NOVEMBER 2008
We prepare
a monthly summary of gun incidents, focussing on those that raise key
issues about the nature of gun crime and the adequacy of gun legislation. Items that
have been amended or added to the list since the
Summary was written are marked (*).
ENGLAND
Sunday Mirror,
30
November 2008
Two men have been jailed for
their part in a hold up at a takeaway in Chorlton, Manchester, in
which they fled with £1000. Ryan Williams was sentenced to
eight-and-a-half years after holding a fake gun
to a man's head. Mark Greaves, who acted as a look out, was jailed
for six-and-a-half years.
BBC,
30
November 2008 *
A man has been shot dead by
police in Guildford, Surrey. Armed officers were deployed
following reports of an armed man. The Independent Police Complaints
Commission (IPCC) are investigating the
shooting. According to firearms expects the man was carrying a
blank firing 8mm self-loading pistol (BBC,
4 December 2008). An interim report published by the IPCC says that
the man told a passer-by he was "going to start killing a lot of people".
He had told a friend he expected to die. According to the report he
was shot by two officers, who issued a warning, after he pulled the pistol
from his coat, raised it and appeared to get it ready to fire (BBC,
19 December 2008).
Sunderland Echo,
29
November 2008
A man is in hospital after
being shot with what is believed to have been an
airgun pellet in Sunderland. His injuries were not
believed to be life-threatening and his condition was described as stable.
BBC,
29
November 2008
A taxi driver is
recovering at home after being struck over the head with what is believed
to have been a handgun. He was attacked by two men in Normanton,
Derby, who then drove off is his car.
This is Gloucestershire,
28
November 2008
David Melles, a member of the
Outlaws gang involved in the murder of a biker (see below), has been
jailed for 12 years after sawn-off and pump-action shotguns, dum dum
bullets and a Derringer pistol were found at his house in Selsley,
Gloucestershire, by police had who stopped a car in which he was travelling
at a roadblock. Although there was no known link between the weapons
and the biker's death, details of this case could only be published after
the conviction of the M40 killers. Melles had pleaded guilty to 10
charges of having prohibited firearms and ammunition.
This is Cornwall,
28
November 2008
A train windscreen was damaged
when it was hit by a pellet fired from an air
rifle near to St Erth station in Cornwall. A £1000
reward has been offered for information relating to the incident.
Sunderland Echo,
28
November 2008
A man is on trial having
denied making an explosive substance without a lawful objective.
Police found a pipe bomb in a safe in his bedroom in Durham in
November 2007. Also in the safe were two
imitation firearms, knives and ammunition. The trial
continues.
South London Press,
28
November 2008 *
Three men from south London
have been jailed for firearms offences. Kadie Spence, 20, has been
sentenced to six-and-a-half years after being found guilty of possessing a
loaded handgun after being seen throwing the gun from a moving car in
Nunhead in February 2008. Eston Barton received a five-year
sentence for possession of a handgun and live ammunition after being
arrested in September at his home in Peckham. Andre Alexander
was given five years and nine months after being found guilty of
possessing firearms and ammunition and supplying cannabis. Police
found two handguns, a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition together with drugs
and dealing paraphernalia at a flat in Camberwell in March 2008.
Evening Chronicle,
28
November 2008
An 11-year-old boy was lucky
to escape with minor injuries when he was shot with a
pellet gun at close range as he played
with friends in woods at Beacon Lough, Gateshead. He needed
staples in his head after being shot with a brass pellet. The gun
was fired by one of three older boys who held the weapon at the boy's head
and pulled the trigger.
Bucks Free Press,
28
November 2008
A man armed with a gun made
off with a large amount of cash which he seized from security guards at a
garage in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. He escaped in a car
being driven by another man.
BBC,
28 November 2008
A Mac-10 sub machine gun
recovered by police from a garden in south London in September 2008
has been linked to an operation where replica
weapons were converted into lethal weapons in a factory in
Three Mile Cross, Berkshire. Grant Wilkinson was jailed for life
in August 2008 (see Incidents)
for turning the replicas into weapons, which have been linked to more than
50 shootings. Police have offered a £10,000 reward for any
information leading to the recovery of 40 outstanding converted guns.
