AUGUST 2010
We prepare
a monthly review 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
Review was written are marked (*).
ENGLAND
Birmingham Mail,
31 August 2010 *
A boy of 12 was injured when he
was shot in the arm with an air rifle
fired from a block of flats in Highgate,
Birmingham. The shot went over the head of the boy's mother.
His jacket absorbed most of the impact. It has since been
reported that a young woman was also hit in the calf. Pot
shots had been taken at a car which had left two dents. A man
has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of wounding and
possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life (Birmingham
Mail, 16 September 2010).
BBC,
31 August 2010
Jason Barnett has been jailed for
seven and a half years after pleading guilty to drugs and weapons
charges. He was arrested after a gun and chemicals used in
cocaine production were found in his van after police were called to
a domestic incident at his house in Avonmouth,
Bristol. A pump action rifle was found in a hidden
compartment.
BBC,
31 August 2010 *
Police are investigating reports
that a gun was fired in the St Ann's area of
Nottingham. No one is believed to have been injured. A
man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder (BBC,
1 September 2010). A 15-year-old boy and a man have also been
arrested (BBC, 18 November 2010).
Liverpool Echo,
30 August 2010 *
Police are hunting for a man
wanted in connection with firearms offences. A search of a
house in Belle Vale, Liverpool, had revealed gun
parts and quantities of crack cocaine. A man has pleaded
guilty to possessing a Section 1 firearm, a
sawn-off shotgun broken into pieces (see
January 2011 Incidents).
Evening Chronicle,
30 August 2010 *
Three teenagers, Bradley Bulman,
17, Kieron Smith, 17, and Dillan Cooper, 16, have admitted robbery and
possession of an imitation firearm
with intent and a fourth, Wayne Scott, 19, has been found guilty of the
same charges. They carried out the robbery in Jesmond
Dene, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and stole a brown leather jacket
containing cash, a credit card, debit card, driving licence and a
library card from their male victim. The youths were part of a
gang who were caught after being seen bragging on Facebook about
their crimes which occurred in February 2010. They had also
invaded a student house in Heaton and threatened
the occupants with the same weapon demanding cash and valuables in
which another youth Adam Devlin, 19, was involved. Cooper and
Smith have been jailed for six years for the two offences, Scott for
four years and Devlin and Bowman for three years and four months
each for the robberies they were involved in (Independent,
29 September 2010). Smith has lost an appeal to have his
sentence cut (Evening Chronicle, 28 March 2011).
BBC,
30 August 2010
Three men, one of them a teenager,
have been arrested after a man was seen firing a gun at a car in
Halewood, Merseyside. It has since been said
by police that a gun may not have been fired (BBC, 2
September 2010).
Manchester Evening News,
29 August 2010
A shopkeeper in Leigh,
Greater Manchester, struggled with two men waving handguns during a
raid. He refused to open the till. One robber dropped
his gun and the two men fled with the till.
Oxford Times,
28 August 2010
Mark Maisey was found to have a
stun gun in his room at
his flat in Carterton, Oxfordshire, in October
2009. He had found the weapon in the back of a taxi. He
has admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and been ordered to
do 80 hours' unpaid work and pay £1200 costs.
Express & Star,
28 August 2010
A man armed with a gun confronted
a shopkeeper at a store in Penkridge,
Staffordshire, and fired a shot. The man fled empty handed.
Express & Star,
28 August 2010
Anthony Brown, Anthony Adair and
Joshua Bernard, who is 16, burst into a property in
Wolverhampton which was being run as a brothel and
threatened to shoot a woman in the head during a robbery. All
three have pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an
imitation firearm.
Brown was jailed for five years, Adair and Bernard were sent to a
young offenders' institution for five years and four years,
respectively.
Daily Mirror,
28 August 2010 *
A mugger wielding a gun attempted
to steal a woman's bag in a park in Solihull, West
Midlands, but was fought off by her husband with an umbrella.
An imitation weapon was
recovered nearby and a man was arrested on suspicion of robbery (Solihull
News, 25 August 2010). The man has admitted three
offences and been jailed for eight years (see
November 2010 Incidents).
Watford Observer,
27 August 2010
A man armed with a handgun
threatened a security man loading money into a van in
Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. The man grabbed a cash
box containing a small amount of foreign money before being driven
off.
This is the West Country,
27 August 2010
An
airgun pellet missed a motorist by inches and hit a
bottle next to him. The pellet was fired through his
windscreen as he drove on the A361 near Tiverton,
Devon. He noticed two teenagers on a bridge and believes they
had an air rifle.
Teesdale Mercury,
27 August 2010
A man was arrested and received a
police caution after cannabis plants and rifle bullets were found at
a property in Butterknowle, County Durham.
The man did not have permission for the bullets.
Northern Echo,
27 August 2010 *
Steven Thompson has admitted
possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition without a licence.
He bought a Tariq short-barrelled pistol and 19 bullets from a man
who came to his Army surplus shop in Darlington,
County Durham, despite the gun not having a deactivation
certificate. He also pleaded guilty to having two
stun guns and a pepper
spray. He was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for
two years, with Probation Service supervision. He was removed
from the register of firearms dealers and an appeal against the
revocation of his firearms and shotgun certificates was abandoned (Northern
Echo, 26 November 2010).
Manchester Evening News,
27 August 2010
Residents in Marland,
Greater Manchester, heard gunshots and saw men dressed in military
fatigues swarming all over a former school. The police were
called. The school was being used for
paintball-style military games. The
games have now been stopped.
Manchester Evening News,
27 August 2010
Two men armed with a metal bar and
a handgun burst into a shop in Timperley, Greater
Manchester. They threatened two workers and hit one of them
over the head with the metal bar. They fled with cash and
cigarettes.
Liverpool Echo,
27 August 2010
A man has been charged with
robbery and possession of an imitation
firearm after a robbery at a bookmakers in
Old Swan, Liverpool. He had been armed with a metal
pipe wrapped in a plastic bag to make it look like a gun.
Leighton Buzzard Observer & Citizen,
27 August 2010
Three men, one armed with what was
believed to have been a handgun, entered a pub in Leighton
Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and forced staff to hand over a
considerable amount of cash.
Lancashire Telegraph,
27 August 2010
A teenager who caused £16,000
worth of damage as he and another youth rifled caravans at a storage
site and broke locks and removed property from allotment sheds in
Chatburn, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to a charge of
the theft of an air rifle
from an allotment and a number of other offences. Dominic Cain
was committed on bail for sentence.
Lancashire Evening Post,
27 August 2010
An 11-year-old boy and four other
youths were arrested following a violent brawl in Preston,
Lancashire, thought to involve a gun. A
toy gun, resembling a pump action shotgun,
was discovered after police scoured the area. The youths were
being questioned on suspicion of possession of firearms and
offensive weapons.
Eastern Daily Press,
27 August 2010
Guns were among items handed in
anonymously during a weapons amnesty organised in Lowestoft,
Suffolk. They included a revolver, three rifles, a
BB gun and a handgun.
There were also cigarette lighters which resemble handguns.
Watford Observer,
26 August 2010
Staff at a supermarket in
Watford refused to hand over cash to a man armed with a gun
who demanded till money. The cashier told him he couldn't open
the till and eventually the man left empty-handed. A man has
since been arrested. He has been charged with attempted
robbery and possessing an imitation
firearm (Watford Observer, 27 August 2010).
Muswell Hill Journal,
26 August 2010
A court has heard that a gang of
raiders, armed with two guns, a knife and CS spray, tied up a family
in their own home in South Tottenham, north London,
in November 2009. The father was dragged into a car and taken
to a cash and carry where he worked as manager and a security guard
was threatened with a gun. The robbers fled empty-handed as
the safe could not be opened. Wander Vaz pleaded guilty to
five counts of false imprisonment and one of attempted robbery.
The two other members of the gang are still on the run.
Lincolnshire Echo,
26 August 2010 *
Two 18-year-olds are on trial
charged with robbing a woman at her home in Grantham,
Lincolnshire, where they had spent the weekend. One of them is
alleged to have produced a handgun and demanded cash as he held the
gun to the woman's head. The other teenager then kicked the
door off a cupboard where money was stored. The teenagers face
a retrial after a jury failed to reach verdicts (Lincolnshire
Echo, 13 September 2010). Both have been convicted and
jailed for nine years (see
December 2010 Incidents).
Evening Standard,
26 August 2010
Two men aimed a handgun at a
barber and pulled the trigger during an armed robbery on a
neighbouring shop in Harringay, north London.
The gun jammed. He and five others disarmed the robbers who
were arrested by the police who confirmed that two suspects had been
arrested for attempted armed robbery. Two shots are reported
to have been fired to threaten the shop owner who was clubbed over
the head. Two teenagers have been charged with attempted
robbery, possession of an imitation
firearm with intent to commit robbery and possessing
of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence (Haringey
Independent, 27 August 2010).
