended an incident in Rugby in which a car was fired at with a
shotgun. All the windows in the parked car had been smashed.
Nobody was hurt. The man has been released on conditional bail (Rugby
Advertiser, 30 August 2008).
Birmingham Mail, 29 August 2008 *
A number of key gang members
have been arrested and firearms recovered in a police blitz on gang
violence in Birmingham. Three weapons were recovered,
including at least two semi-automatic pistols, and ammunition. Drugs
and substantial amounts of cash were also seized.
BBC, 29 August 2008 *
Five people, including three
teenagers, have been arrested after police found a shotgun hidden in the
loft of a house in Birkenhead, Merseyside.
BBC, 29 August 2008
A number of firearms and hand
grenades were seized when police were called to a house in St Agnes,
Cornwall, after a man was reported to have made threats with a knife.
BBC, 29 August 2008
A man who robbed a bookmakers
in Oldham, Greater Manchester, earlier this month hit an
83-year-old man over the head with a gun. The man threatened staff
with a handgun and hit his victim as the latter tried to stop him escaping
with money. CCTV images have been released.
BBC, 29 August 2008
Zhong Guo has pleaded guilty
to murdering a man in a double shooting in Blyth, Northumberland, in March
2008 (see Incidents).
He also admitted attempted murder and firearms offences. The murder
victim died from a singe gunshot wound to the head, his partner survived
despite being shot twice. Police dubbed it as a "crime of passion".
Sentencing will take place in September.
BBC, 29 August 2008
Six guns have been seized by
police during a raid on a house in Longsight, Manchester. The
weapons were an AK-47 assault rifle, a homemade sub-machine gun, two
Ingram Mac-10 machine guns, an Enfield revolver and an Urwin Dale
self-loading pistol. Officers also seized 460 bullets, a crossbow
and drugs. Two men were arrested.
Bath Chronicle, 29 August 2008
Duane Smith yelled at a
pregnant woman and her boyfriend "I'm going to blow your head off" as he
wielded an air rifle in Peasedown
St John, Somerset. He told the couple to turn around if they
didn't believe he had a gun, before running. He then fired the gun
in the direction of a car but was spotted by the police and arrested.
He told one of the officers he would shoot him when he saw him next.
He has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
This is Bristol, 28 August 2008
A 10-year-old boy was
arrested after he walked into a Thornbury opticians and demanded
money at gunpoint. The boy, who brandished a
BB gun,
has been let off by police with a reprimand.
Evening Telegraph (Derby), 28 August 2008
Police in Derby
recovered two plastic BB guns from
the home of two teenagers who posted images of themselves with the
weapons on the internet.
Evening Star, 28 August 2008
Two 16-year-olds who took
part in a "gang raid" at a house in Ipswich in April 2008 during
which an air pistol was fired have
been sentenced to periods of detention. One who admitted robbery
was sentenced to a 12 month detention and training order and the other
who was found guilty of robbery was sentenced to an 18 month detention
and training order. Another youth, aged 17, had already been given
a three year custodial sentence for his part in the robbery.
BBC, 28 August 2008
Three men and a
woman, three of them teenagers, have been arrested and weapons recovered after a cyclist was shot
in the face with an airgun in
Eaton near
Norwich. The victim was taken to hospital with a facial
injury. Police have said that the victim could have been fatally
wounded (Eastern Daily Press, 29 August 2008).
West Sussex Gazette, 27 August 2008
The court has heard how a
teenager from Horsham, who is accused of murdering a schoolboy,
had threatened to shoot another teenager. He claimed he hadn't
made the threat and couldn't have carried it out as he didn't have a
gun, but police found an air rifle
and crossbow in his bedroom. The accused claimed that the air
rifle barely kills rabbits, let alone humans. The trial continues.
Scarborough Evening News, 27 August 2008
A hairdressers in
Scarborough is thought to have been targeted by yobs firing
air rifles after a hole appeared in its
window. The owner described how there had been problems in the
area before with people using pellet guns.
Northern Echo, 27 August 2008
Zeeshan Butt has been jailed
for nine-and-a-half years for his part in the kidnap of a car salesman
who was held at gunpoint before being released in field. Butt was
part of a gang of four who posed as buyers for a car who met the victim
at a station in Darlington. After taking over the car the
gang told the salesman he would be shot if he tried to get help: he was
threatened with a Taser and a gun. He was dumped in Barwick-in-Elmet
near York. Butt was caught after a police officer became
suspicious of a BMW outside a house in Swinton, Greater
Manchester, in January 2008.
News Shopper, 27 August 2008 *
John Seton killed a fellow
drug dealer by shooting him with a 12-bore shotgun on Chislehurst
Common, south east London, in March 2006. He has been found
guilty of murder and was jailed for 30 years (BBC, 12 September
2008).
Liverpool Echo,
27 August 2008
A house in Croxteth Park,
Liverpool, was slightly damaged after shots were fired.
Eastern Daily Press, 27 August 2008
A double-decker bus is
believed to have been shot at as it travelled on the Trowse
bypass in Norfolk. Early indications are that it was a weapon of
some sort, a gun or an airgun.
BBC, 27 August 2008
Grant Wilkinson has been
convicted of converting firearms in a shed in Three Mile Cross,
Berkshire and supplying firearms and ammunition (for more details see
July 2008 Incidents).
The replica Mac-10 submachine guns
were converted into live weapons later linked to more than 50 shootings.
The jury found him guilty of seven offences including conspiracy to
convert an imitation firearm into a firearm, conspiracy to sell or
transfer firearms and ammunition, possession of a firearm with intent to
enable another person to endanger life and possessing a prohibited
firearm. Another man was cleared of all offences. Wilkinson
has been sentenced to a minimum term of 11 years (BBC, 28 August
2008).
