SEPTEMBER
2011
Sentences and Convictions
GCN compiles
an on-going list of incidents involving guns. In this section
are sentences and convictions for court rulings made this month.
We know that our information
is incomplete. The number of incidents in our lists is between 10
and 15 percent of the total number of firearms offences recorded in Home
Office and Scottish Government figures, though we believe nearly all of
the most serious crimes are being included. Your help in collecting more
information would be greatly appreciated. If you have any information
about an incident please contact us by email
contact@gun-control-network.org.
Please see
our explanation of
why we
highlight incidents involving air weapons.
ENGLAND
Peterborough Today, 30 September 2011
Four men
have been jailed after executing a gunpoint robbery in Peterborough
in May. The group broke into a flat and assaulted a man who was on
the toilet, which flooded the flat after the altercation. Armed with
knives and a handgun, the men took cash and mobile phones from three
victims in the flat. Kamali Bennett, 19, was sentenced to eight years
after being handed his 18th conviction dating back to when he was ten
years old. Daniel Usher and Bradley Doherty were jailed for five years
and three years, respectively, while Tabiso Vanderwesthuizen was given
15 months for his part.
Maidenhead Advertiser, 30 September 2011
Trevor
Hayes has been found guilty of possession of a
sawn-off shotgun with intent to commit an indictable offence.
Hayes robbed and threatened drivers on a highway in Oxfordshire
in October 2010 and January 2011.
Liverpool Echo, 30 September 2011
Stephen
Cassidy, 22, has been jailed for five years after possessing a loaded
firearm at a party in Liverpool. He was reportedly in possession
of a revolver, which police later found fully loaded, functional and
containing Cassidy's DNA. Cassidy had prior convictions for robbery and
possession of Class A drugs.
Ealing Gazette, 29 September 2011
Wayne
Andrews has been jailed for seven and a half years for drug and gun
offences. Andrews was arrested when police served a search warrant in
Hayes, west London in May. Officers reportedly recovered a large
quantity of heroin and a handgun upon making the arrest. Andrews was
found guilty of possession with intent to supply heroin, possession of a
firearm, ammunition and criminal property.
Hucknall Dispatch, 29 September 2011
Ryan
Robinson has been found guilty of robbery and possession of an
imitation handgun. He raided a
betting shop in Hucknall, Nottingham in June, assaulting a woman
and escaping with cash.
The Telegraph and Argus, 28 September 2011
Troy
Mackrell, 19, was found guilty of possessing an
imitation gun with intent to cause fear of violence,
assault, dangerous driving and driving without a license or insurance.
He hit another person with a BB gun and drove at the victim's father
during an incident in Leeds in April, before getting his
cheekbone broken as the victims retaliated. Mackrell was sentenced to a
12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.
Crawley News, 28 September 2011
Muzi Mguni,
18, has been jailed for six months after he assaulted two men with an
imitation firearm, threatening them
and pistol-whipping one victim in the face in Epsom, south
London. The victims apparently fought back upon realising the gun was
fake. Mguni fled but was later arrested by police.
Manchester Evening News, 26 September 2011
Alan
Dennis has been jailed for five years after threatening members of the
public in a bar the Gay Village of Manchester. He reportedly
brandished a handgun and pointed it at various individuals before
eventually being arrested as he tried to escape in a taxi. Dennis has 75
prior crimes on his record, including possession of ammunition, and was
found guilty in this instance of possessing a revolver with intent to
cause fear of violence.
Hartlepool Mail,
24 September 2011
Henry
Wells, who was previously jailed for pointing a replica gun at an
84-year-old woman's head, has been given a 12-month conditional
discharge after stealing nearly £200
worth of razors in
Hartlepool.
Sutton Advertiser, 24 September 2011
Joseph
Williams has been jailed indefinitely after carrying out a series of
robberies while on day release from prison. Williams was jailed in 1996
when he beat a man to death, but he was allowed to take up a driving job
in Croydon, south London this year. Striking first in
February, Williams carried out 11 robberies in the Sutton and Croydon
area armed with an imitation firearm
made by wrapping a spanner and paintbrush in a carrier bag.
Liverpool Echo, 24 September 2011
Alexander
Billinge, 19, has been jailed in a young offenders' institution for 25
months for possessing a 12-gauge shotgun.