Evening Post (Bristol),
26 August 2010
A man waved a loaded pistol in his
girlfriend's face and threatened to slash her at his flat in
Bristol. The gun was a Glock 8mm blank-firing pistol,
adapted to fire live rounds. The woman had to be rescued by
armed police. Abdizak Daoud pleaded guilty to possessing a
prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearms
certificate and false imprisonment and was jailed for six years.
East Anglian Daily Times,
26 August 2010
A councillor from Great
Bentley, Essex, has been charged with possession of a
firearm without a certificate and a second count of possessing
ammunition without a certificate. The charges appear to
related to one round of ammunition and a silencer.
This is Local London,
25 August 2010 *
A 14-year-old boy has been found
guilty of armed robbery and possession of an imitation firearm after
holding up his neighbourhood convenience store in Thornton
Heath, south London. He forced the shopkeeper to hand
over £750. He claimed the weapon had been a
ball-bearing gun.
He has been sentenced to four years in a young offenders institute (Croydon
Guardian, 17 September 2010).
This is Lancashire,
25 August 2010
A rifle and silencer were
recovered from a house in Platt Bridge, Greater
Manchester, and a shotgun
and ammunition were also recovered from another house in the area.
Three men were arrested following armed raids in Golborne and Platt
Bridge as part of an operation to crack a major drug dealing gang.
Nottingham Post,
25 August 2010
When police visited the flat of
Damion Munn in East Leake, Nottinghamshire, they
found a silencer which could be fitted to a 9mm pistol or .38
revolver and 61 live rounds of ammunition. Munn was funding a
community centre in New Basford with his earnings from drug dealing.
He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to
supply, possession of cannabis and having a silencer and ammunition
without a firearms certificate. He received four years and
nine months for the intent to supply charges and concurrent
sentences for the cannabis (two-and-a-half years) and ammunition and
silencer (18 months).
Morley Observer & Advertiser,
25 August 2010
A man brandishing a gun robbed a
store in East Ardsley, West Yorkshire. He
stole money as the cash machine was being filled.
The Independent,
25 August 2010
A shopkeeper confronted a masked
man at his shop in Alwoodley, Leeds, in June 2010.
The man pointed a gun to his face but the shopkeeper attempted to
grab the weapon before chasing the robber down the street.
CCTV footage of the incident has been posted on YouTune. The
police have said that while the actions of the shopkeeper were
extremely brave "we do not encourage people to risk their own safety
and would always advice ringing the police".
Ham & High,
25 August 2010
A PCSO was shot in the chest by a
suspected airgun while
he was on patrol in Golders Green, north London.
He sustained bruising to his chest but was not seriously hurt.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
24 August 2010
Two men brandishing handguns
raided a village store in Nether Heyford,
Northamptonshire. They threatened staff members and forced
them to hand over the contents of the safe.
Enfield Independent,
24 August 2010
Three teenagers who took part in
an armed robbery at a newsagents in Tottenham,
north London, in May 2010 have pleaded guilty to robbery and
possession of a firearm. The 16-year-old wielded an
imitation revolver and
knife before grabbing cash. One of the teenagers has received
a three-year prison sentence.
Click Liverpool,
24 August 2010
Paramedics called to a house in
Page Moss, Liverpool, treated a man for a gunshot
wound to his thigh. A 17-year-old has been arrested in
connection with the shooting.
Streatham Guardian,
23 August 2010
A man is on trial accused of a
shooting a man in the leg with a
shotgun in Streatham, south London.
The shooting is alleged to have occurred after the gunman found out
that the victim was dating his ex-girlfriend. The accused was
on the run for more than two years after the attack. He has
been found not guilty (This is Local London, 1 September
2010).
Maidenhead Advertiser,
23 August 2010
Melvin Williams has pleaded guilty
to being in possession of a class B drug with intent to supply and
possessing firearms. A taser,
several illegal air weapons,
which were over the legal poundage, and ammunition were found at his
home in Slough, Berkshire.
Liverpool Echo,
23 August 2010
Two men are being hunted after
they were seen firing a handgun in Kirkby,
Liverpool. Nobody was injured and it remains unclear why the
gun was fired.
Jarrow & Hebburn Gazette,
23 August 2010
A 13-year-old was caught firing a
BB gun in the street in
Jarrow, Tyneside. He was spotted by a
resident. He and his parents were spoken to by police officers
and the gun was handed over.
Evening Telegraph
(Peterborough),
23 August 2010
Dominic Mendy and Danny Palmer
have been jailed for carrying out a £17,000 armed robbery at a
supermarket in Chichester, West Sussex, in March
2010 (see Incidents).
They threatened two security guards with two decommissioned 9mm
handguns. Both men admitted robbery and possessing a
prohibited weapon. Mendy will serve a minimum of four years
and Palmer a minimum of five-and-a-half years.
Evening Telegraph
(Peterborough),
23 August 2010
Armed police swooped on the
railway station in Peterborough after reports that
a man had a gun on board a train. A passenger had called
police after spotting the man loading what appeared to be a firearm
as the train passed through Grantham, Lincolnshire.
A man was found with a BB gun
in his rucksack and was cautioned. The police had undertaken a
full firearms operation and the incident had "caused great concern
and distress".
Daily Mail,
23 August 2010
A drunk teenager rang 999 while
brandishing a replica Glock handgun
outside his home in Sunderland. He threatened
to shoot police officers in an armed response team. The
17-year-old admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent.
He was given a 12-month youth supervision order, 12 days of
community work and a three-month curfew. Destruction of the
gun was also ordered.
Coventry Telegraph,
23 August 2010
Lee Walters and Scott Warner, both
aged 19, have pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm and
possessing ammunition without a certificate. The police found
a .22 calibre pistol and live bullets when their car was stopped at
a petrol station in Wyken, West Midlands, in
January 2010. The gun had been fired as there was a single
spent cartridge in the breach. Both teenagers have been jailed
for five years.
Birmingham Mail,
23 August 2010 *
A man was shot in the leg in
Balsall Heath, Birmingham. He was in a stable
condition in hospital. Police fear he could have been injured
in a gang-related shooting.
BBC,
23 August 2010
Two men were arrested on suspicion
of possessing a firearm and class A drugs. One of the men was
wanted for questioning by police and was seen by officers in a car
in Moss Side, Manchester, with the other man.
The gun, ammunition and drugs were found in the vehicle.
The Star,
21 August 2010
A funeral service at a church in
Letwell, South Yorkshire, had to be halted after
shotgun pellets and
fireworks were fired over the heads of mourners. The pellets
showered mourners at the graveside.
Sky News,
21 August 2010 *
A man suffered a gunshot wound in
a back garden in Top Valley, Nottingham, and was
pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Detectives do not
believe that the shooting was a random attack. The victim was
at a friend's party when he was killed by a single shot to the head
(Nottingham Post, 23 August 2010). A man has appeared
in court and been charged with murder (BBC, 17 September
2010).
Cambridge News,
21 August 2010 *
A man fired a
shotgun over the head of a 5-year-old
traveller child who was alleged to be trespassing on his land in
Swavesey, Cambridgeshire. The incident
occurred near a gypsy Christian festival. A man has been
arrested on firearms offences. He has now been told he will
not face charges (Daily Mail, 14 September 2010).
This is Kent,
20 August 2010
Paramedics who spotted a gun while
treating a man who had experienced breathing difficulties at his
flat in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, raised the alarm.
Armed police surrounded the block of flats for five hours. The
weapon was a ball-bearing gun
which the man used to frighten animals. A police spokesman
said they could not afford to take chances when the safety of the
public was at risk. "When you are looking down the barrel of a
gun not even an expert would be able to tell you if it is a replica
or not. Everything is treated as if it's the real thing."
News & Star,
20 August 2010
A number of road-signs between
Ennerdale Bridge and Calder Bridge
in Cumbria have been riddled with bullet holes. Some of the
damage may have happened some years ago. It is suggested that
.22 rifles are being used.
The Journal,
20 August 2010
A man was shot in the leg when
violence flared in a street in Willington Quay,
Tyneside. Neighbours said they heard several gun shots and saw
three or four men running through the street before driving off.
The victim's injuries are serious but not life-threatening.
One man has been charged with a public order offence and a teenager
is also in custody. The gunshot victim has
appeared in court accused of violent disorder (Sunday Sun,
22 August 2010). Three men were arrested and have been charged
with conspiracy to murder (BBC, 27 August 2010).
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
20 August 2010 *
Richard Gant who was making
threats to kill himself outside his home in Scissett,
West Yorkshire, in April 2010 (see
Incidents) has admitted possessing
an imitation firearm in
a public place. The police recovered several replica weapons
from a house at the time of the incident. He was drunk at the
time of the incident which began when he was seen with a handgun at
a working men's club. He has been made the subject of a
community order which includes 18 months supervision and a
four-month curfew (Yorkshire Post, 27 September 2010).