BBC, 27 August 2008
Four men have denied charges
of conspiracy to rob between April 2006 and September 2007. Three
other men have pleaded guilty. The charges relate to a series of
security van robberies. There were striking similarities between
robberies in Gloucester, Cherry Hinton in Cambridgeshire,
Colchester, Bath and Ipswich. Getaway cars
were used after two men grabbed or tried to grab a box containing
£25,000 from guards while brandishing a gun. During another
attempted robbery in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, in October 2007
(see Incidents) two alleged armed robbers died from gunshot wounds after
armed police opened fire when a gun was pulled on a security guard.
The trial continues.
BBC, 27 August 2008
A man thought to have been
armed with a gun carried out a raid on a bank in Seaford, Sussex,
A man and a woman were later arrested in Lewes and cash and a firearm
were recovered.
Gazette & Herald, 26 August 2008
Mark Hamblin, a former
soldier, shot a friend who had come to a barbecue at his house in
Chippenham, Wiltshire, in May 2008. He fired the pellet from
an air rifle down the stairs of the
house. He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful wounding.
He had taken possession of the gun from a youngster at the party who had
been shooting it out of a landing window. The judge considered it
had been a reckless accident and imposed a 24 week suspended jail
sentence. The victim still has a pellet lodged in his skin.
Southern Daily Echo, 25 August 2008
A filling station manager
was threatened at gunpoint during an armed robbery in Southampton.
He handed over a large quantity of cash when confronted by an armed
robber brandishing a handgun.
Evening Star, 25 August 2008
A teenager made off with
just £30 after a robbery at a newsagents in Chantry, Suffolk.
The robber demanded money before brandishing a handgun.
BBC, 25 August 2008
Two men have been charged in
connection with an armed raid on a bookmakers in Gateshead.
Staff were threatened with a gun during the robbery but nobody was
injured.
BBC, 25 August 2008
An 18-month-old boy is
critically ill after being shot with an airgun,
apparently by his five-year-old sister. In what the police have
described as a 'tragic accident' the boy was shot in the head while
playing in the garden of his home in Washwood Heath, Birmingham.
It appears that the gun was left unattended by the children's father.
See GCN
Press Release. The boy has since died in
hospital (BBC, 1 September 2008).
The Journal, 24 August 2008
An 11-year-old girl may need
surgery after being hit in the eye by a pellet fired from an
airgun or
BB gun. The girl was taken to
hospital after the incident which occurred in Blyth,
Northumberland. Police are speaking to an eight-year-old boy,
believed to be a neighbour of the girl's family, in connection with the
shooting. The victim must now have an operation and doctors have
told her she may suffer permanent damage. Her iris has been torn,
which is letting light in (Evening Chronicle, 29 August 2008).
BBC, 23 August 2008
A man who was shot in the
Newtown area of Birmingham died after being taken to hospital.
He is believed to have been a senior member of the Johnson Crew who may
have been lured to his death by women linked to another gang (Sunday
Mercury, 31 August 2008).
This is South Devon, 22 August 2008
Pamela Wakeham has pleaded
guilty to a summons issued under the Firearms Act 1968 of failing to
comply with a shotgun certificate condition and notify her change of
address. He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and
order to pay costs. Magistrates ordered the forfeiture and
destruction of the 16 bore guns. The offence arose when she moved
to a mobile home in Abbotskerswell, Devon.
The Gazette (Blackpool), 22 August 2008
A gun-toting robber escaped
on a push bike after carrying out a raid on a bank in Blackpool.
He wrestled a cash box free from a security guard before escaping with
thousands of pounds. Police have named the wanted man as Russell
Grant who is suspected to have carried out several violent robberies and
is wanted by a number of police forces (The Citizen (Blackpool),
26 August 2008).
Shropshire Star, 22 August 2008
Two youths suspected of
firing an airgun from the window of
a car being driven around Pontesbury and Minsterley, near
Shrewsbury, were arrested on firearms offences after a three-car smash.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 22 August 2008
Darryl Phillips of Crick,
Northamptonshire,
threatened his partner's daughter and her friends with a
blank-firing pistol. He pleaded
guilty to possessing a firearm with intent cause fear of violence but
denied putting the gun against his partner's daughter's temple. He
will be sentenced in September. Phillips was under the influence
of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Middleton Today, 22 August 2008
Chakka Williams has been
jailed for six-and-a-half years after admitting breaking into a home in
Moortown, Leeds, in January 2008 and stealing more than £300 in
cash and knives and jewellery. He accomplice has never been
caught. Williams was carrying a fake gun,
a cigarette lighter shaped like a handgun. During the robbery,
which was believed to be linked to a drugs-related argument two victims
were tied up and one of then was stabbed and slashed several times with
a knife.
BBC, 22 August 2008
An 18-year-old was dumped
outside a hospital in Bristol with suspected gunshot wounds.
He was found by staff and underwent surgery. He remained in a
stable condition. Two men were arrested in connection with the
incident and have been bailed.
BBC, 22 August 2008
A man has died after being
found with gunshot wounds in a street in Walworth, south east
London. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
This is Bristol, 21 August 2008
Following reports that a
gunman had sexually assaulted a woman, armed police surrounded a flat in
Fishponds, Bristol. A man was arrested after a 15-minute
stand-off. No shots were fired.
Harborough Mail, 21 August 2008
Youths armed with an air
rifle were spotted walking along a disused railway line near Market
Harborough, Leicestershire. The police were called but could
find no trace of the youths.
Gazette & Herald, 21 August 2008
A man has been discovered
dead at Stoke Hill near Westbury, Wiltshire. A shotgun was
found at his side. Police are not looking for anyone in connection
with the death at this stage and there are no suspicious circumstances.
