OCTOBER
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
Bucks Herald, 29 October 2011
Mohammed
and Amanullah Azram, two brothers living in Aylesbury,
Buckinghamshire, have been jailed for ten years each. The pair sold a
gun to a gang that led to the assassination of a teenager. They were
convicted of conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon, possession of a
firearm with intent for others to endanger life and possession of
ammunition without a certificate.
Islington Tribune, 28 October 2011
Nathan
Grazette, 19, has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to
possession of a gun, ammunition, heroin and crack cocaine with intent to
supply. The teenage drug dealer, who was arrested in Highbury,
north London, was captured by police after they spotted him behaving
suspiciously. He reportedly had drugs on him, and officers subsequently
found a loaded handgun upon searching his home.
Thurrock Gazette, 28 October 2011
Samuel
Jackson has admitted being one of three armed men who held up a shop in
South Ockendon, Thurrock in February. The shopkeeper reportedly
scared the masked thieves off with a hooked pole during the incident,
and they escaped without taking anything. Jackson admitted using an
imitation gun in the attempted robbery.
This is Local London, 28 October 2011
Alex
Phillips has been evicted from his council home in Croydon, south
London after police repeatedly caught him with cannabis. Officers raided
his flat three times before he was evicted; on the first raid, they
recovered a number of weapons including a BB
gun, a machete and knives.
Daily Mail, 28 October 2011
Eric
Reeves, 68, admitted causing unnecessary suffering after he shot his
neighbour's cat with an air rifle in
Norfolk. The air gun pellet punctured the cat's intestine but it
survived. Reeves, a 'bird lover' who apparently shot the cat for chasing
birds, was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and was fined
£400.
BBC News, 26 October 2011
John
Buckley has admitted attempted robbery and possession of an
imitation gun after he held up a
store in Sunderland in August. Buckley brandished a replica
handgun in the incident, but he was tackled and restrained by the store
owner until police arrived.
Bristol Evening Post, 26 October 2011
Simon
Dukes has been jailed for 12 months after admitting he registered a bomb
threat against social services in Keynsham, Bristol. Dukes
threatened to kill a social worker who he believed sabotaged his
relationship with his former partner when she recommended that his
partner leave him. Dukes said he would use a gun in the offices, that he
would manufacture a bomb to use, and that he wanted to kill five members
of staff. He also said he would be willing to wait outside the offices
to kill the social worker who had recommended his partner leave him.
Dukes' sentence is suspended for two years, in which time he will be
under probation and required to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Chesterfield Post, 26 October 2011
Daniel
Gadsby, 20, has been sentenced to 18 months in a young offender
institution. His fingerprints were found on a toy gun used in an
attempted robbery at a shop in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Gadsby
pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possessing an
imitation firearm.
BBC News, 25 October 2011
Stuart
Mcainsh has been jailed for five years for using a
replica gun to hold up a bank in Blackpool. McAinsh
admitted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm in August, in which
he threatened staff and customers, including young children, before
escaping with cash.
Coventry Telegraph, 24 October 2011
Steven
Boparai and Lee Day have been jailed for four years and two years,
respectively, for leading a spree of street attacks in Coventry.
The two men, along with three young teenagers who were all given
two-year youth rehabilitation orders, used an
imitation gun to rob three people over a three-hour period in
June.
Islington Gazette, 24 October 2011
Nilton
Abdullah has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to
possession of a firearm and ammunition. Abdullah and two other men were
caught by police transporting a semi-automatic pistol, a silencer and 20
live bullets in Rainham, east London in May. Abdullah had been
carrying a bag containing the lethal weapon and its parts.
Halifax Courier, 22 October 2011
Mohammed
Tariq and Atigue Arif have been jailed for 24 years and Debbie Jefferson
and her son Jamie, 18, have also been jailed for their part in smuggling
guns from Texas to West Yorkshire. Tariq and Arif admitted
conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life. Debbie
Jefferson was sentenced to 12 months in prison and Jamie was given a
12-month community order after the pair helped the gang by hiding
firearms in packages of DVD players and portable radios.
Birmingham Mail, 22 October 2011
Joshua
Parchment has been jailed for 17 years, Horace Ferguson for 15 years and
Elijah Brown for 14 years after the trio carried out an armed raid in
Birmingham. The three men were found guilty of conspiracy to rob and
possessing a firearm. They robbed a jewellery store in March 2009, armed
with a shotgun, a pistol and
sledgehammer. After threatening employees they escaped with
£20k worth of jewellery.