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
20 August 2010
Kade Mason, 19, looked after a
double-barrelled shotgun
and cartridges at his home in Rawthorpe, West
Yorkshire. They were found by police executing a search
warrant in January 2010. He pleaded guilty to possessing a
prohibited weapon and was given a reduced sentence of two years
detention in a young offenders' institution. He received
concurrent sentences for other offences.
Get Surrey,
20 August 2010
A woman in Woking,
Surrey, has been shot with what was believed to be an
air rifle. She
was standing on the balcony of her flat when she felt a sharp pain
in her right foot. She saw four metal pellets surrounding her
feet. She is now scared to leave her home.
The Gazette,
20 August 2010
Russell Grant carried out two
armed robberies while on the run from the law after failing to
return from home leave. In August 2008 (see
Incidents) he
pushed a security guard to the floor as the man was delivering cash
to a bank in Blackpool, Lancashire, and Grant held
out a short barrelled handgun when the guard refused to let go of
the cash box. Grant fled but was later identified by DNA.
Grant and an accomplice had struck another security guard in
Prescot, Merseyside in January 2006. He pleaded guilty to two
robberies and possessing an imitation
gun and was sentenced to a total of 16 years.
Daily Mirror,
20 August 2010
At a court in Luton,
Bedfordshire, Eleanor Hughes admitted hiding a gun and ammunition
for her ex-boyfriend in her bedroom. She was jailed for five
years.
BBC,
20 August 2010
A shopkeeper fought off a gang of
armed raiders at his off licence in Radcliffe, Greater
Manchester, by hurling cans of beer at them. The three men had
threatened him with a gun but left
empty-handed.
BBC,
20 August 2010 *
A security guard loading a cash
machine at a supermarket in Tewkesbury,
Gloucestershire, was challenged by a man holding what appeared to be
a small firearm. Cash was taken and the man and his
accomplices escaped by car. An imitation firearm and a large
amount of cash were later recovered. Four men have admitted
robbery (see November 2010
Incidents).
BBC,
20 August 2010
Martin Shaw from Worksop,
Nottinghamshire, has been jailed for five years after admitting
possession of a sawn-off shotgun.
He was arrested in April 2010 (see
Incidents) after he was heard
bragging about plans for an armed robbery. He also admitted a
drugs offence.
BBC,
20 August 2010
Thieves stole a rifle during a
burglary at a house in Carterton, Oxfordshire.
The .22 calibre Anschutz target rifle was among a number of items
taken.
Lancashire Telegraph,
19 August 2010 *
A woman brandishing an
air rifle went into a
store in Darwen, Lancashire, and demanded vodka.
She was disarmed by an employee and a customer. The woman was
arrested on suspicion of robbery. The gun turned out to be
unloaded. She has been jailed for sixteen months for attempted
robbery and possession of a firearm (see
September 2010 Incidents).
Independent,
19 August 2010
A man who told staff at a bank in
Winchester, Hampshire, that he had a gun and
threatened to shoot them walked out with £1600 in his hand. He
then walked along the street and threw the money in the air. A
number of shoppers scooped up the notes and many hurried away.
Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News,
18 August 2010
A 19-year-old has been arrested
after a shotgun,
silencer and ammunition were found at his home in Whiston,
Merseyside.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
18 August 2010
Luke Bosworth from
Merefield, Northampton, walked uninvited into his
ex-girlfriend's home pointing what appeared to be a black handgun at
her. He threatened to "blow her head off". The police
were called and Bosworth calmed down and handed over the gun, an
imitation pistol.
He has pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent
to cause fear and been sentenced to four-and-a-half years.
Manchester Evening News,
18 August 2010
A man was shot in the bottom with
an airgun pellet while
walking in Hadfield, Derbyshire. He thought
he had been stung by an insect but found a small hole in his
trousers when he returned home. The pellet was removed at a
hospital.
Lancashire Evening Post,
18 August 2010
A man pointed a sawn-off shotgun
at an 11-year-old girl after her father sounded his horn at a car
that undercut him at traffic lights in Preston,
Lancashire. The car was later intercepted and the gun was
found under the front passenger seat. Aniz Bhad pleaded guilty
to possessing an imitation firearm.
He was given a suspended 12-month prison sentence and ordered to
carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work.
The Enquirer,
18 August 2010 *
Two men were admitted to hospital
in Basildon, Essex, with
shotgun wounds. Armed police created a
cordon around the hospital. Armed police stormed a garden
centre in connection with the shootings and discovered 50 cannabis
plants and seized firearms. The injured men have been arrested
on suspicion of possessing a firearm and a third man, who drove them
to the hospital, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Two women have been arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis (Echo,
21 August 2010). The men were wounded when they were
accidentally shot by the farmer who was renting the building with
the cannabis plants to tenants, although he did not know what they
were doing (see December
2010 Incidents).
BBC,
18 August 2010
A BB
gun was among weapons recovered in an operation by
the Metropolitan Police ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival in west
London. They also recovered drugs and £60,000 cash in searches
in Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove
and Fulham. Three people were arrested.
This is Cornwall,
17 August 2010 *
A man wielding a
shotgun attempted to
rob a post office in Lostwithiel, Cornwall, as the
owners were shutting up. He fled the scene after his demands
for cash were refused by staff. A former detective constable
has been charged with attempted robbery and possession of an
imitation firearm, a
single-barrelled shotgun
(This is Cornwall, 6 October 2010). He has
pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possessing an imitation
firearm and been jailed for 13-and-a-half years (see
December 2010 Incidents).
Telegraph & Argus,
17 August 2010
A
Taser gun was recovered by police during dawn raids
in Bradford in connection with a drugs conspiracy
which resulted in 11 arrests.
Telegraph & Argus,
17 August 2010
Gary Foote was caught with a large
knife and a gun silencer at a hospital in Bradford.
He claimed it was to protect him from his drug dealer. He
admitted two offences of having an offensive weapon and has been
jailed for 16 months.
Telegraph & Argus,
17 August 2010
Shots were fired at homes in
Bradford in two incidents which detectives believe
may be linked. In the second incident in which two bullets were
fired a glass panel in the front door was smashed. Two men
have been arrested.
Press Association,
17 August 2010 *
Callum Hall has been found guilty
of possessing a 9mm pistol with intent to endanger life.
During an incident in August 2009 (see
Incidents) he opened fire after
being chased by two police in Southwark, south
London. He was cleared of two counts of attempted murder after
claiming he did not mean to hit the officers. They had
approached him about an incident earlier that month in which he was
alleged to have threatened a mother at gunpoint and demanded money.
Hall was also convicted with firearm possession, unlawful wounding
and attempted aggravated burglary with a pistol and hunting knife on
July 28 2009. Deniz Ozdil was found guilty of the same
offences. He was also found guilty with Anthony Babalola of an
aggravated burglary carried out with an
imitation firearm on 22 July 2009.
Babalola was also convicted of two counts of intimidation. A
17-year-old youth admitted a separate firearms charge. Hall
has been given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of 13
years, Odzil was jailed for 10 years and the 17-year-old for three
years. Babalola received a five-and-a-half year sentence (BBC,
29 October 2010).
Halesowen News,
17 August 2010
Conrad Powell and Kieron Campbell
took part in a robbery at a supermarket in Halesowen,
West Midlands, in which one of three men who entered the store
claimed they had a gun. Both men admitted robbery and have
been jailed for 40 months. The judge accepted that neither of
the men were aware of any gun. The other two men have yet to
appear before a court.
The Enquirer,
17 August 2010
A man with a plastic bag in the
shape of a gun demanded cash from two women at a post office in
Herongate, Essex. He made off with just £40.
An image of the man has been released by police (BBC, 1
September 2010).
Enfield Independent,
17 August 2010
Police want a club in
Enfield, north London, to be shut after a series of violent
incidents which culminated in June 2010 when a DJ was shot from a
passing car. He received wounds to the arm and buttocks.
In May there had been a mass brawl involving firearms.
Chippenham People,
17 August 2010
Police in Chippenham,
Wiltshire, are warning youngsters of the danger of
BB guns after two boys,
aged 10 and 11, were caught with the weapons. The weapons
which had been bought at a local shop were confiscated by officers
who were called to the scene by concerned neighbours.
BBC,
17 August 2010
A two-year-old boy is to undergo
surgery after being shot in the neck with an
air rifle in Winthorpe,
Lincolnshire. The boy's father is believed to have fired the
gun without knowing it was loaded. He was arrested and
released on bail (Independent, 18 August 2010). The
boy has now been released from hospital. The police have said
all indications were that the shooting was an accident (BBC,
23 August 2010).
Press Association,
16 August 2010 *
Dwayne McPherson has been
convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with
intent to endanger life. He took out a gun and fired several
rounds at a man who had deliberately run down and killed McPherson's
friend outside a nightclub in Southwark, south
London, in August 2009 (see
Incidents). One bullet struck
the man but he survived. The man he shot has now been convicted of murder.