BBC, 21 August 2008
Armed robbers stole luxury
watches valued at thousands of pounds in a raid on a jewellers in
Newcastle upon Tyne city centre. One of the three men was
armed with a gun. CCTV images have been released.
Weston & Somerset Mercury, 20 August 2008
A hand-made, double-barrel
section of a hunting rifle has gone missing whilst being transported
between Yeovil and Bristol. Work was only partially
complete so it cannot be used in its present two-tube state and is
unable to hold cartridges.
The Standard (Ellesmere Port & Neston), 20 August 2008
A 14-year-old boy and two
men have been arrested on suspicion of robbery after a till was taken
from an off-licence in Birkenhead, The Wirral. One man was
armed with what is believed to be an imitation
handgun and another man with a knife. The till and an
imitation gun were recovered nearby.
Kent Online, 20 August 2008
A gunman and another man
wielding a knife tried to hold up a shop in Herne Bay, Kent, but
fled empty-handed when the store owner raised the alarm.
Fenland Citizen, 20 August 2008
A nine-year-old boy required
almost 24-hours of hospital treatment after he was shot in the arm with
an air rifle. He had climbed a tree
in his back garden in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, after he had heard
people laughing and playing. The pellet was a matter of half an
inch from going through his arm.
Evening Telegraph (Derby), 20 August 2008
Duane Gregory, 17, has been
given a four year sentence after being stopped by police in Derby
in March 2008 and found to have a 9mm pistol with silencer attached
tucked into the waistband of this trousers. The gun had been used
to fire a shot into a room at a house in Derby two days earlier.
Gregory was also found to be the "custodian" of another pistol found in
a friend's garden. He admitted two charges of possessing a
prohibited firearm, having a silencer attached and having ammunition.
BBC, 20 August 2008
A man armed with a gun
threatened staff and then fled with cash from a bookmakers in York.
This is South Devon, 19 August 2008
A landlord and a barwoman at
a pub in Torquay, Devon, were left traumatized after being robbed
at gunpoint of thousands of pounds. Two men armed with a pistol
ordered them to open a safe which was then cleared of cash.
Sun, 19 August 2008
Police swooped on a car in
Manchester city centre after a CCTV camera had picked up a rifle
on the passenger seat. Other weapons were then found in the boot.
Police retrieved an AK47, a Desert Eagle self-loading pistol, a Glock 17
pistol, a revolver and an air rifle.
A man was arrested and later charged with drink driving and bailed on
firearms matters.
Newham Recorder, 19 August 2008
A man suffered a non
life-threatening injury to his face when a single shot was fired in
Beckton, east London. The victim was treated in hospital but
was expected to be discharged.
Liverpool Echo, 19 August 2008
Police stopped a cache of
bullets being sold in a car park at a shopping park in Hunts Cross,
Merseyside. When officers searched the vehicles around 500 rounds
of ammunition for use in handguns were found. The homes of those
arrested were later searched. Three men were still in police
custody and a woman was released on bail pending further inquiries.
Liverpool Echo, 19 August 2008
A window of a ground-floor
flat in Norris Green was shattered in a shooting. A
teenager suffered cuts to his face from flying glass. A number of
people were at the home when the shots were fired. Police believe
the shooting was targeted.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 19 August 2008
A sawn-off shotgun and
cocaine were found during a police raid in Honley, West
Yorkshire. A woman, a 17-year-old youth and a 16-year-old were
arrested for drugs and firearms offences.
The Argus, 19 August 2008
A man carrying what was
believed to have been a gun walked into a bank in Henfield,
Sussex, and demanded money. He was handed an unknown quantity of
cash. No one was injured in the incident.
This is Grimsby, 18 August 2008
Robert Brown has been jailed
for six years and nine months after a raid at a Grimsby
bookmakers in which he threatened two members of staff with a
fake pistol in March 2008. He
fled with a hail of more than £3100. Brown also admitted breaching
a suspended prison sentence.
The Standard, 18 August 2008
A man has threatened a shop
assistant with a handgun in Leyland, Lancashire. She
refused to hand over money and told the man that the police had been
alerted, at which point he fled.
Northwich Guardian, 18 August 2008
A .32mm calibre slaughtering
pistol was stolen during a burglary in Sutton Weaver, Cheshire.
No ammunition was taken.
Middleton Today, 18 August 2008
A man taken by ambulance
from an address in Middleton, West Yorkshire, underwent treatment
in hospital after being hit by an airgun
pellet. Hospital X-rays showed that the pellet, which was lodged
in his stomach, had been filed down to make a point.
Liverpool Echo, 18 August 2008
A 10-year-old boy is
recovering after being shot in the head with an
air rifle while he was playing with
friends in a field in St Helens, Merseyside. Two teenagers
have been arrested on suspicion of wounding (BBC, 20 March 2008).
BBC, 18 August 2008
A man was shot in the
stomach and a woman was shot in the arm in an incident in Digbeth,
Birmingham. The man remains in hospital.
Fenland Citizen, 17 August 2008
A man is to appear in court
after being charged in connection with a firearms incident in the centre
of Colchester, Essex. No shot were fired and no-one was
injured. The man has been charged with possession of an
imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Evening Chronicle, 16 August 2008
A shop worker was threatened
with a shotgun and beaten during an armed raid in Swalwell,
Gateshead. The raider ordered the man to hand over cash but when
he refused he beat him repeatedly.
This is Bristol, 15 August 2008
Mark Sanclemente has
admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition without a
firearms certificate after cleaners at a hotel in Almondsbury,
near Bristol, discovered a machine pistol in his bag in January 2008.