Billinge had been placed in an institution in March while he awaited
sentence for killing his best friend in a high-speed car crash. His DNA
was found on a shotgun that police recovered in Kirkdale,
Liverpool.
Liverpool Echo, 24 September 2011
Craig
Riley and Joseph Farrell will be jailed after admitting their part in a
two-year campaign of violence in Liverpool. The pair were
allegedly part of a six-man gang who carried out gun and grenade attacks
on rivals and their families. Two members of the gang were sprang free
during a prison transport (see 20 July under 'Incidents Causing Fear' in
GCN's July incidents). The pair are still on
the run but the trial has now continued with Riley and Farrell admitting
conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life during 2009
and 2010.
BBC
News, 20 September 2011
Hajdar
Kasumaj has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of
manslaughter and attempted murder in east London. Two men were
shot and killed in July, and Kasumaj was found guilty after reportedly
carrying out the shootings with a handgun. He was originally charged
with murder, apparently shooting both victims at close range. He was
also found guilty of possession of a short prohibited weapon.
Shropshire Star, 20 September 2011
Philip
Jones has been jailed for six years after manufacturing guns and other
weapons in his home in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He was convicted
of possession of explosives and ammunition, manufacturing a prohibited
weapon and attempting to convert an imitation
firearm. Police recovered a pistol, a handgun, a sub-machine
gun, ammunition and a homemade bomb (improvised explosive device) when
they searched his home earlier this year. Officers initially made the
search because the UK Border Agency intercepted a package addressed to
Jones with ammunition.
This is Local London, 20 September 2011
Kameron
Samuels, 18, has been jailed for six years and 10 months after
committing a pair of violent robberies in Walthamstow, east
London. Samuels apparently used the website Gumtree to lure in two
victims in May 2010, threatening them with a gun and knife along with
other men before robbing them. Then in March he repeated the crime,
telling the victims his friend had a gun before a shot was fired at the
floor. Samuels was charged with two counts of robbery and possession of
an imitation firearm, as well as
possession of a bladed article.
Portsmouth News, 20 September 2011
Ryan
Donovan, 23, has been jailed at least 25 years after going on a
'murderous rampage' with a semi-automatic rifle while onboard a
nuclear-powered submarine. Donovan killed a Lieutenant Commander with a
shot to the head in Southampton. The victim had tried to tackle
the gunman after hearing the shots but was killed in the struggle.
Eventually, two other people wrestled the weapon from Donovan, who also
pled guilty to attempting to murder another Lieutenant Commander who he
shot in the stomach. He also shot at two more officers - apparently his
intended targets - four times but missed.
The Telegraph and Argus, 20 September 2011
Mohammed
Ashfaq, 22, has been jailed for five years for carrying a loaded handgun
in Bradford. Ashfaq had hid the weapon on a school roof following
a police chase on 20 June, with officers finding it after arresting him.
Police said the pistol had been fired three times in a local street
three weeks earlier, and also used to damage cars in Huddersfield
and Leeds in March and April, respectively. Ashfaq, who was
caught after being chased through a park, had previously been sentenced
to nine months' detention in 2009 for causing grievous bodily harm.
This is Local London, 19 September 2011
Oyediji
Shobande, Sampson Reid and Junior Brown have been jailed for more than a
decade each for armed robbery. Reid joined Shobande in assaulting staff
at a shop in Peckham, south London in January 2010. The pair were
reportedly armed with an imitation
semi-automatic gun, and pistol-whipped the manager of the
shop by hitting him over the head with the weapon. Police arrived at the
scene because the manager had pulled an alarm, and tackled and arrested
the men. The criminals had apparently been given information about the
shop layout by Brown, who was implicated in other robberies. Brown
himself was jailed for 14 years for two armed robberies, Shobande was
given 12 years for two armed robberies and Reid received 10 years after
pleading guilty to one count of armed robbery.
Daily Mirror, 17 September 2011
Anthony
Gorman, 21, has been jailed for five and a half years for aggravated
burglary and possessing an imitation firearm.
He attempted to rob a shop in Manchester in August, but was
unsuccessful after a struggle with the shopkeeper.
The Citizen, 17 September 2011
Ashley
Nicholls-Perry, 19, was given a 20-week suspended sentence but spared
jail after capturing himself on camera waving an
imitation shotgun in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He
was found guilty of possession of cocaine and cannabis in an unrelated
incident, but the court deemed him not to be a threat for gun violence.