Evening Gazette, 22 October 2011
Robert
Chapman, 21, has been jailed for seven years for leading an armed
robbery in Stockton, while teenage accomplices Denzel Munzara,
17, and Ricardo Calcina, 16, were each sent to a young offenders'
institute for four years. The trio forced a woman to the ground at her
home in July, pointing imitation guns
at her head and holding a knife to her throat. They stole petty cash and
tied to force her to drive to a cash machine, but she managed to escape.
Tameside Radio, 22 October 2011
Douglas
Ward has been jailed for five years and four months, and John Haining
has been jailed for three years and four months after the pair were each
convicted of possessing a firearm. Police caught them with two guns in
Middleton, Manchester in June when they invaded a meeting of 60
men. Eleven men were arrested, and officers recovered a
shotgun and a handgun, as well as
ammunition for both.
Shields Gazette, 22 October 2011
Lee Kassim,
18, pled guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm after being caught
with a taser gun. Police reportedly
recovered the weapon after his parents notified them upon finding the
stun gun in his room at their house in South Tyneside.
Evening
Gazette, 22 October 2011
Christopher Lambert has been given a 12-month community order for
threatening a couple in Thornaby, Teeside. Lambert
approached the victims and threatened to shoot them, although it turned
out he did not actually possess a gun. No one was harmed in the
incident.
Kent Online, 21 October 2011
Billy
Smith has been convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm and
possessing a firearm when prohibited after shooting a man with a
shotgun in Greenhithe, Kent.
Smith's son, also called Billy, was charged with common assault and will
face up to six months behind bars. The elder Smith will be sentenced for
a period up to five years.
Burnley Express, 20 October 2011
Andrew
Ratcliffe has been jailed for five years for possession of two firearms
and cannabis. The former soldier was caught with a
sawn-off shotgun with ammunition, a revolver and drugs at
his home in Burnley.
Burton Mail, 20 October 2011
Gary
Hitchman has been jailed for eight months after assaulting a man two
days after he was released from prison for robbery. Hitchman, who spent
two and a half years in prison for burglary and possessing a firearm
stolen in the raid, and his friend Robert Bell attacked two other men in
Burton, Staffordshire. Hitchman and Bell, who was jailed for one
year, each admitted assault causing actual bodily harm on one victim and
common assault on the other.
The Sentinel, 19 October 2011
Anthony
Chapman has been jailed for two years and six months for possessing
prohibited firearms and ammunition in Westlands, Staffordshire.
Among the items recovered by police were a pair of
air guns. The former police officer and arms dealer was
convicted after police raided Chapman's home on two occasions, with the
charges typically resulting in a minimum of five years imprisonment
because some of the weapons he possessed had lethal capability. However,
the court considered Chapman's circumstances exceptional, as he is a
66-year-old antiques collector.
Telegraph and Argus, 19 October 2011
Hassan
Ellahi, 19, was convicted of robbery and possessing an
imitation firearm. Ellahi and two
other young men invaded a woman's home in Bradford in May,
threatening her and her four children with the gun while they looted the
house.
Leicester Mercury, 18 October 2011
Adam
Willis, 19, has been jailed for seven years after raping a 20-year-old
woman in Loughborough. Willis attacked the victim from behind,
stifling her screams with his hand and threatening her with an
imitation pistol. He then dragged
her to a dimly-lit area and sexually assaulted her. Afterward he
threatened to kill the victim, a student at Loughborough University, if
she reported the crime. However, Willis was caught on CCTV and handed
himself in to the police after apparently attempting suicide. He pleaded
guilty to rape and possessing an imitation firearm. In addition to the
jail time he will serve, Willis will be on a sex offenders' register for
life. His sentence was later increased to 15 years by appeal judges to
'reflect the seriousness of the attack' and the additional crime of
possessing a firearm (Leicester
Mercury, 25 January 2012).