A stun gun was also in the bag. He has been jailed for seven
years.
Sunderland Echo, 15 August 2008
Two women were threatened at
gunpoint by masked raiders who burst into a home in Seaham,
County Durham. One of the women was punched in the face.
After a brief struggle both men ran off. Police have revealed that
on man had a BB gun which resembled
an authentic pistol.
Birmingham Mail, 15 August 2008
It has been revealed that an
SA80 rifle, stolen from the British Army, was found at a house in
Alvechurch, Worcestershire, where the remains of a murder victim
were buried (see 8 August 2008 below). Police also found two
sawn-off shotguns, another rifle and ammunition including dum-dum
bullets. The home owner Michael Oliver has been jailed for 15
years. The SA80 rifle was one of two automatic rifles that had
gone missing from the Irish Guards regimental barracks in London, four
years ago. The other had been found hidden under the bed of a
guardsman who had gone AWOL. In April 2006 (see
Incidents) L/Cpl
James Piotrowski pleaded guilty to possessing and handling it after
another soldier had stolen the rifle and was jailed for seven years.
BBC, 15 August 2008
Thirty one people have been
arrested as part of a crackdown on gun crime across Merseyside
following a spate of shootings. Among those arrested were three
men on suspicion of the attempted murder of a man who was shot in
Stockbridge Village (see below).
BBC, 15 August 2008
Two men have been charged as
part of a police investigation into the smuggling of firearms and drugs
into Lancashire. One was arrested in Arbroath, Scotland,
the other in Liverpool. Both have been charged with two
drug-related offences as well as conspiracy to transfer or sell
ammunition and conspiracy to transfer or sell firearms.
Skelmersdale Advertiser, 14 August 2008
A man has been charged with
firearms offences after police discovered a huge stash of bullets at a
house in Digmoor. Police found 300 9mm bullets in boxes in
a black bin liner inside a handbag in the house. The police were
at the house carrying out a drugs search warrant.
The Comet, 14 August 2008
Police have issued a warning
about the dangers of carrying imitation guns in public following a
serious incident at a supermarket in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
A 14-year-old was recently sentenced to four months in a youth detention
centre after pleading guilty to a number of charges. He went into
the store with a loaded BB gun and
fired it at a female member of staff twice. The woman was not
injured but was shocked by her ordeal.
BBC, 14 August 2008
Three men have been arrested
for a botched armed raid on a cash van in Enfield, north London.
A security guard was left with a gunshot wound. His injuries were
not to be life-threatening. Shots were fired by the suspects, and
the police also discharged a firearm. The IPCC is investigating.
The Star, 13 August 2008
The Criminal Appeal Court
has reduced the sentence of Darren Kelly from nine months for four.
Kelly shot and injured a 14-year-old from Doncaster, South
Yorkshire, with a gas-powered airgun
in 2007. The teenager had to undergo surgery to remove a pellet
which had lodged beneath his skin. Kelly had been jailed after
pleading guilty to wounding. The victim's mother is furious about
the cut in sentence and plans to contact her MP.
BBC, 13 August 2008
A man was being treated in
hospital after being shot in Handsworth, Birmingham. A
cul-de-sac, the scene of other shootings over the last few years, has
been cordoned off.
Ashbourne News Telegraph, 13 August 2008
A man has been found dead
with shotgun wounds in his car on a country road near Ellastone,
Staffordshire. He had suffered serious head injuries. Police
confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances and an inquest would be
held within a few days.
News Shopper, 12 August 2008
A 13-year-old has been
arrested in New Cross, south east London, on suspicion of
possessing a converted firearm. Police found a 9 mm Baikal and a
bag of 9mm cartridges in the stairwell of a house.
Mail, 12 August 2008
A gunman has fired on five
motorists as they travelled along the A47 near Norwich, Norfolk. Shots were
fired from the side of the dual carriageway. Windows were smashed
in five cars and a lorry. Armed police who went to the scene were
unable to find the person responsible.
West Yorkshire Police, 11 August 2008
A pedestrian walking along a
street in Middleton, West Yorkshire, was in collision
with a car which knocked to the floor but left him uninjured. A
female passenger got out of the car and is then alleged to have pointed
a long barrelled firearm at him.
Southern Daily Echo, 11 August 2008
A 20-year-old has been
charged with possession of an imitation firearm
with intent to cause fear of violence. Armed response teams had
swooped on a street in Shirley, Southampton, after a man was
spotted carrying what was thought to be a handgun. Hampshire
Police, who continue their "Fake Gun, Real Trouble" campaign, are
driving home the dangers of carrying imitation weapons. A
spokesman commented that it was "a needless waste of police resources to
respond to somebody who should know better. One hour of armed
response equates to 27 hours of regular policing - just think what
these officers could have been doing with that time".
Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 11 August 2008
A man armed with what
appeared to be a small silver gun entered a bakery in Northampton
and forced staff into handing over an amount of cash from the till.
Manchester Evening News, 11 August 2008
Thirty two
fake guns were among 112 weapons
seized by police at schools in Greater Manchester in the last two
academic years. In 2007/08 officers found 53 weapons including 15
BB guns and two other imitation firearms.
BBC, 11 August 2008
In another targeted shooting
in Merseyside and man was shot in the chest in Toxteth. He
was taken to hospital where his injuries are not thought to be life
threatening.
BBC, 11 August 2008
A man was shot in the leg in
an attack in Kirkby, Merseyside. He is being treated in
hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
It is believed he was the victim of a targeted attack.
BBC, 10 August 2008
A shot was fired through the
kitchen window of a house in Radford, Nottingham. Police
were investigating after a residents reported a shot had been fired.
No-one was injured.