McPherson has been given a life jail term and will serve a minimum
of 11 years (Press Association, 18 October 2010).
Mirfield Reporter,
16 August 2010
A pensioner was surrounded by four
men who threatened him with what is thought to have been a handgun.
The incident occurred at the victim's home in Dewsbury,
West Yorkshire. The men left with cash.
Haverhill Echo,
16 August 2010
Residents of a street in
Haverhill, Suffolk, were left feeling like 'prisoners in
their own home' after anti-social behaviour at a neighbouring house.
One said he heard air rifle
shots from the house. An interim closure order has been
granted on the property which had been used as a crackhouse.
Express and Star,
16 August 2010
A bus driver swerved as he was
shot in the arm while he was driving a bus near Featherstone,
West Midlands. He managed to control the vehicle and brought
it to a safe stop. The shot was fired by someone with a
pellet gun who was
hiding in the woods. He did not require hospital treatment.
Derby Evening Telegraph,
16 August 2010
Jamie Hand threatened to kill his
mother while pointing an imitation
handgun at her head after an argument was sparked by
the smell of her cooking. The incident took place at the home
in Mickleover, Derbyshire. His mother escaped
to a neighbour's where the police were called. Police found a
BB gun and a blank-firing pistol. Hand has been jailed for 13
months.
BBC,
16 August 2010
Two door staff at a pub in
West Derby, Liverpool, have been shot in the legs.
Both men were taken to hospital where they were being treated for
their injuries. It is thought that a group of young men who
had been ejected from the pub on a previous night might have been
responsible. Police think a handgun was used (Liverpool
Echo, 17 August 2010).
BBC,
16 August 2010
A man threatened staff with a
handgun at a bookmakers in Luton, Bedfordshire.
He got away with an undisclosed amount of money. The raid took
place in the street where a house was hit by gunfire 48 hours
earlier (see below) (Bedford Today, 16 August 2010).
Reading Post,
13 August 2010 *
A man has been accused of
threatening a police officer with a gun in East Reading
in July 2010. He is also charged with one count of resisting
arrest.
He has been convicted for having a firearm with intent to resist
arrest and possession of a prohibited weapon and admitted one count
of burglary (see December
2010 Incidents).
Luton Today,
13 August 2010
A gun was fired in a street in
Luton, Bedfordshire. No one was injured but
several shots are said to have hit a house (Bedford Today,
16 August 2010).
Lancashire Telegraph,
13 August 2010
A female shopkeeper was threatened
with a gun at an off-licence in Blackburn,
Lancashire. Four men entered the shop, two of them carrying
firearms. The victim was punched by one of the offenders who
stole a quantity of money and cigarettes.
Dewsbury Reporter,
13 August 2010 *
A crime spree by a teenage gang in
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, came to an end when one
of the boys threatened a police officer with an
imitation handgun, pushing it
into the officer's face. Three
boys have pleaded guilty. The one with the gun pleaded guilty
to possession of an imitation firearm and was sentenced to four
years in a detention centre. He has since had his sentenced
reduced to three years on appeal (Yorkshire Evening Post,
10 December 2010).
Bucks Free Press,
13 August 2010 *
Gunshots were fired outside a home
in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The
occupants were not at home at the time. It is thought that the
shots are linked to a series of incidents in Slough. A man has
been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Four men
have admitted offences relating to the incidents (see
March 2011 Incidents).
Birmingham Mail,
13 August 2010 *
A man has been charged with
robbery and possession of an offensive weapon and one attempted
robbery and possession of an imitation
firearm. The latter charges were in relation
to an incident at a betting shop in Acocks Green,
Birmingham, in which a soldier confronted the gunman when he
realised the gun wasn't loaded. The gunman had demanded money.
A man has been jailed for nine years (see
January 2011 Incidents).
Beccles & Bungay Journal,
13 August 2010
An
air rifle was stolen in a burglary at a home in
Walpole, Suffolk. A silencer and scope/sight
were attached to the gun. Nothing else was stolen.
BBC,
13 August 2010
A handgun was seen during an armed
robbery at a sub post office in Coventry. One
man demanded cash while another offender waited outside. They
escaped with a large quantity of cash.
BBC,
13 August 2010
William Dunbar has been convicted
of aggravated burglary in Oakley, Bedfordshire, in
October 2009 and a separate burglary in Clapham, south London.
In Oakley a couple were forced at gunpoint to remain on the sofa
while the house was searched. Dunbar was given an
indeterminate sentence for public protection and must serve a
minimum of nine years.
BBC,
13 August 2010 *
Two men both armed with handguns
burst into a petrol station in Shinfield,
Berkshire, and stole an amount of cash after threatening two
employees. Two men have been charged with robbery and
possession of an imitation firearm
(Reading Chronicle, 16 August 2010). One of them, a teenager, has
also been
charged with a burglary and possession of cannabis (Reading Post,
16 August 2010). One man admitted the raid and another has
been convicted (see
February 2011 Incidents).
Tamworth Herald,
12 August 2010
Richard Jackson shot his partner
in the leg during a drunken assault. The attack happened when
he returned drunk to their home in Tamworth,
Staffordshire. He threw two punches at her and then ran
upstairs to get his air rifle
to find her cornered in the back garden. He has admitted
assault causing actual bodily harm, criminal damage and cultivating
cannabis and been jailed for two years.
Southwark News,
12 August 2010
An 18-year-old was found in possession of a
taser gun disguised as a mobile phone when he
was stopped by police in Peckham, south east London.
He faces two charges of possession of weapons.
Echo,
12 August 2010
Armed police stormed a house after an hour-long stand-off in
Westcliff, Essex, after a tip-off a woman had been threatened
with a firearm. One man was arrested. Two further suspects
were taken from the building and arrested (Echo, 13 August
2010).
Daily Mail,
12 August 2010
A 19-year-old suspected of stealing a few pounds from his grandparents
used a shotgun from the
farm he shared with them to kill himself. In February 2010 he
drove from his home in Bristol to a lay-by in
Cornwall where his body was found in a van. A verdict of
suicide was recorded at the inquest.
BBC,
12 August 2010
Matthew Rennison fired a rifle in front of a couple and their
two-year-old daughter as he robbed a shop in Leeds in
November 2009. He was with an unknown accomplice and fled with
cash and cigarettes. He has been jailed indefinitely and must
serve a minimum of two years and 81 days. The weapon was an
air rifle later recovered
from a property linked to Rennison (Yorkshire Evening Post, 16
August 2010).
BBC,
12 August 2010
An 11-year-old boy has been shot in the face with a
BB gun while he was playing in a park in
Derby. A 14-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of
causing actual bodily harm.
BBC,
12 August 2010
A man narrowly missed being shot in Plymouth.
Armed police officers arrested a man and seized an
air rifle.
BBC,
12 August 2010
A 13-year-old girl needed hospital treatment after being shot in the eye
with a BB gun in
Barton, Oxford. The pellet hit the iris in her eye and
bounced off.
Telegraph & Argus,
11 August 2010
A man who tried to rob a bus driver in Bradford has
pleaded guilty to charges of attempted robbery and having an
imitation weapon. In
November 2009 Danny Mavin had been drinking all day when he pointed what
looked like a black handgun at the driver and threatened him. He
was recognised from CCTV images. Mavin has been jailed for two and
a half years.
Streatham Guardian,
11 August 2010
Guns and ammunition were seized by armed police officers from
Lambeth, south London, during an operation. They
uncovered a handgun, a shotgun
and a BB gun.
Oxford Times,
11 August 2010
A gunman escaped with the contents of the safe at a supermarket in
Bloxham, Oxfordshire. After he entered the store
he took out a gun and rounded up staff and customers before getting one
of the employees to empty cash from the safe into a bag.
Northampton Chronicle & Echo,
11 August 2010
A cannabis factory and an unlicensed gas-powered pellet gun were
discovered by police in raids on two houses in Rectory Farm,
Northampton. The officers confiscated the weapon after the owner
voluntarily gave it up.
News Shopper,
11 August 2010
David Sieni beat up a minicab driver and dragged him from his vehicle at
gunpoint before stealing the vehicle. The attack took place in
Anerley, south London, in December 2009. He was
found guilty of robbery and possession of an
imitation firearm with intent and
given a 13 year prison sentence.
Hackney Gazette,
11 August 2010
Shots were fired in a street in Stoke Newington, east
London, causing damage to a parked car.
Evening Telegraph (Peterborough),
11 August 2010
An 18-year-old woman is thought to have been accidentally shot with an
air rifle in the garden of
a house in Peterborough. She was stable in
hospital. Another woman was arrested in connection with the
incident.
Daily Echo,
11 August 2010
Jordan McKenna has admitted a number of offences after he stole weapons
from a gun shop in Christchurch, Dorset, in April 2010
(see Incidents).