Yorkshire Evening Post,
27 November 2008
Shaun Cockerham pointed an
air rifle out of the bathroom window
of his parents' home in Castleford, West Yorkshire, and fired at
a neighbour and his 14-year-old son. The incident occurred in
November 2007. The man was hit in the right side and a pellet went
through his son's jeans but caused no injury. Cockerham was
convicted of assault, attempted assault and possessing a firearm when he
was prohibited from doing so. He has 35 previous convictions and
has been jailed for three years.
Liverpool Daily Post,
27 November 2008
A 15-year-old boy has been
detained after a sawn-off shotgun was found at a house in St Helens,
Merseyside. He has appeared before magistrates charged with
possession of a firearm.
Cambridge News,
27 November 2008
A man wielding a silver
handgun robbed a betting shop in Cambridge. He placed a bag
on top of the counter and ordered the staff to fill it with cash.
He left the shop with just over £500.
Bolton News,
27
November 2008
Police found a machine gun and
other weapons during a raid on a travellers' site in Bolton.
Four men were arrested as part of an operation to crack down on burglary
and handling stolen goods.
BBC,
27 November 2008 *
A man has been killed
following a drive-by shooting in West Croydon, south London.
He was taken to hospital where he later died. Two 18-year-old has
been arrested in connection with the shooting (BBC, 23 December
2008).
BBC,
27 November 2008
Six men have now been found
guilty of murdering a Hells Angel on the M40 in Warwickshire in
August 2007 (see Incidents).
The victim was shot as he returned from a biker festival. Malcolm
Bull, Dean Taylor, Simon Turner, Dane Garside were convicted of murder
and a firearms offence, Karl Garside and Ian Cameron were found guilty
of murder but cleared of possessing a shotgun. A seventh man, Sean
Creighton, admitted murder and firearms offences before the trial began.
They have all been given life sentences with a minimum of 25 to 30 years
in jail (BBC, 28 November 2008).
Daily Echo,
26 November 2008
Police believe that a
ball bearing gun may have been used to
cause damage to more than 20 vehicles and at least seven bus shelters in
and around Southbourne and Christchurch in Dorset.
Vandals took pot shots from a moving car.
Manchester Evening News,
25 November 2008
Nathan Flaherty has been
jailed for ten years for blasting another man in the back and chest with
a sawn-off shotgun as part of a feud in the Partington area of
Manchester in June 2008 (see
Incidents). The victim was shot through the windscreen
of a car in which he was asleep and was hit again as he tried to escape.
Flaherty fled from Manchester but gave himself up to the police.
He admitted offences of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and
possessing the shotgun.
BBC,
25 November 2008
A man has been charged with
attempted murder following a shooting incident in South Kirkby,
West Yorkshire, in which the victim was shot in the arm. One other
man remains in custody and two males have been released on bail.
Two men and a teenager has also been charged with conspiracy to commit
murder (BBC, 23 December 2008).
BBC,
25 November 2008
A family was threatened with
knives and a stun gun by two men who escaped with cash and jewellery
during a robbery at their home in Luton, Bedfordshire.
BBC,
25 November 2008
Faisal Mostafa has been
given a suspended sentence for trying to board a plane at Manchester
Airport with a gas-powered pistol and bullet parts in his suitcase.
He admitted possessing dangerous articles on an aircraft after he failed
to declare them when he checked in. Prosecutors did not dispute
they were for hunting and that the gun, which was packed in component
parts, had been purchased as a gift for his brother-in-law in
Bangladesh. In 1996 he had been found guilty of illegally
possessing a firearm, sentenced to four years in prison and banned for
life from possessing a firearm. He was given a 56 day prison
sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to undertake 100 hours of
unpaid work.
The Gazette (Blackpool),
24 November 2008
A man from Ansdell,
Blackpool, has been charged with possessing a firearm and 11 rounds of
ammunition without a firearms certificate. The weapon and bullets
were said to have been found hidden in a cushion at his home.
Bolton News,
24 November 2008
Jason Pearson threatened two
women within an hour by holding a gun to their heads in a Bolton
subway in January 2008 (see
Incidents). He was aged 16 at the time. He has
been jailed for four years with a further one year on licence when he is
released after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of
sexual assault.
BBC,
24 November 2008
A man armed with an
air rifle opened fire on police
officers when they were called to an address in Weymouth,
Dorset. A man has been arrested.
BBC,
24 November 2008
A house was damaged during a
shooting in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. One bullet damaged the
front door. Four men were seem walking away from the house.
BBC,
24 November 2008
A man "brandishing a
firearm" demanded money from staff at a convenience store in Falmouth,
Cornwall. He stole £600.