Liverpool Echo, 9 August 2008
A mother and her two
daughters woke in terror when a drive-by gunman blasted two windows at
their home in Huyton, Merseyside. Nobody was hurt in the
incident.
Evening Telegraph (Derby), 9 August 2008
Graham Key died in custody
after being jailed for two years for keeping firearms and
ammunition without licences at his home in Alkmonton, Derbyshire.
The possibility that the gamekeeper poisoned himself is being
investigated. The weapons found were a rusty 38.5cm-long sawn-off
rifle and a modified Bruni semi-automatic pistol.
Telegraph, 8 August 2008
Paul Peccioli, a former Tory
councillor, became possessive and overbearing and "reacted badly"
when a woman told him she thought they should stop seeing each other.
He banged his head against a wall then held up an
airgun and told her he would "deck her
if she was a man". He slapped her legs and threatened to take an
overdose. A few days later he chased after her and two colleagues
in his car after she escaped from her home in Ullesthorpe,
Leicestershire. Peccioli pleaded guilty to putting a person in
fear of violence by harassment and has been given a 12-month suspended
prison sentence and a restraining order.
North West Evening Mail, 8 August 2008
A teenager who shot a
10-year-old boy in the ankle has admitted the shooting his victim with a
G10 repeater air pistol in Walney,
Cumbria. The gun has since been destroyed and the boy has been
given a 12-month referral order, which requires him to agree and sign a
contract with the youth offending team. He pleaded guilty to
assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an air rifle.
Lowestoft Journal, 8 August 2008
A woman was injured when she
was struck in the head with what officers believe to have been an
airgun pellet in Lowestoft,
Suffolk. It is thought that someone was using an air rifle to warn
off seagulls.
Liverpool Echo, 8 August 2008
A robber pulled a suspected
handgun on a couple in a car park in Moreton, The Wirral.
He forced them to hand over a wallet and a handbag.
Islington Tribune, 8 August 2008
The number of weapons found
in schools in Islington, north London, has increased from 14 in
2005 to 42 in 2008. Twelve of the incidents 99 incidents reported
over three years involved replica,
pellet and
BB guns and airguns.
Birmingham Mail, 8 August 2008
Two men who in September
2005 abducted a man from his home in Weoley Castle, Birmingham,
at gunpoint and then killed him, possibly by shooting him, have been
jailed for life. Michael Weldon and Mark Price will serve minimum
sentences of 23 years and 15 years, respectively. The body of the
murdered man, who was not the intended victim, was burnt and buried on
land in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, belonging to Michael Oliver.
Oliver was convicted of perverting the course of justice for
allowing his land to be used for the body to be buried and also admitted
possessing rifles, shotguns and ammunition. He was jailed for 15
years (see also 15 August 2008 above).
Birmingham Mail, 8 August 2008
Gavin Parry, 18, has been
sentenced to six years' detention after admitting possessing a shotgun
with intent. He pointed the loaded shotgun at an officer when
police went to an address in Handsworth in April 2008 looking for
the defendant because he had previously failed to turn up in court.
Parry was eventually arrested by armed police.
Leicester Mercury, 7 August 2008 *
Three teenagers are on trial
following an incident which took place in the afternoon in Leicester
in November 2007. A gunman was seen to produce a double-barrelled
shotgun from a shoulder bag and take aim at a car full of young men.
The car was sprayed with pellets. Mohammed Warsame denied
possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, claiming the gun went
off by accident, but has been found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to
endanger life (Leicester Mercury, 9 August 2008). A
17-year-old, Ali Karim, has pleaded guilty to possessing the shotgun
with intent to cause fear of violence and is awaiting sentence.
Warsame has been given a nine year sentence and Ali Karim has been given
three-and-a-half years detection. His brother Mohammed Karim was
convicted of possessing the shotgun after the incident and has been
jailed for a total of six years (This is Leicestershire, 19
September 2008). The incident was linked to drug dealing.
Get Reading, 7 August 2008
More that 70
ball-bearing shots were fired at a
cleaning business's premises in West Reading, Berkshire, causing
hundreds of pounds of damage.
Cambs Times, 7 August 2008
A 15-year-old boy has been
shot at with an airgun in Wisbech.
He was walking along a street when a car pulled up next to him and he
felt something hit the top of his leg and saw a gun being pulled back
into the car.
Cambridge News, 7 August 2008
Two robbers who were part of
a seven month "reign of terror" in and around Cambridge between January
and August 2007 have been convicted. Matthew Miller has been found
guilty of a catalogue of robbery, conspiracy and firearms charges.
Terry Griffiths was convicted of conspiracy to rob, raiding a post
office and gun offences. Sentencing was adjourned. The
robberies occurred in Cambridge (four different shops),
Impington (post office), Stow-cum-Quy (post office, twice)
and Newnham (shop). On more than one occasion they were
armed with a sawn-off shotgun. Police officers found a shotgun, a
homemade balaclava mask, two pairs of gloves and ammunition in Miller's
shed in Teversham (Cambridge News, 8 August 2008).
BBC, 7 August 2008
An 18-year-old has been shot
dead in a supermarket in Walworth, south-east London. He
was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have said that the
victim was an innocent bystander who had been caught in the line of
fire. The shots were fired at two males who barged past the
teenager, his brother and cousin by two men on scooters who then drove
off (BBC, 8 August 2008). A 19-year-old male has been
charged with murder (BBC, 10 August 2008). A gun recovered
by police from an address in Brixton, south London, is believed to be
the murder weapon. Eight people were held on suspicion of
possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and
were later bailed (BBC, 15 August 2008).