Liverpool Echo, 15 October 2011
A gang of
five teenagers aged 13 to 18 have been jailed after committing a series
of armed robberies in Liverpool. Ringleader Bradley Beveridge,
18, was jailed indefinitely, and the judge lifted the anonymity
restrictions for the four younger culprits. Declan Kilbride, 16, was
sentenced to nine years in prison; Declan Culshaw, 15, was given five
years; Dylan Currie, 14, received six years; and Jobe Kilbride, 13,
received four years. The quintet terrorised shopkeepers and taxi drivers
in April and May, threatening each with a
shotgun and stealing cash and cigarettes. They also shot one
person who attempted to resist, leaving their victim with minor
injuries.
Bournemouth Echo, 15 October 2011
Joseph
Hurd, 21, has been jailed for 18 months after robbing a shop in
Bournemouth in March. Hurd pretended to have a gun in the incident,
threatening the shopkeeper and demanded cigarettes. He also pleaded
guilty to other offences earlier this year, including assaulting a
police officer, criminal damage, damage to a motor vehicle, taking a
motor vehicle without consent and driving while disqualified.
News and Star, 15 October 2011
Karl
Elsworth, 18, has been sentenced to nine months in prison and 80 hours
of unpaid community work for possessing a taser
gun and cannabis in Carlisle. Police reportedly
searched Elsworth's home on suspicion of finding drugs, then recovered
the powerful stun gun, which fires 50,000 volts -- equal to the taser
weapons that British police carry.
The Sentinel, 15 October 2011
Steven
Salt, 18, has been sentenced to an 18-week prison sentence and 100 hours
of unpaid community work after he shot a pigeon in a park in
Staffordshire for a meal. The homeless 18-year-old shot the bird
twice with a loaded air weapon
before police responded to an alarm raised by a member of the public.
Salt admitted possession of a loaded air weapon and shooting the gun in
a public park.
This is Local London, 14 October 2011
Four men
have been jailed after officers caught them transporting a loaded
firearm in Rainham, east London. Police initially recovered a
semi-automatic pistol, silencer and ammunition after stopping a vehicle
being used to transport the weapon. Abdirahman Dirir was jailed for six
and a half years for his involvement, while Vitor Tavares and Nilton
Abdullah were give six years. Ahmed Mudhir, who had an additional two
pistols, silencers and boxes of ammunition in his home, was jailed for
nine years after admitting possessing and supplying prohibited weapons
and ammunition.
Ealing Gazette, 14 October 2011
Four men
who committed armed robberies in West London last year have been
jailed. The group used two handguns and a
shotgun to carry out the raids, targeting stores, bookmakers
and banks. Jamie Baker was sentenced to 10 years after being involved in
six robberies between May and September 2010. Stacy Burke was jailed for
eight years for two counts of robbery, while Tyrone Tocher and Shabaz
Razaq were given six years and four years, respectively, after admitting
one robbery charge each.
Bucks Free Press, 14 October 2011
Brian
Vickers has been jailed for two years after threatening a man with a
BB gun in Chalfont St. Peter,
Buckinghamshire. Vickers reportedly assaulted the man over a debt in
August, and was sentenced for possession of an imitation firearm with
intent to cause fear of violence.
Scarborough Evening News, 14 October 2011
Lee Brown,
22, has been jailed for 15 weeks for carrying a loaded firearm in
public. Brown killed a wild bird in Scarborough, North Yorkshire
in July and failed to comply to the terms of his suspended sentence,
missing unpaid work appointments and thus activating the suspended
sentence.
Manchester Evening News, 14 October 2011
Amir
Hussain has been jailed for six years after he was caught driving with a
loaded gun in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. Hussain reportedly had a
revolver on him when officers searched his car, as well as a quantity of
cannabis.
This is Local London, 12 October 2011
Zamir
Aliaj has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to supplying
cocaine as part of a large-scale police operation targeting drug dealers
in south London. The operation has resulted so far in 10
convicted offenders, as officers have recovered a handgun, a
shotgun, ammunition, drugs and cash.
Plymouth Herald, 11 October 2011
Gary Ball
was convicted of robbery, possession of a firearm with intent to
endanger life, possession of a firearm with intent to commit robbery and
causing grievous bodily harm with intent, after co-defendant Mark Gagen
pleaded guilty to the same charges. In 2008, the two raided a family
home in Whitleigh, Plymouth. After a 7-year-old answered the door
to the shouting robbers, the men shot the boy's father in the stomach
with a shotgun and struck him with
the weapon. They forced the victim's wife to point out jewellery and
then escaped in a car, as all members of the family survived the
incident. One day after Ball's conviction, he was jailed for 18 years,
while Gagen was sentenced to 16 years (BBC
News, 12 October 2011).