Five revolvers, three shotguns
and an air rifle were
recovered from a getaway car. He admitted burglary, driving while
disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking and possessing firearms at the
time of his arrest and has been jailed for six years.
Bolton News,
11 August 2010
Reece Smith and Ashley Burns have been jailed for their part in an armed
robbery at the house of Smith's estranged uncle in Sharples,
Lancashire, in February 2009. Three men attacked the victim as
Smith kept lookout. The men believed they would find £20,000 in a
safe which only contained personal documents. One of the robbers
left an imitation gun
inside the house. Burns pleaded guilty to robbery and
possession of an imitation firearm and was sentenced to five years and
four months, Smith pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to six
years and eight months. The other two men have not been caught.
BBC,
11 August 2010
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences
after a series of raids in Fazakerley, Croxteth
and Norris Green, Liverpool. No further action
will be taken against the teenager. The police seized three
blank-firing handguns
during the raids (Liverpool Echo, 13 August 2010).
Redditch Advertiser,
10 August 2010
A man was shot in the face with a BB gun
in Redditch, Worcestershire. He was walking when
a car pulled up alongside him and a male passenger shot at him before
the car sped off.
Herald Express,
10 August 2010
Two men burst into a country hotel in Preston, Devon,
and threatened and tied up the family who run it. One of the men
was armed with a gun. They escaped with cash and two
shotguns. Two men
have been arrested on being involved with the robbery (BBC, 23
August 2010).
Hackney Gazette,
10 August 2010
A gunman threatened a police community support officer who was
patrolling the streets of Stoke Newington, east London.
The man was standing in the middle of the road when approached by the
officer he pulled out a gun. The officer chased him when he ran
off but lost sight of him.
Evening Post (Bristol),
10 August 2010
Ben Edwards who had been banned from possessing firearms for life was
caught with an air rifle
and ammunition at his home in Headley Park, Bristol.
He claimed he thought the ban was only for five years and had expired
and that he had borrowed the gun to control rats in the garden.
The magistrates agreed that it was a "technical breach" of the law and
gave him a six-month conditional discharge.
Evening Post (Bristol),
10 August 2010
Two boys, aged 11, suffered bruising after they were shot with a
BB pistol by a youth in
Clevedon, Somerset. One victim was struck twice
in the ribs, the other was hit in the bottom. Police are speaking
to several youths in connection with the incident.
Bromsgrove Advertiser,
10 August 2010
Stephen Bradley asked a friend to look after a package containing an
imitation pistol and blank
cartridges wrapped in a nylon bag but the friend suspected what the
contents were and the police became involved. The gun and
cartridges were found at a house in Charford,
Worcestershire. Bradley had 78 convictions including a number for
firearms and weapons offences. He said that the gun was brought to
his house by another man and that he had panicked because of his record
for firearms and took the weapon to the Charford address. He was
given a suspended 26 week jail term with 12 months supervision by the
probation service.
BBC,
10 August 2010
A CCTV operator has received a commendation after witnessing a man who
shot another man in the face in Ramsgate, Kent, in
December 2009. The victim received a puncture wound 2mm below his
eye and could have been blinded. The gunman was caught after the
operator tracked him to an address. He was sentenced to six years
in prison for possession of an imitation
firearm with intent to endanger life (Thanet
District Council, 10 August 2010).
Rochdale Online,
9 August 2010
Police are appealing for information following an incident at a flat in
Middleton, Greater Manchester, last month in which two
teenagers forced their way in and pointed a handgun at two men and a
woman and demanded they give them cannabis. The offenders searched
the flat and smashed a window before leaving empty handed.
Nottingham Post,
9 August 2010
A bar worker had a stun gun
pressed to his head during an armed robbery at a pub in Daybrook,
Nottingham. The raiders escaped with over £3,000.
Manchester Evening News,
9 August 2010
Two men, aged 18 and 21, have been charged with robbery after a taxi
driver was robbed at gunpoint in Ordsall, Greater
Manchester. A pellet gun
was apparently recovered nearby.
Echo,
9 August 2010
Douglas Wright removed a gun and bullets from a crime scene in
Rayleigh, Essex, where a man had been shot in the head in
September 2009. Grant Westgarth took the gun and bullets and hid
them from the police. The victim survived but still has a bullet
lodged inside his head. Wright was the man's cleaner and told the
court he had been asked by Westgarth and another man to hide the gun.
Wright admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for
eight months. Westgarth who handed himself into the police with
the gun admitted possession of a prohibited firearm, and possession of
ammunition without a firearms certificate and was jailed for 18 months.
The judge told them that they had both hindered a police investigation
into a very serious offence.
Chester Chronicle,
9 August 2010
Two men, one of them carrying a handgun, made off with £20,000 from the
post office in Frodsham, Cheshire. They were
already inside the premises as the sub postmistress entered the property.
She was left unhurt but badly shocked.
BBC,
9 August 2010 *
Police were alerted to an incident at a property in Liskeard,
Cornwall, after residents reported hearing gunshots. A man was
later arrested near Taunton, Somerset. He had
been stopped for drink-driving but officers later discovered a handgun
(Cornishman, 11 August 2010). A man has been jailed for
five years (see September 2010
Incidents).
BBC,
8 August 2010
Two men have been hurt in a double shooting in Dagenham,
east London. One man found at the scene had been shot in the leg. The
other victim was traced to Romford. He had gunshot wounds to the
neck and leg. Both are in a stable condition (Romford Recorder,
9 August 2010).
Yorkshire Evening Post,
7 August 2010
Two police officers have been honoured for disarming and subduing a man
at a house in Weetwood, Leeds. The man was
pointing a handgun at them when they responded to a 999 call from the
man's partner who had taken refuge in the bathroom. The gun was
later found to be a replica
which appeared entirely real. The man, who was high on cocaine,
was convicted of affray and given a 12-month sentence suspended for two
years, a 12-month supervision order and ordered to do 250 hours of
community service.
Star,
7 August 2010
Steven Keeley claimed he kept a semi-automatic pistol for protection in
the wake of his son's murder. The gun was found together with a
silencer and ammunition at his home in Pitsmoor,
Sheffield. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years for
possessing the gun and was given a concurrent 12 month sentence for drug
offences.
News &
Star,
7 August 2010
A teenager from Longtown, Cumbria, has had a special
disqualification imposed that bans him from possessing, using or
carrying a firearm. John Sisson, 18, was the holder of a
shotgun certificate.
He had admitted assaulting another teenager and was given a 10-month
suspended jail term for the offence.
Manchester Evening News,
7 August 2010
Lee Bamford has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition,
going equipped to commit burglary and handling stolen goods. He
was found hiding in a back garden in Old Trafford,
Greater Manchester, after an elderly woman had been burgled and called
the police. A blank-firing handgun
was recovered nearby. Bamford was jailed for three years.
Another man who pleaded guilty to burglary was jailed for 15 months.
Liverpool Echo,
7 August 2010
Phillip Lilliot has been jailed for 14 months for possession of a
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. He was seen
brandishing a gun in the street in Prenton, Merseyside,
in July 2010. His wife, with whom he had broken up, and daughter
had rung police saying that he had made threats and that he had a gun.
He pointed a handgun at a driver who was stopped when Lilliot was
standing in the middle of the road. He was stopped by his
neighbour who grabbed him in a lock during a police stand-off. The
court heard that he had been drinking and had no recollection of the
incident. The gun was an imitation
(Wirral Globe, 9 August 2010).
Huddersfield Daily Express,
7 August 2010
A gunman targeted two shops in the Huddersfield area on the same night.
He left empty-handed after two raids on the same shop in
Lockwood and a service station in Oakes.
Birmingham Mail,
7 August 2010 *
Leon Walters has been found guilty of conspiracy to rob and firearms
offences and his accomplice Joseph Clifton of conspiracy to rob.
Another man Fitz O'Brian Mahoney pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and
firearms offences. Police officers in Coventry
swooped on a van in which the three men were travelling in October 2009.
The police found a robber's kit of masks and guns, including a
deactivated AK-47 and a
Walther PPK-type pistol which had been illegally converted to fire
bullets. The pistol has been linked by the National Ballistics
Intelligence Service to a shooting in Kings Heath,
Birmingham, in January 2009 (see
Incidents) when two shots were fired at
police officers. Only Walters has been linked to that incident.
Walters has been sentenced to a minimum of nine years. Hahoney was
given a nine year sentence and Clifton for five years (Birmingham
Mail, 21 September 2010).
BBC,
7 August 2010
Two men were shot, one in the knee and the other in the shin, in
Wythenshawe, Manchester. Both were treated in hospital
and released.
Yorkshire Evening Post,
6 August 2010
An opening inquest has heard that a man shot himself in the head after a
drunken argument with his wife at their home in Gildersome,
West Yorkshire, in July 2010. The man was a licensed
shotgun owner. A full
inquest will be held at a later date.