Whitehaven News, 6 August 2008
A father who bought his
12-year-old son an air pistol has
been fined £100. Anthony Wilson from Egremont, Cumbria, is
banned from owning a firearm for life and was technically the gun's
owner when it was found by police in February 2008. He admitted
the offence. A boy of 12 cannot own the gun; some degree of
possession and control must remain with the person who bought it,
according to the prosecution. Wilson received a firearms ban when
he was sentenced to five years' custody for a drugs offence.
This is Lancashire, 6 August 2008
A man who posed as a
customer in a car accessory shop in Halliwell threatened the
store owner with a gun and pulled the trigger, but no bullets were
fired. When the man took out a magazine and appeared to start
loading the gun again his victim ran off and called the police.
Liverpool Echo, 6 August 2008
Police believe a man was
grabbed from the street before being driven to a community garden in
Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, and shot. The victim is in a
serious condition in hospital after being found by paramedics lying
among bushes.
Fleetwood Weekly News, 6 August 2008
Police are hunting a lone
gunman who targeted three shops in the Trafford area of
Manchester. On all three occasions he pointed a black handgun at
the cashiers and demanded cash. He took money from two of the
shops but fled empty handed from the third.
Echo (Essex), 6 August 2008
A carer and the pensioner
she looks after have had their home in Canvey, Essex, attacked
for the third time in a year. After the latest attack she noticed
a hole in the kitchen window which she believes was caused by a
BB gun or airgun.
Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, 6 August 2008
Homes and a car in the
Henthorn area of Clitheroe, Lancashire, have been shot at with an
air rifle.
BBC, 6 August 2008
Miran Thakrar, a small time
drug dealer, has been
convicted of three counts of murder following the shooting dead of three
other drug dealers at a house in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, in
August 2007 (see Incidents).
He has been jailed for a minimum of 42 years. Kevan Thakrar was
also found guilty and will be sentenced later. Both brothers were
also found guilty of the attempted murders of two women and possessing a
firearm (BBC, 11 August 2008). Amanda Dansie, Yilay
Tufensoy and Atul Thakrar (the brothers' father) were found guilty of
assisting an offender and each was jailed for four years.
BBC, 6 August 2008
A man is in hospital in a
critical condition after what is believed to have been a drive-by
shooting near Ladywood Middleway, Birmingham. Police found
the victim, a passenger in the car, with a gunshot wound. The
victim died four weeks later (see
September 2008 Incidents).
This is Nottingham, 5 August 2008
A man is in court accused of
being part of a gang who shot dead a drug dealer in London in
July 2002. He denies murder. Four other men stood trial for
murder in 2003.
Shropshire Star, 5 August 2008
A man from Broseley
is believed to have been shot with an airgun
while in his garden. He was struck by a pellet but not seriously
injured.
Mid Devon Star, 5 August 2008
Police say a man pointed a
ball-bearing gun at officers during
an incident in Barnstaple. They had been called to a house
to help paramedics with a suspected overdose victim who proved
obstructive and produced a handgun.
Lincolnshire Echo, 5 August 2008
Michael Brown has admitted
firing a loaded shotgun in the air in view of his neighbours in
Lincoln. He also had two knives when he was arrested by police
in connection with the disturbance in July 2008. He was given
conditional bail and committed to the crown court for sentencing on a
date to be fixed.
Rochdale Online, 4 August 2008
A man from Kirkholt
has been charged after a large quantity of drugs, a firearm and rounds
of ammunition were found in his home by police.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 4 August 2008
Shots have been fired at the
windows of a home in Abington, Northampton. An
airgun or
pellet gun was used.
BBC, 4 August 2008
David English and Faybian
Nembhard have been jailed for firearms offences after a police officer
was shot while on patrol in Peckham, south London, in March 2007
(see Incidents).
English was found guilty of two counts of possession of a firearm with
intent to endanger life and two counts of possession of prohibited
weapons and will serve a minimum of eight years and Nembhard will serve
seven years after being convicted of two counts of possession of a
prohibited firearm.
BBC, 4 August 2008
A man fatally shot outside a
pub in Forest Gate, east London, was an innocent bystander,
according to police. Two groups of males clashed and the victim
was hit in the head by a stray bullet.
BBC, 3 August 2008 *
A man has been shot dead
outside a nightclub in Bradford. Police have appealed to a
woman who rang the police to get back in touch. A man has been
charged with murder, while a second man who was also arrested has been
released on bail (BBC, 16 August 2008). Two other men have
been charged with murder (BBC, 1 November 2008).
Leicester Mercury, 2 August 2008
A shop worker was treated
for shock after he was held up at gunpoint during a robbery in South
Wigston, Leicestershire. The raider made off with £100 after
threatening the victim with what he described as a handgun.
West Yorkshire Police, 1 August 2008
Sean Kavanagh and Nathan
Smith who were responsible for an armed robbery on a bookmakers in
Bradford in November 2007 have been sentenced to 10 years and 8
years in prison, respectively.
Scarborough Evening News, 1
August 2008
A farmer from Hutton
Buscel, North Yorkshire, was found dead at his home with gunshot
injuries. There are believed to be no suspicious circumstances.
Lancashire Evening Post, 1 August 2008
A taxi driver had a gun
pushed in his neck and was repeatedly punched by youths in an estate in
Preston. The three attackers stole around £180. A
17-year-old is being quizzed by detectives.
Liverpool Daily Post, 1 August 2008
A woman was injured by
pellets from a shotgun in an attack in Dingle, Merseyside.
The victim was taken to hospital where she was treated and then
discharged. A man has been arrested.