Bolton News, 16 September 2011
David
Johns has been found guilty of possessing firearms and ammunition when
prohibited. Johns, who is banned from keeping
air guns for five years after being jailed for nearly three
years following a pair of assaults, had two air guns in his pub in
Bolton. Police discovered the prohibited weapons during a search for
cannabis that went unsuccessful. A judge noted that due to Johns'
previous sentence, he will not be jailed for this crime.
Metro, 16 September 2011
Daniel
Mason and Andre Chiverton have been jailed for 20 years and 14 years,
respectively, after injuring two innocent bystanders in Moss Side,
Manchester in May. They executed a drive-by shooting into a group of
people, firing two shots and hitting a 17-year-old girl and 20-year-old
man. Both victims were hospitalised but made full recoveries.
Barnet and Whetstone Press, 16 September 2011
Hajdar
Kasumaj has been jailed for a minimum of 20 years for double
manslaughter and attempted murder. Kasumaj was handed the manslaughter
sentence 'on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental
health problems'. He shot two men dead and attempted to kill a third in
East Ham, east London in July 2010. Police said he used a handgun
to shoot at all three victims from close range.
Kent Messenger, 16 September 2011
Four men
have been convicted of drug dealing after undercover police in Kent
infiltrated an extensive operation. The Messenger reports two
members of the group, Joseph and Samuel King, admitted drug charges but
did not initially admit guilt for firearms charges after police
recovered 'loaded firearms and shotgun
cartridges' when they served a search warrant to make the arrests.
Samuel King was charged with possessing firearms with intent to kill.
Bury Times, 16 September 2011
Alexander
Deacon has been jailed for 10 years and nine months for possession of a
firearm and ammunition with intent to enable another to endanger life,
as well as possession of cannabis with intent to supply. Police in
Bury, Manchester seized a handgun and ammunition from his home after
uncovering links to an area gang. Deacon was already on bail for
gang-related violent disorder and was convicted of possessing an
imitation firearm in December 2004, leading to six months in a Young
Offenders Institute.
Yorkshire Post, 16 September 2011
Francis
McDonald has been convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to cause
fear of violence, and sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid community work.
McDonald fired a shotgun twice into
the air in a park in South Yorkshire to scare off teenage
vandals.
Darlington and Stockton Times, 16 September 2011
Michael
Gallagher has pled guilty to sending an electronic communication
conveying a threat in Redcar, north Yorkshire. Gallagher lost
thousands of pounds on an online poker site and sent multiple accusatory
emails to the head office of the company on the Isle of Man. On 25 May,
he threatened to visit the headquarters with a
sawn-off shotgun and kill as many people as he could unless
he was given $50k (£31k)
to clear his losses.
In October he was jailed for three months (Gazette
Live, 17 October 2011).
The Cornishman, 15 September 2011
Paul
Muller has been convicted of making threats to kill, possessing a
firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and executing a bomb
hoax. Ten years ago in Lincolnshire, Muller threatened police
with a knife when officers attempted to serve a warrant for his arrest
and to take his toddler son into custody. He initially held the knife to
the child's throat, then showed officers a handgun as well. Days later,
after also threatening the bomb hoax, he gave himself up -- but instead
of attending his hearing, Muller went on the run and evaded capture for
a decade. He was finally arrested in Norwich last year for unrelated
criminal activity, and will be sentenced next month.
Journal Live, 14 September 2011
Max Exley
and Lee Scott have been jailed for 13 and a half years each after
shooting someone over unpaid debt. The victim was shot in the shoulder
in May 2010 while sitting in a car on his street in Stocksfield,
Northumberland. He said he had been friends with the shooters for 20
years prior to the attack, which forced him to undergo surgery. He
continues to have problems from nerve damage due to the shooting.
Enfield Independent, 12 September 2011
James
Jones, 27, has been jailed for seven years after converting Olympic
starting pistols into lethal firearms in Tottenham, north London.
Jones, who ran a business selling the converted guns out of a suitcase,
was one of the 37 people caught in a music store sting by Enfield Police.
Damien McGowan was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to supply firearms
and ammunition; Kasheef Hardy was jailed for 10 years for leading a
group that sold firearms and ammunition; and Junior Homer, 21, was
jailed for 10 and a half years for conspiracy to supply firearms,
conspiracy to supply drugs, receiving stolen goods and passing
counterfeit currency.