Daily Gazette,
10 October 2011
Jordan
Green, 16, has been sentenced to two years after admitting robbery and
possession of an imitation firearm.
Green and two other teenagers held up a shop in Colchester, Essex
in April. As they threatened shop staff, Green reportedly laughed as the
terrified victims were forced to hand over cash. Green was later
arrested after an officer recognised him from CCTV footage.
Sunday Mercury, 9 October 2011
Raphael
Davis, 20, and Andre Williams, 23, have been jailed for 10 years each
for their roles in an armed robbery in Birmingham. They were part
of a gang that assaulted two victims, shooting one in the leg, in
August. Davis was convicted of two counts of possessing a firearm with
intent, wounding with intent and robbery. Williams was found guilty of
possessing a firearm with intent and possessing ammunition.
Shields Gazette, 8 October 2011
Alan Brown
and Anthony Wilson have been jailed for seven years each for attempted
robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. They were part of a trio
of armed robbers who held up a man in his home in South Tyneside
in November 2010, assaulting him with an
imitation gun. After the man fought back, the thieves fled,
but not before beating the victim with a truncheon. He suffered a back
injury and a head wound that required stitches, with multiple
lacerations to his head and face.
This is Sutton Coldfield, 8 October 2011
Larry
Barnett, Ashley Atkins and Luke Dawes have been convicted of possession
of a shotgun, conspiracy to commit
armed robberies and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear or
alarm. The men broke into a house in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
in February, threatening a victim with a taser
gun and stealing a car. They repeated the act later the same
day, but were soon arrested.
BBC News, 7 October 2011
Mohammed
Rafiq has been jailed at least 22 years after murdering a man in
Birmingham in 2003. Rafiq used an Uzi sub-machine gun to shoot a
young man 16 times at close range. He was arrested in 2007 and convicted
of murder in 2008 but was initially granted a retrial.
Shields Gazette, 7 October 2011
Paul
Wilkinson and Paul Richardson have been jailed for eight years and five
and a half years, respectively, after robbing a pub manager at
knifepoint in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. Wilkinson had
previous convictions that included making threats to kill and possessing
a firearm, and the ruling judge declared him a 'high risk of harm to the
public'.
This is Lancashire, 7 October 2011
David
Oliver has been jailed for two years and three months for selling
firearms in Bury. Oliver was caught when he sold a
sawn-off shotgun and
stun guns to an undercover police
officer. He pled guilty to selling prohibited weapons and possessing a
shotgun without a certificate.
Dorset Echo, 7 October 2011
Colin
Douglas has been convicted of armed robbery after he held up a post
office in Weymouth, Dorset in March. He will face sentence for 18
offences including armed robbery, using a firearm with intent and
possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Weston Mercury, 6 October 2011
A
13-year-old boy brandished an imitation gun
in Clevedon, North Somerset. The boy reportedly pointed
the gun at a woman in a youth centre and at others in a supermarket. He
pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing an imitation firearm with
intent to cause fear or violence and was given an 18-month youth
rehabilitation order.
Coventry Telegraph, 6 October 2011
Haroon
Saddique has been found guilty of possessing a loaded pistol in
Radford, Coventry. He did not have a certificate for the gun or
ammunition and will later receive a prison sentence.
Falmouth Packet, 6 October 2011
Joshua
Rigby, 19, has been given six months in custody, suspended for 12
months, disqualified from driving and fined after pleading guilty to
possessing a stun gun and drugs in
Redruth, Cornwall. Rigby brought the weapon back from Cyprus and
was arrested after taking it to a nightclub. He apparently was seen
giving his friend small electric shocks, and was in possession of
amphetamine and cannabis.
Surrey Comet, 5 October 2011
Michael
Williams was jailed for a minimum of seven years for inflicting grievous
bodily harm with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a
firearm. Williams shot a man in Streatham, south London after
invading his home with two accomplices in October 2010. Williams stole
money and attempted to leave after shooting the victim in the leg, but
was attacked by the homeowner, who sliced Williams' face with a Samurai
sword. Williams was then reportedly found by police as he hobbled from
the scene.