Hull Daily Mail, 1 August 2008
A convicted drug dealer has
been killed at a flat in east Hull. It is reported that he
was gunned down. The gun used to kill him has not been found (BBC,
2 August 2008).
Birmingham Mail, 1 August 2008
Isaac Watson, who has
competed for Great Britain in clay pigeon shooting, has been convicted
of possessing a Browning automatic shotgun with intent to cause fear of
violence. He was fined £2500 and ordered to pay costs and told
that he risked having his shotgun licences revoked. He had used
the weapon to scare a skip delivery driver who had been wrongly directed
to his address in Lighthorne in February 2008 (see
May 2008 Incidents).
Watson fired three shots, claiming that he did it to get the man's
attention and denied doing so to cause him fear.
BBC, 1 August 2008
Barry George, who has served
eight years in jail, has been acquitted of the murder of BBC TV
presenter Jill Dando who was shot dead on her doorstep in Fulham,
west London, in April 1999.
BBC, 1 August 2008
A man was being treated for
gunshot wounds after being shot in the legs, face and hand in
Knowsley, Merseyside. Police believe that the victim was
targeted.
BBC, 1 August 2008
A man was in hospital with
serious injuries after a shooting in Thornbury, Bradford.
His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. The victim
has now been released from hospital but the injuries to his legs will
take at least 18 months to heal (Telegraph & Argus, 20 August
2008).
BBC, 1 August 2008
Seven men have been jailed
for up to 20 years for their parts in a scheme to import and convert
blank-firing guns (Baikal self-loading
gas handguns) from Lithuania. The guns were made into "assassin
kits" with silencers and bullets and sold for £1700. Police have
seized some 56 guns and 856 bullets but believe this is "only a
proportion" of those in circulation. They have been used in crimes
in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds,
Bradford and Scotland. The gang was led by Kaleem
Akhtar who was found guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms and
ammunition with intent to endanger life and has now been sentenced to 20
years in jail. Mudassar Ali pleaded guilty to conspiracy to
possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life and was
jailed for 18 years. Paul Wilson, one of Akhtar's customers who
bought guns to sell on pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and was
sentenced to eleven and a half years imprisonment. Asaid Saleem
packaged the weapons and had pleaded guilty to a number of charged and
was sentenced to a total of 10 year. Agnius Malcevas pleaded
guilty to a conspiracy charge, and possession of a firearm with intent
to endanger life, was jailed for 12 years and Edgaras Malcevas pleaded
guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition
without a certificate and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
Michael Peake, who was employed by Wilson, had pleaded guilty to
possessing firearms with intent to endanger life and possession of a
prohibited weapon was given a nine year sentence. For more details
see May 2008 Incidents.
BBC, 1 August 2008
A teenager who called
himself "Killa" has been jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years for
murdering a student in Stockwell, south London, in October 2007
(see Incidents).
Jermaine Clapham, 18, used a converted Mac 10 sub-machine gun to kill
his victim in a cold-blooded execution. Another 18-year-old has
also been charged with murder and awaits trial.
SCOTLAND
Daily Record, 29 August 2008
Two men are being sought after
a woman was shot with an airgun in
Sighthill, Glasgow. She was hit on the hand and underwent
surgery.
Hamilton Advertiser, 28 August 2008
Thieves have attempted to rob
a takeaway in Motherwell. Two people wearing masks demanded
money and then threatened the staff with what appeared to be a firearm.
One staff member sustained a minor injury when he was struck by a pellet
fired from a ball-bearing gun.
The raiders ran off empty handed.
BBC, 27 August 2008
Stephen Holt was on weekend
leave from prison to visit a girlfriend when he robbed a petrol station
in Hawick in May 2008, telling the cashier that he had a gun.
He has admitted the offence. He was serving a five-year sentence
for robbery. Sentencing was deferred.
BBC, 27 August 2008
A man armed with a firearm
threatened staff at a bookmakers in Govanhill, Glasgow. A
three-figure sum of cash was stolen. No one was injured
BBC, 26 August 2008
An armed raider robbed a
bookmakers on the south side of Glasgow. Police confirmed
that the firearm was not discharged. He made off with a
three-figure sum.
BBC, 22 August 2008
David Nellis pointed a
toy gun out of a car window on the A9
on the outskirts of Perth. He admitted picking up the toy
and breaching the peace in the incident earlier in the month. He
was told by the Sheriff that the police had no idea it was a harmless
toy gun when they responded to the call from a motorist. He was
fined £500.
BBC, 20 August 2008
There have been two armed
robberies at bookmakers in the west end of Glasgow. In both
armed men made off with a three-figure sum of cash after threatening
staff. In neither incident was a firearm discharged. Police
do not believe the two robberies are linked, but one of them may be
linked to previous robberies in the local area.
Largs & Millport Weekly News, 13 August 2008
Police announced to
Fairlie Community Council that there had been a charge of reckless
conduct with a firearm in the Ayrshire village, confirming that it had
been an airgun offence.
Evening Times, 12 August 2008
A 9-year-old boy has become
the latest victim of an airgun
shooting. He was shot in the eye in a street in Bridgeton,
Glasgow. He was taken to hospital for treatment but his condition
is not known.
The Northern Scot, 8 August 2008
A minibus used by elderly
and disabled people has been vandalised in a suspected
air rifle attack outside the home of
one of the charity's volunteer drivers in New Elgin, Moray.
The minibus was rendered unusable and resulted in a three-figure repair
bill.
BBC, 8 August 2008
An area around a block of
flats in the Milton area of Glasgow was sealed off following
reports of two men with firearms. There had, however, been no
reports of a gun being fired.
Evening Times, 6 August 2008
Peter McQueen and John Paul
McQueen have been jailed after attacking a man with a crossbow and an
air rifle: they believed their victim had been involved in the death of
their brother. John Paul McQueen pleaded guilty to assaulting the
man by firing an air rifle at him in
February 2008 in Blantyre, Lanarkshire and was jailed for two
years and three months: he also admitted a charge of causing malicious
damage. His brother received a three years and nine month
sentence.