Yorkshire Evening Post,
6 August 2010
A driver was allegedly robbed of an iPod at gunpoint in Leeds
after an accident involving two cars. Three men have been
arrested.
Waltham Forest Guardian,
6 August 2010
Two men have been found guilty of running a gun factory in
Leyton, north east London. Police officers found a number
of guns, including a pen and a key-ring which had been modified to fire
ammunition in premises under a railway arch in May 2010. The found
two Olympic 38 starting pistols in the process of being converted and
uncovered self-loading pistols, revolvers and a
stun gun as well as ammunition and weapon parts.
Fatmir Kadena and Paul Coke were found guilty of conspiracy to possess
firearms and ammunition with intent to enable others to endanger life.
Kadena has been jailed for nine years, Coke to 14 years (Press
Association, 10 August 2010).
This is Gloucestershire,
6 August 2010
A man thought to be carrying a firearm threatened a member of staff at a
bookmakers in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He stole
an amount of cash, believed to be between £300 and £400. A witness
has said that when the gun was cocked it sounded like a
BB gun (Stroud News &
Journal, 6 August 2010).
Press Association,
6 August 2010
A gunshot was fired through a window during a petrol bomb attack on the
neighbouring house in Stepney, east London. The
incidents followed an earlier argument between a cyclist and a driver
outside the house. The driver had threatened to shoot the cyclist.
Liverpool Echo,
6 August 2010 *
A man was shot twice in the legs and robbed of jewellery at a house in
Kensington, Liverpool. Three men burst into the
house. The victim was undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds to
both legs and was in a stable condition. Police later found a man hiding
under a caravan and discovered items of jewellery. A murder investigation is
underway after the victim collapsed and died four weeks later (Liverpool
Echo, 6 September 2010). Two men, arrested on suspicion of
murder, and a woman, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit
murder, have all been released on bail (BBC, 14 September
2010). One man has been charged with murder, possession of a
firearm and ammunition, robbery and wounding with intent (BBC, 23
September 2010). Two more men have been arrested on suspicion of
murder (BBC, 1 December 2010). One man has admitted
robbery and possession of a firearm with intent to commit robbery but
denies murder on the basis he did not know the gun was real or would be
used (Liverpool Echo, 17 March 2011). He has been found
guilty of manslaughter (see
March 2011 Incidents).
The Herald (Plymouth),
6 August 2010
More than a dozen bus shelters in Plympton,
Plymstock, Leigham and Estover
in Devon have been smashed, causing nearly £4,000 of damage.
Police believe the damage may have been caused by a
BB gun or similar weapon, fired from a moving
vehicle.
Bucks Herald,
6 August 2010
A man was threatened with what appeared to be a handgun in
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Two men demanded his wallet
and mobile phone but returned the wallet when found there was no money
in it. Four men have been arrested on suspicion of robbery and the
police seized two imitation guns.
Biggleswade Today,
6 August 2010
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of handling offences in
Upper Caldecote, Bedfordshire, following a raid by
officers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and British Transport Police.
A substantial amount of stolen items were recovered including two
shotguns and a rifle with ammunition and medical
equipment believed to have been stolen from an ambulance in
Bedfordshire earlier this year.
BBC,
6 August 2010
Ali Mahmood shot a student dead for a laptop and £10,000 during a
robbery outside a money exchange in Longsight,
Manchester, in December 2009 (see
Incidents). He admitted murder,
robbery and possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition and has
received a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 27 years. Two
other men, Junaid Anjum and Sufyan Butt, both admitted robbery and were
jailed for 18 and 13 months, respectively.
This is Walsall,
5 August 2010
A woman was threatened with a gun when four men raided her house in
Streetly, West Midlands. They ransacked several
rooms in the property but left empty-handed. The incident took
place in July.
Telegraph,
5 August 2010
A woman found a double-barrelled shotgun
in a black bin bag in a wood in Stevenage,
Hertfordshire.
St Helens Star,
5 August 2010
A woman has been charged with being armed with an
imitation gun and a knife at a psychiatric unit
in Rainhill, Merseyside, in March 2009.
Diss Mercury,
5 August 2010
A man was arrested after an imitation
firearm and drugs were seized during a raid at a house
in Diss, Norfolk.
Burton Mail,
5 August 2010
An inquest has heard that a man from Newhall,
Derbyshire, shot himself in the head with a wartime revolver in March
2010. He had a broken ankle and had just left his job because he
was "fed up" with the way he was being treated. He had also had an
argument with his partner. It was not revealed how he had an
illegal handgun in his possession. The coroner concluded that he
killed himself while the balance of his mind was disturbed.
BBC,
5 August 2010
Jasbir Singh Takhar and Sukwinder Singh Sanghera have been convicted of
the murder of a pub landlord who was shot outside his bar in
Bilston, West Midlands, in July 2009 (see
Incidents). Four men and a woman
were found guilty of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and two other
defendants were convicted of intimidating a witness before the trial.
BBC,
5 August 2010
Firearms officers were called to a house in Moulescoomb,
Brighton, following reports of a man with a
shotgun. A two-hour siege ended peacefully
with the arrest of a man.
The Argus,
5 August 2010
Armed police were called out after
reports that a bus had been shot at with a
BB gun in Brighton.
No-one was injured and no damage had been found.
Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard,
4 August 2010
A .22 air rifle fitted with
a silencer and telescopic sights has been stolen from a house in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
Wisbech Standard,
4 August 2010
Ashley Richards has pleaded guilty
to possessing an unloaded air rifle
with ammunition suitable for use with the firearm in a street in
Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in June 2010. He
will be sentenced later this month.
Sunderland Echo,
4 August 2010
Police were called after reports that a car had been stolen from
Durham and one of the men inside was armed with a
gun.
After a chase the vehicle was stopped in Sunderland.
No gun was found and three men were arrested on suspicion of theft.
The Sentinel,
4 August 2010
Kane Watkins attacked a takeaway owner with a
stun gun after a night out drinking in
Burslem, Staffordshire, in December 2009. Watkins was
with a group of other men who came into the shop as it was closing.
He fired the Taser at his victim during a scuffle after a window had
been broken. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual
bodily harm and possession of a prohibited weapon. He was
sentenced to two years in prison.
St Helens Star,
4 August 2010
Two 16-year-olds who robbed two
younger boys at Lea Green station, Merseyside, in
January 2010 (see
Incidents), have been handed 12-month detention orders.
They were armed with a BB gun
and a knife when they robbed the 13-year-old victims of £1.90, a
mobile phone and a silver chain. A third teenager has been
given an 18-month rehabilitation order and will be subject to
electronic tagging for three months and a curfew.
Northern Echo,
4 August 2010
Teenager Michael Downs pulled out an
air pistol and threatened to shoot an innocent man as he
walked past him in Billingham, Teesside, in April 2010.
The man said he feared for his life when he heard the gun being fired
behind his back. Downs, who had previous convictions, admitted
possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence
and having an imitation firearm in public. The gun had the same
appearance as a 9mm self-loading pistol. He has been jailed for 16
months.
North London Today,
4 August 2010
Edmond Massenger-Mammy, Richard Abatan and Aiden McGowan were
sentenced to four and a half years for aggravated burglary. They
stormed into a home in Edmonton, north London, in
February. Massenger-Manny attacked a man who ran from the house
with a Taser.
The News,
4 August 2010
Thomas Marriott, 18, from
Portsmouth conducted a 17-day crime spree. After he
rammed a stolen car into another car police found an
imitation firearm in
the boot and a magnetic blue flashing light. He was convicted
of a number of offences including possession of an imitation firearm
and has been sentenced to 13 months in a young offenders' institute.
Hunts Post,
4 August 2010
A man has been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences after a gun
went off during a domestic row in Ramsey,
Cambridgeshire. No one was injured.
Evening Telegraph (Peterborough),
4 August 2010
A man is on trial charged with possession of a firearm with intent to
cause fear of violence. It is alleged he threatened another man
with a handgun outside the victim's girlfriend's home in Peterborough in January 2010. A row appears to have
broken out over drugs. The trial continues.
Daily Mail,
4 August 2010
A young farmer shot himself dead minutes after getting a text message
from his girlfriend saying her father wanted them to split up the day
after he had crashed the car in which they were travelling whilst drunk.
An inquest heard that he killed himself with a gun licensed to be used
by himself and his parents in his room at his home in North
Benfleet, Essex, in January 2010. A verdict of suicide was recorded.
Crawley Observer,
4 August 2010 *
A man heard a tap on the door of his home in
Pound Hill,
West Sussex, and saw a man pointing a shotgun
at him. He acted instinctively and quickly slammed the door
shut as the gunman fired two shots. The victim received pellet
wounds to his knee for which he needed treatment. He has now
left hospital. Two men have been charged with attempted murder
and with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life in
connection with the attack (This is Sussex, 29 August
2010). A third man has been charged with attempted murder and
two other with conspiracy to murder (The Argus, 25 March
2011).