Medway Messenger,
12 September 2011
David Penn
has been jailed for nine years after admitting robbery and possessing an
imitation firearm. Penn and an accomplice threatened a pair of women in
a betting shop in Medway, Kent with a BB gun in September 2010.
They left with cash but police linked DNA found on a pistol discarded
nearby to Penn, who has 14 prior convictions and a history of drug and
alcohol problems. The other robber reportedly has not been found.
The Star, 10 September 2011
Reece
Mendez and Travis Hurst, both 20, along with Jarrod Lomas, 21, and Jack
Grocock, 18, have all been jailed for inflicting grievous bodily harm
with intent. The four men violently attacked Deroy Thompson in
Sheffield. Thompson himself was jailed 21 months for false
imprisonment. Mendez and Hurst were previously involved in a 2008 fight
in which Thompson's brother, Seaon, killed a teenager. While Hurst,
Lomas and Grocock were sentenced to five years and five months in jail,
Mendez was given two years for his role in the attack and a further nine
months for possessing a stun gun.
Luton Today, 9 September 2011
Omar
Richards, 22, has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of
attempted murder. Richards was responsible for a shooting outside a
store in Luton in May 2010. Also guilty of possession of a
firearm and ammunition in a public place and possession of a firearm
with intent to cause fear of violence, he will serve a minimum of nine
years before being eligible for parole.
Islington Tribune, 9 September 2011
Devante
Cazley, 18, and Parvez Hussein, 22, have been jailed for nine years for
their involvement in a string of robberies across Islington, Hackney
and Haringey in north and east London. A 16-year-old was also
sentenced to two years as the trio admitted committing ten robberies,
using a machete and an imitation sawn-off
shotgun.
BBC News, 9 September 2011
Zahir Baig
has been jailed for five years for possession of a
shotgun with intent to endanger life. Baig's brother,
Waseem, also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later. The pair were
responsible for an incident in March in Luton in which the front
and back doors of a property were damaged.
Tewkesbury Admag, 9 September 2011
Stephen
McGoldrick and Lee Walters have been jailed for five years and three and
a half years, respectively, after they stole
shotguns from a house in Peopleton, Worcestershire in
June 2010. The men reportedly robbed multiple homes and stole other
property in addition to the firearms worth
£10k.
Daily Mail, 9 September 2011
John
Reilly has been found guilty of producing cannabis and several firearms
charges after his drug manufacturing facility in Essex was
uncovered by police. He admitted possessing three handguns, an assault
rifle, 132 bulleted cartridges, and two
shotguns. Police also recovered an
imitation gun and
£25k
in cash from the massive drug factory.
Lancashire Evening Post, 9 September 2011
Carl
Gilgun has been jailed for a minimum of three years and three months
after he attacked a woman in a shop in Lancashire in November
2010. Gilgun threatened to shoot the woman and clubbed her three times
on the head with an imitation gun.
Gilgun, an ex-soldier who has been diagnosed with a personality
disorder, pled guilty to robbery and having an imitation firearm with
intent to cause fear of violence.
Westminster Chronicle, 9 September 2011
Four men
from north London have been jailed for carrying out robberies in
London and Hertfordshire. Anthony Roberts and Patrick O'Brien were each
sentenced to eight years for two robberies, while Sean Murphy and Peter
Meredith were sentenced to six years after admitting one robbery.
Stroud News and Journal, 7 September 2011
Luke
Martin, 22, has been jailed for two years and three months for
assaulting and robbing three teenagers in Stroud,
Gloucestershire. Police recovered shotgun
cartridges and cannabis from Martin's home.
Lincolnshire Echo, 7 September 2011
Michael
Peaks has been jailed for two and a half years after being caught in
Lincolnshire with a homemade bomb. Peaks, who learned how to create
improvised explosive devices while serving a seven-year sentence for
robbery, also admitted possessing shotgun cartridges, a knife and
amphetamine. He allegedly intended to kill himself with the bomb, and
the ruling judge declared 'You seem to have ... become a non-person. But
the message must go out that people who make this kind of thing must go
to prison'.