WALES
South Wales Echo, 27 August 2008
A father was robbed at
gunpoint in front of his two children as he pulled up at his home in
Rumney, Cardiff. He was returning in his mobile burger van
after working at festivals and events around the UK when a gang of four
men confronted him. One of them had a handgun. They demanded
he hand over a cotton bag containing over £10,000 in takings.
South Wales Echo, 20 August 2008
Marek Tarasiewicz has been
jailed for two years for a firearm offence and four months, to run
concurrently, for offering to supply drugs. He was heard to
threaten to kill someone outside a nightclub in Pontypridd with a
loaded air weapon in June 2008 after
the man, to whom he had offered pills, became aggressive but
subsequently walked away. Another man alerted bouncers who
detained Tarasiewicz until the police arrived.
Evening Post (Swansea), 19 August 2008
A gunman terrorised female
staff at a store in Port Talbot. The man, who had a silver
and black handgun, demanded cash but nothing was stolen. There had
been a similar offence at the same shop in April 2008.
BBC, 15 August 2008
A woman was shot in the back
by an air rifle on a busy shopping
street in Llandrindod Wells, Powys. The victim was being
treated in hospital for her injuries which were not life-threatening.
A man is being held by police.
BBC, 11 August 2008
Two people in a flat in
Neath have been threatened with a gun and a knife by two men who
stole cash and jewellery.
Rhondda Leader, 7 August 2008
Stephen Davies has been
jailed for three months for carrying a "potentially lethal" lethal
air pistol in public. The judge told him that his case
was alarming because he had drunk four cars of lager before being
spotted by police in Ferndale in a car. A police officer
noticed a bulge under his right armpit but after being asked several
times what it was admitted carrying a Webley Tempest 0.22 calibre air
pistol. Davies pleaded guilty to unauthorised possession of a
loaded firearm in public.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
This is Total Essex, 27 August 2008
Two pet dogs have been shot
dead in an early morning attack in Navestock, Essex. The
pets were shot with hollow tipped bullets, a favoured ammunition for
hunting deer. One of the dogs died instantly, the other had to be
put down as a result of its injuries.
This is Bristol, 21 August 2008
Two cats have been shot with
airguns in Kingswood,
Bristol. One cat shot in May survived, although was badly injured,
but the second cat, which was shot this month, had to be put to sleep as
a result of injuries sustained by pellets.
BBC, 21 August 2008
Kyle Burdon had admitted
killing buzzards and badgers to protect pheasants he was looking after
at the Kempton Estate in Shropshire. He pleaded guilty to a
total of nine charges. The court was told that he used a shotgun
to kill buzzards. He admitted possessing a shotgun while
committing two of the offences he admitted. He has been warned he
could be jailed.
North Devon Gazette, 20 August 2008
A cat from Northam,
Devon, was shot in the back with an airgun.
The pellet travelled through his body into one of his back legs.
It is lucky that the pellet missed his vital organs.
Milton Keynes Citizen, 19 August 2008
A cat has been left
paralysed by an air rifle shot
following an attack in Grange Farm, Milton Keynes. Her
owner initially thought her pet had been hit by a car but the vet found
that she had been hit by a pellet.
Metro, 17 August 2008
A cat has been blinded in
one eye after being hit by airgun
pellets in St Austell, Cornwall. Five other cats have been
killed in similar attacks in the area over the past five months.
Worcester News, 16 August 2008
A number of pets have been
injured and one has died after a spate of shootings in Worcestershire
and Herefordshire. Three cats, a dog and a ferret have been shot
with air rifles or
BB guns. One cat was found
bleeding from a wound in his side in Much Cowarne. A second
cat who was shot in the head with an airgun in Grafton Flyford is
still fighting for his life. Earlier in the month a cat was a
victim of an airgun attack in Stoke Prior and bones in his right
leg and chest were shattered. A dog had to be put down after an
airgun pellet lodged in his chest after he was shot in Allensmore.
The ferret was found in Worcester and had been shot in the leg
with a BB gun.
Garstang Courier, 15 August 2008
A pet cat has had to have a
leg amputated after being hit by at airgun
pellet near her home in St Michael's, Lancashire. Her owner
has warned other residents to be on their guard. Police have since
revealed that in recent weeks another cat and a dog have also suffered
injuries after being shot by an airgun in St Michael's (Garstang
Courier, 20 August 2008).
Evening Leader, 15 August 2008
A cat walked into the family
home in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, visibly hurt and covered in
blood. An x-ray confirmed that he had been shot and that an
airgun pellet had passed through his
intestines. A life-saving operation was performed to remove the
pellet.
Wisbech Standard, 13 August 2008
The owner of a cat killed by
an air rifle wound in Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire, has pleaded with other residents to take extra care of
their pets. Her cat was found wounded near the garage of the
family home.
Lincolnshire Echo, 11 August 2008
Eight horses were shot with
air rifles and slashed in an attack
at an equine welfare centre in Washingborough, Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire Echo, 11 August 2008
A family cat from Lincoln
died after an operation to remove an airgun
pellet which had penetrated his gall bladder and stomach. He died
two days after being attacked.
The Citizen (Blackburn), 8 August 2008
A sniper shot dead a pet cat
with an airgun in
Clayton-Le-Moors, Lancashire. Residents say a number of cats
have gone missing from the area over the past few years, and that owners
are worried their pets met a similar fate.
Eastbourne Today,
4 August 2008
A cat needed emergency
surgery after being shot in the eye with an
airgun on a patch of ground near a children's playground in
Lo