Cambridge News,
4 August 2010
Robert Wheatley held up a building society branch in
Cambridge.
He was immediately recognised by staff as a regular customer. He
threatened staff with an imitation firearm
contained inside a plastic bag. He pleaded guilty to one count of
robbery. The judge imposed a hospital order.
Northern Echo,
3 August 2010
Pawel Luczak, one of seven men who
pleaded guilty to affray after a disturbance in a street in
Darlington, County Durham, in May 2009, has also pleaded
guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear
of violence. He fired an air
pistol in the air several times during the incident.
All seven have been warned to expect a jail sentence.
Evening Post (Bristol),
3 August 2010
George Pointing admitted
possessing a prohibited stun gun and
three charges of possessing a controlled drug. Police found the
gun and the drugs in his bedroom in Bradley Stoke, Bristol, in
November 2009. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid
work.
Echo,
3 August 2010
Among incidents of
vandalism, arson and theft at allotments in Leigh,
Essex, which have made plothodlers scared to work on them, one
plotholder was shot at with an airgun.
Coventry Telegraph,
3 August 2010
A pillion passenger on a
motorcycle pointed a gun at two workers at a supermarket in Coventry
and demanded they hand over cash they were taking to the nearby petrol
station. The motorbike sped from the scene after he was given money.
BBC,
3 August 2010
Three youths armed with a
stun gun have stolen money
from a building society in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire.
Staff were threatened with the gun before the youths made off in a car
later found abandoned.
BBC,
3 August 2010
A 16-year-old boy is believed
to have shot himself while on the phone to the police. A shot was
heard when police contacted the boy after fears were raised for him.
He was later pronounced dead at the scene in woods near Leafield,
Oxfordshire.
Runcorn and Widnes World,
2 August 2010
A man threatened a cashier
at a bookmakers in Widnes, Cheshire, with a gun hidden in his
rucksack. He fled in a waiting car after money had been handed
over.
Harlow Herald,
2 August 2010 *
Two men have been charged
with possession of a firearm and other offences after they were stopped
and checked by police officers on routine patrol in Harlow,
Essex. A search revealed a shotgun
that was seized. One man will not face trial, the other is
awaiting sentence on possessing a firearm and driving while banned
(see December 2010
Incidents).
Bolton News,
2 August 2010
A coroner warned that a
combination of cocaine and mephedrone may cause people to commit suicide
after he found that a man from Breightmet, Greater Manchester,
shot himself in the head with a sawn-off
shotgun in March 2010 (see
Incidents). The shotgun was
stolen in a burglary at a house in Bolton in the summer of 2009 (Bolton
News, 4 August 2010).
BBC,
2 August 2010
A man who admitted
possessing a BB gun with intent to
cause fear of violence and attempted false imprisonment after he
threatened people in a supermarket in Canterbury, Kent, in
November 2009 (see Incidents)
has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend. The woman had been
strangled at their flat before the incident at the supermarket.
Tomas Uptas will serve at least 18.5 years.
BBC,
2 August 2010
Two men were arrested and
four weapons seized after an incident in Skipton, North Yorkshire
in which a man was reported to be carrying a pistol in a front garden.
The weapons were undergoing tests. Three weapons taken from the
house were all found to be replicas
(Craven Herald & Pioneer, 2 August 2010). One of the
arrested men is the chairman of the local Wild West re-enactment
society. Inquiries are ongoing and the man has been released
on bail (Sun, 18 August 2010).
Bath Chronicle,
2 August 2010
Two men waved a handgun at
staff at a shop in Bath before making off with handfuls of cash.
Barking & Dagenham Post,
2 August 2010
A man was shot on the
doorstep of a house in Dagenham, east London. He was rushed
to hospital in an ambulance. The victim's condition was serious
but stable. It is understood that the weapon used was a handgun.
Two men were arrested in the vicinity of the shooting and later bailed (Barking
& Dagenham Post, 3 August 2010).
Barking & Dagenham Post,
2 August 2010
Paul Gregan pleaded guilty
to possessing a firearm against the conditions of his licence. He
kept an air rifle with a telescopic
sight in his cupboard at his home in Dagenham, east London.
He claimed the weapon was for hunting and even though it was described
as a broken pellet gun a weapons expert said it was classified as a
firearm. Gregan had been released from jail on licence and could
face a further jail sentence.
Northern Echo,
1 August 2010
Two men have been charged
with attempted murder following a shooting in Bishop Auckland,
County Durham. One of them has also been charged with possession
of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a
shotgun when prohibited from doing so
for five years. A man was in a stable condition after sustaining
shotgun injuries.
BBC,
1 August 2010
A 19-year-old man was
airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries after he suffered
several gunshot wounds in Hackney, east London.
SCOTLAND
Kirkintilloch Herald, 31 August 2010
A man was in police custody after
allegedly brandishing a gun in Bishopbriggs, East
Dunbartonshire. He was arrested after firearms officers
discharged a Taser.
Evening News, 31 August 2010
An
air rifle was among hundreds of items stolen from
schools in Lothian in the past two years. The school in
Edinburgh has subsequently improved its security.
Daily Herald, 31 August 2010
Nine high-powered
air rifles were stolen
from the fishing and shooting lodge at the hotel in
Gleneagles, Perthshire.
Evening News, 30 August 2010
*
Dean Scott has pleaded guilty to
discharging a loaded firearm and shooting a man in the leg to danger
of his life and also repeatedly striking a man on the head with the
gun to his permanent disfigurement. David Coutts has admitted
stabbing the same victim on the buttock with a knife to his severe
injury and breaching bail by committing the offence. The men
attacked another man after threats had been exchanged at a pub in
Edinburgh in March 2010 (see
Incidents). The gun was a
small handgun, described to police as being a 9mm pistol.
Scott has been jailed for nine years and Coutts for one year and
eight months, respectively (Scotsman, 15 October 2010).
Press & Journal, 28 August 2010
*
A man is alleged to have attacked
and injured three people including a former girlfriend at a flat in
Inverness. The incident is believed to have
involved a stun gun.
A man has been named in connection with the attack and is being
sought by police. A man has been arrested and accused of
abduction and assault involving a stun gun and pepper spray (BBC,
2 September 2010). He has admitted three charges of assault
and one of possessing unlawful weapons (see
November 2010 Incidents).
BBC, 28 August 2010
A man carrying a firearm
threatened staff at a bookmakers in Glasgow.
He made off with a four-figure sum of money.
Evening News, 27 August 2010
Police are investigating reports
of gunfire and "gangsters" on an area of wasteland in
Fauldhouse, West Lothian. A man had been seriously
assaulted but had not suffered gunshot wounds.
Evening Times, 26 August 2010
Shots were fired at a house in
Govan, Glasgow. A family of five, including
two children, were inside the house at the time but no one was
injured.
Evening Times, 26 August 2010
Two men stole a
shotgun and a rifle
after breaking into a gun store in Eaglesham,
Renfrewshire. They smashed a window to get inside the store.
Scotsman, 20 August 2010
Two police officers from
Barra, Outer Hebrides, have been honoured for outstanding
bravery after they confronted a man who aimed an air rifle at them
and threatened to shoot them. The incident occurred in
December 2009 (see
Incidents). John Christie had stolen the
air rifle from a house
and frightened people by carrying it in public. In March 2010
he was jailed for two years for theft and firearms offences.
stv,
19 August 2010
A man brandishing what is thought
to be a gun has robbed a bookmaker in Barlanark,
Glasgow. He threatened an employee before taking hundreds of
pounds. Police believe he was not in possession of a firearm
but used items to give the impression he was.
BBC,
18 August 2010
Michael Thomson has admitted
culpable and reckless conduct and possessing a loaded weapon.
A three-year-old boy was shot in the chest with an
air rifle at Thomson's
home in Selkirk in February 2010 (see
Incidents).
Sentencing was deferred.
Press Association,
13 August 2010
A man has been shot in the back
while in a bar in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.
The victim was later discharged from hospital. Two men have
been charged with attempted murder, a firearms offence, assault and
breach of the peace (BBC, 18 August 2010).
Evening News,
13 August 2010
Stuart McNeill pointed an
imitation sawn-off shotgun
at a police officer when police brought his son home to their house
in Kirkliston, Edinburgh, in April 2010. He
had been drinking at the time. He claimed he regularly used it
to frighten his son but would never have pointed a gun at a police
officer. He admitted assaulting the officer by presenting an
imitation firearm at him. He was jailed for eight months.
BBC,
12 August 2010
Christopher McSorley used a
toy gun when he held up
a bookmakers in Ayr in May 2010. He was
arrested after being wrestled to the ground by three customers. He
has been jailed for five years and eight months.
Press and Journal,
10 August 2010
Teenage twins staged a mock car
chase and brandished a handgun while filming an advert for a
competition in East Tulos, Aberdeen. The gun
was a ball-bearing firing handgun.