South London Press, 6 September 2011
Cameron
Emmanuel, 24, has been jailed for 12 years for possessing a firearm with
intent to endanger life. He was caught with a loaded pistol by police in
Clapham, south London, after a gun was fired during a clash in
the area. Police said the gun was also linked to two shootings in 2009
that resulted in serious injuries.
Northampton Chronicle, 6 September 2011
Four men
have been jailed after carrying out armed raids in Northampton.
Mabs Zar, who pretended to be kidnapped as he was on duty at a store as
deputy manager, was sentenced to eight years for conspiracy to rob. Ravi
Kumar, Alaimaga Thangarajam, Thalayasigham Krishnakumar and Balasingham
Kathir were all sentenced to four years for their involvement. The group
robbed a cash and carry after threatening a security guard and other
members of staff with an imitation handgun
and using Zar and Kumar as inside men. The group reportedly tied
up staff members and stole
£18k in cash and
£500k worth of cigarettes.
Birmingham Mail, 6 September 2011
Michael
Henry has been jailed for five years for possession of a prohibited
firearm and ammunition. Henry tossed a loaded revolver from his flat
window in Birmingham as police approached his home, but the
weapon landed at the feet of a police officer standing outside.
Northampton Chronicle, 5 September 2011
Ashley
Sumner has been given an extended order in a psychiatric hospital and is
expected to be given a permanent hospital order later this month. Sumner
shot at police with an air rifle in
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire in September 2010. Sumner, who
is described as a paranoid schizophrenic, admitted to hearing voices and
had confronted a woman with a hammer before challenging police to shoot
him as he waved the air gun above his head.
Express and Star, 2 September 2011
Jahmayne
Meade has been jailed for at least 26 years for the murder of Lee
Douglas. Meade shot Douglas in the neck and back with a pistol after
finding him with Meade's ex-girlfriend in Wolverhampton in
November 2010.
Liverpool Echo, 1 September 2011
Dene
Galloway, 19, was sent to a Young Offenders' Institute for three and a
half years after committing armed robbery in Prescot, near
Liverpool. The teenager used an air pistol
to raid a shop hours after bingeing on cocaine for the first time.
SCOTLAND
BBC News, 23 September 2011
Hugh
Fletcher and Michael Taylor have been jailed for robbing a shop in
Aberdeen with an imitation gun.
Fletcher was jailed for six years and three months, as Taylor received
three years and eight months.
Stirling Observer, 23 September 2011
Derek
Cramb has pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner
after he caused a four-hour standoff in Cowie, Stirling in June.
Cramb claimed to have a shotgun and
a pistol and reportedly remained abusive after finally being detained.
In fact Cramb did not possess any firearms.
BBC News, 23 September 2011
Peter
McDowall has been jailed for five years after illegally possessing a
sawn-off shotgun and recklessly
discharging it in Glasgow. McDowall reportedly found the weapon
in a park and then blew a hole in his bedroom floor.
Lennox Herald,
22 September 2011
Samuel
Morrison was fined £500
in
Bonhill, Dumbartonshire after ordering a
stun gun on the internet. The potentially lethal weapon,
which discharges electric volts, is illegal to purchase without a
license. Morrison was reportedly intoxicated when he made the purchase,
and the sentencing judge declared that he saw the incident as 'an act of
sheer stupidity.'
The Courier,
14 September 2011
Three men
were jailed after using a firearm to rob a woman and a child in a house
in Perth in November 2010. Cameron Mathieson was sentenced to 13
years, Nazim Ali for seven and Paul Feeney for five after the trio were
found guilty of using a sawn-off shotgun
to execute the robbery.
Daily Record, 9 September 2011
Frank
Moore has been found guilty for murder and attempted murder in
Edinburgh, as well as
threatening his ex-girlfriend, theft, trying to destroy evidence and
possessing a stun gun. Moore, who
will be sentenced next month, beat his ex-girlfriend's new lover to
death and also severely beat her, leaving her with a fractured skull,
blind in one eye, deaf in one ear and unable to walk. A fire started
after he left and firefighters were able to save the female victim.
STV,
8 September 2011
Craig
Montague, 18, pled guilty to recklessly discharging a toy
pellet gun after shooting a bus
driver in the face as the victim drove through a residential street in
Dundee in March. The driver managed to keep the bus safe until
the next stop, where he contacted police. Montague was placed on a
community payback order with one year of supervision.
WALES
No
reported incidents.