Manchester Evening News, 4 October 2011
Marc
Billingham has been jailed for 10 years for selling guns in Moss Side,
Manchester. Undercover police had set up a fake shop in the area and,
through a series of dealings, were supplied two functional handguns as
well as an air pistol, an
imitation firearm and bullets.
Elliott Harrison, who drove Billingham to and from one of the
transactions, was jailed for five years for possessing a firearm.
The
Mirror, 5 October 2011
Trevor
Hayes has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of eight
offences including robbery. Hayes brandished a
sawn-off shotgun as he held up a bank, a post office and two
motorists in Watlington, Oxfordshire. The incidents took place
over three months earlier this year. Hayes reportedly failed in an
attempt to torch his stolen van, and police recovered the gun he had
used, which contained Hayes' DNA.
Peterlee Mail, 4 October 2011
Paul
Skidmore and Craig Short have been jailed for seven years and four
months and six years, respectively. Both were convicted of two counts of
robbery, possession of a firearm and laptop theft. Skidmore threatened
his uncle with an air rifle while
Short held a knife to the man in Hartlepool in May as the pair
attempted to steal money and drugs. Skidmore also struck his uncle on
the eye with the butt of the gun. They assaulted another man three days
later along with a third offender, Robert Beevers, who was sentenced to
a 18-month community order for theft of a laptop and possession of
cannabis.
The Journal,
1 October 2011
Bernard
Maw and Liam Coatman have been jailed after being convicted of blackmail
in Newcastle. Maw, sentenced to three and a half years, believed
a man owed him a large debt. He hired Coatman, who was given two years
and nine months, to threaten the victim. Coatman visited the man at his
place of work, threatening to shoot him by simulating holding a
shotgun.
The Northern Echo,
1 October 2011
James
Westwood, 20, has been found guilty of acting to harm a witness or
juror, after sending an online threat to a teenage rape victim via her
sister. Westwood sent the 18-year-old, who was raped in 2009 in
County Durham, an intimidating message and a photo with a
shotgun folded across his chest. The
victim's attackers were jailed last year.
SCOTLAND
Scotsman,
28 October 2011
Paul
Purves will be sentenced for committing armed robbery in Edinburgh.
In September 2008 he assaulted a woman in her car, threatening her with
an air pistol and stealing her purse
and car. Purves initially jumped bail and fled the country, but was
arrested in Ireland in April of this year.
Scottish Sun,
26 October 2011
Frank
Moore has been jailed for at least 22 years for killing his ex-partner's
new boyfriend in Edinburgh. Moore bludgeoned the victim to death
and attacked his ex-partner, apparently setting fire to their flat and
leaving them. She was found by firefighters and survived the attack.
Police recovered a stun gun at
Moore's home, and he was convicted of illegally possessing the weapon
among numerous other charges.
BBC News,
12 October 2011
Colin
Baulch has admitted threatening his estranged wife and a man with a
loaded shotgun in Orkney.
Suspecting his wife of having an affair with the man, Baulch brandished
the weapon in October 2010 but the victims disarmed him and tied him up
until police arrived. Baulch will be sentenced next month for two counts
of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Edinburgh Evening News,
12 October 2011
John
Bravin, 22, has been jailed for two years after pointing an
imitation gun at police officers in
Edinburgh. Bravin apparently waved the gun at officers when they
visited his home after a reported disturbance in July. When they entered
his home, he was apparently intoxicated and lying on his brother's bed.
When officers told him to get up, Bravin revealed the gun which he aimed
at both constables. Bravin pleaded guilty to assaulting the officers by
pointing the gun and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Metro, 12 October 2011
David
Williamson has been jailed for 10 months for possession of cannabis in
Edinburgh. He reported to police that he had been robbed by four
men at gunpoint, informing them that his cannabis plants had been stolen.
Officers apparently then searched his house and found a further 20
plants.
WALES
BBC News, 28 October 2011
Michael
Lowens has been jailed for five years for possessing prohibited weapons
and ammunition without authority. Police recovered two antique revolvers
at his flat in Flintshire, as well as ammunition. Lowens was
reportedly an avid gun collector who had ordered 750 different types of
bullet over the internet in the past year. Magistrates also placed him
on the Sex Offenders Register after indecent pictures of children were
found on his computer (Flintshire
Chronicle, 3 November 2011).