They were arrested along with their older sister and father who were
helping them after calls from concerned members of the public.
They were going to be charged with breach of the peace but although
he said there was enough evidence to bring the case to court the
procurator fiscal decided not to take proceedings.
Greenock Telegraph,
4 August 2010
Armed police responded to two gun scares in
Greenock in
the same day. In the first incident a member of the public
reported possible gun shots but nothing suspicious was found. In
the second incident two teenagers were arrested and charged after they
were found on open ground with a .22 air
rifle.
stv,
4 August 2010
A man threatened staff at a bookmakers in
Possilpark,
Glasgow, with a handgun and demanded cash. He took a four figure
sum of money.
WALES
Western Telegraph,
27 August 2010
Vandals firing an
air rifle are thought
to be responsible for damage to windows at a water treatment plant
in Templeton, Pembrokeshire. Every window in
the building had been smashed.
BBC,
27 August 2010
Police are searching for an armed
man, whom they describe as dangerous, after a robbery in
Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, in which cash was stolen from
an elderly woman's safe in July 2010. The man is possibly in
possession of a firearm. A second man was involved in the
robbery.
The Leader,
16 August 2010 *
Philip Morris has admitted
perverting the course of justice by falsely claiming to the police
that he had been shot by a stranger. He has also admitted
possessing a prohibited weapon, a sawn-off .22 rifle. He says he had tried to kill himself
by shooting himself in the chest in Llangollen,
Denbighshire, in May 2010 (see
Incidents). He said that he
had bought the gun at a car boot sale. He has been jailed for
six and a half years. In 1995 he claimed he was shot in the
back from a moving car but his former wife revealed he later
confessed to shooting himself with an
air rifle to get criminal injury compensation (Daily
Mirror, 12 March 2011).
Western Telegraph,
13 August 2010
A police search was conducted in
Newport, Gwent, following reports that a man was
carrying a firearm and acting suspiciously. No trace was
found of anyone with a firearm.
Penarth Times,
12 August 2010
A man was shot while he was
playing golf at a club in Penarth, South Glamorgan.
He was shot in the arm by a pellet fired from an
air rifle. The
victim needed hospital treatment.
South Wales Argus,
11 August 2010
A 15-year-old boy was seen
carrying a BB gun in
Cwm, Gwent, by a CCTV operator who spotted him
putting the weapon, which the operator thought was real, in his
mouth. The boy was apprehended and the weapon confiscated and
destroyed.
Western Telegraph,
4 August 2010
Gerald Harris carried a
stun gun
in his taxi in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, for personal
protection after another driver had been beaten up. He admitted
possessing a weapon with an electronic incapacitation device. He
was given a 12 month low level community order including 60 hours of
unpaid work.
BBC,
4 August 2010
In January 2010 Peter Slaughter chased his ex-partner in her car whilst
armed with a double-barrelled shotgun.
She eventually attracted police attention by driving repeatedly round a
roundabout in Monmouth (see
Incidents). Earlier Slaughter had
burst into her stables and said he would kill her, a local farmer and
then himself. She managed to get away and sped off in the car.
Slaughter admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of
violence and placed under indefinite restraining order preventing him
from contacting his ex-partner or the farmer. He was jailed for
four-and-a-half years.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
Daily Echo,
29 August 2010
A cat from Three Legged
Cross, Dorset, has died after being shot with an
air rifle. She
had survived for four days before being put to sleep because of the
pain and discomfort she was in. Her owner is now faced with a
bill for £830.26.
Lancashire Evening Post,
28 August 2010
Three pet ducks have been shot
dead in Broughton, Lancashire, and a further nine
of the flock have gone missing. Their owner believes they have
been killed with a pellet gun.
Bridport News,
26 August 2010
A cat was left fighting for his
life after being shot through the bladder in a street in
Lyme Regis, Dorset. An
airgun pellet had caused the puncture.
Treatment has cost his owners hundreds of pounds.
stv,
25 August 2010
A cat had to have its back leg
amputated after being shot at least twice with an
airgun in
Bridgend, West Lothian. She suffered a shattered
tibia and fibula as well as a collapsed lung.
The Press,
25 August 2010
A young swan is being nursed back
to health after being shot twice in the head on a riverbank in
Fulford, North Yorkshire. Vets discovered two
airgun pellets lodged
in its head, and one of them had shattered the cheekbone. Both
pellets were removed and the bird is making a steady recovery.
Darlington & Stockton Times,
24 August 2010
A cat suffered life threatening
injuries after it was shot with an air
rifle in Ripon, North Yorkshire.
Vets found a pellet lodged in the cat's gun after she had been found
howling in pain. The shot had caused three perforations to the
bowel amongst other injuries.
Paisley Daily Express,
23 August 2010
A cat was left soaked in blood
after she was hit with an airgun
pellet in an attack in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire.
After she had been rushed to the vets a pellet was removed from her
colon. Her family were left with a £520 vets bill.
Telegraph,
22 August 2010
Thomas Cook shot and killed a
seagull with an air rifle
which he pointed out of a top floor window. At a court in
Exeter he claimed the seagulls had been making a noise on
his roof all night. The shooting occurred at half time during
the England World Cup game against Germany in June 2010, and Cook
claimed he had been frustrated with the game and would not have shot
the bird had "it been a really good match". He pleaded guilty
to killing a wild bird and was given a six month conditional
discharge.
Evening Post (Bristol),
21 August 2010
A cat is lucky to be alive after
being shot in the back with an air
rifle. He came back to his home in
Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, limping, covered with
blood and with a hole in his shoulder. An X-ray revealed that
he had a metal pellet lodged in his spine between two vertebrae.
A police spokesman said that the matter was being treated as
criminal damage.
Evening News (Norwich), 21 August 2010
A young cat has died after being
shot with a rifle in Great Hockham, Norfolk.
The socket at the top of his right front leg had been shattered with
a bullet and he had to be put down. The incident is being
investigated by police.
Evening Chronicle,
21 August 2010
A pet cat was shot dead and
another badly injured after being a targeted with an
airgun in
Walker, Tyneside. A pellet had gone straight through
the abdomen and intestine of the dead cat and into her bowel and
vets were unable to save her. The other cat had a pellet
lodged behind his ribcage. The pellet has been left inside
him as it is too dangerous to remove.
Evening News (Norwich),
18 August 2010
A family's pet cat found with
shotgun wounds in now
back home recovering after treatment which has cost his owners from
Brundall, Norfolk, more than £4,200. A shot
from a high-velocity gun went through muscle and the middle of his
femur. He was found injured by a dog walker.
Get Surrey,
17 August 2010
A cat has been shot dead in her
garden in Coldharbour, Surrey. It is believed
she was shot with an air rifle
which was no more than 10ft away from her.
Sunderland Echo,
12 August 2010
A cat has had to be put to sleep
after she was attacked with an air
weapon in Peterlee, County Durham.
She was found injured near her home. A pellet had struck near
her spine.
Pendle Today,
12 August 2010
Up to 20 ducks have been
slaughtered by youths with air rifles
on a canal in Barnoldswick, Lancashire. A dog
walker witnessed a group of youths driving round in a car,
brandishing air rifles and shooting at ducks.
The Sentinel,
11 August 2010
A cat was shot and wounded with an
airgun in Chell
Heath, Stoke on Trent. He has had to have his front
left leg amputated after a pellet had shattered his shoulder bone.
Rhyl Journal,
11 August 2010
A cat in Kinmel Bay,
Clywd, was wounded when a pellet clipped her back. Her owner
said that she is the third cat on the estate to have been shot with
an air rifle.
Daily Echo,
11 August 2010 *
A cat is fighting for his life
after being shot in Verwood, Dorset. An
air rifle pellet
punctured his kidney, stomach and spleen. The pet is now
recovering well after thousands of pounds' worth of treatment (Salisbury
Journal, 11 September 2010).
Daily Gazette,
10 August 2010
The bodies of four cygnets have
been found on the Essex University campus in Wivenhoe,
Essex. Rumours are circulating that they were shot with some
sort of airgun.
Get Surrey,
6 August 2010
A woman was in her garden in
Sunbury, Surrey, when she
saw a bird shot dead in front of her. The dove was in a nearby
tree. As many as three other birds may have been killed in recent
weeks. Some shells, possibly containing ball bearings, were found
nearby.
Evesham Journal,
5 August 2010
Two swans have been found at
Abbots Salford,
Worcestershire, with shot wounds to their heads. They have been
taken to a rescue centre. The injuries are believed to have been
inflicted by airgun
pellets.
Grimsby Telegraph,
3 August 2010
A cat has lost his right eye
after an air rifle attack in Humberston, Lincolnshire. He was shot in the eye at close
range and could easily have been killed. He required an operation
costing £400.
The Leader,
2 August 2010
A family cat was left
fighting for her life after being shot in the face in Holywell,
Clwyd. She was found in their garden covered in blood after being
shot with an airgun.