Press Association,
22 November 2008
A man has died after a
shooting in an alleyway in Ealing, west London. He was
pronounced dead at the scene.
Evening Chronicle,
21 November 2008
Daniel McDowell and Sean Hall
raided a bookmakers in Gateshead in August 2008 (see
Incidents),
threatening staff with an imitation pistol and demanding cash. They
have both pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing the
imitation firearm and knife.
Both have been jailed for five years, plus a further two to run
concurrently.
Daily Echo,
21 November 2008
Police have seized
BB guns from a Christmas shop in Poole,
Dorset, where they were on sale alongside decorations and gifts. The
guns included a full-scale replica of an M85 rifle type. The guns
are now the subject of a hands-on investigation over fears they are
realistic enough to be mistaken for the real thing. The Violent
Crime Reduction Act 2006 prohibits the manufacture, sale or import of
realistic-looking imitation firearms.
BBC,
21
November 2008
Two masked men armed with a
handgun threatened a post office worker during an attempted robbery in
Epping, Essex. They tried to steal money from the till but
failed and ran off.
This is Hampshire,
20 November 2008
Armed police were called out
when a 14-year-old boy was seen with a gun in Andover, Hampshire.
The police seized a BB gun and
pellets. The youth and a 12-year-old boy have been spoken to by
police officers.
Sun,
20 November 2008
An army sergeant has appeared
before a disciplinary hearing after allegedly firing off an AK47 rifle and
leaving bullet holes in the walls of an office at a barracks in
Blackwater, Surrey. An officer hurt his hand when diving for
cover. The sergeant has appeared in court on a charge of possession
of a firearm with intent to cause violence.
The Sentinel,
20 November 2008
Carers who believed they were at risk stopped their visits to an elderly disabled woman after
discovering a starter pistol in her home in Stoke-on-Trent. The
pistol belonged to her husband who explained it was harmless. The
council has now sent in temporary carers and is investigating the
incident.
BBC,
20 November 2008
Police have revealed that a
man found dead at an address in Tividale, West Midlands, earlier
this month had been shot in the chest with a shotgun. A woman was
also found to have been assaulted, leaving her with a minor head injury.
BBC,
20 November 2008
A 9-year-old girl was shot
with an air pistol as she left a
primary school in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. She
was treated immediately and then went home. Although not thought to
be seriously hurt she was very shocked. A 10-year-old boy has been
arrested.
BBC,
20
November 2008
Two 11-year-old children have
been shot with a BB gun while walking
with friends in York. A girl had a pellet mark on her back
which was bleeding and the boy was left with a red and bruised leg.
A 12-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the attack (The
Press, 24 November 2008).
Yorkshire Evening Post,
19
November 2008
A man has been shot in
Chapeltown, Leeds. He was found after an ambulance was called to
an address in a nearby street. He is in hospital and was said to be
in a stable condition with a stomach wound.
Oxford Mail,
19
November 2008
A teenager is believed to have
been shot with an air pistol when he
was attacked by two men at the crematorium in Barton, Oxford.
He has a fractured elbow and an eye injury which could have been caused by
an air pistol. Two teenagers have been charged, one with causing
grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of an imitation firearm with
intent to cause fear and dangerous driving and the other with causing
grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon (Oxford
Mail, 20 November 2008).
Northampton Chronicle &
Echo,
19
November 2008
Gary Blundred, 18, shot a
14-year-old boy in the face with an air weapon
whilst they were fishing in St James, Northampton, in June 2008.
He had the weapon with him to scare off wild fowl and had fired it
parallel to the bank. The victim still has a metal pellet lodged in
his skull. Blundred admitted wounding and was given 162 hours of
community service and was ordered to pay £500 in compensation.
Northampton Chronicle &
Echo,
19
November 2008
A shotgun was fired through
the front door of a home in Kingsley, Northampton. A hole was
blasted through the door. No one was injured.
The Gazette
(Blackpool),
19
November 2008
Andrew Naylor pointed a
fake gun at a librarian's head when he
was asked to leave a library in Blackpool in January 2008. He
twice pulled the trigger on the pistol. He pleaded guilty to
possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
He was placed on 18 months supervision with a requirement to live where
directed by the probation service.
BBC,
19
November 2008
Two people were arrested after
reports that a firearm had been discharged in Normanton, Derby.
A man has appeared in court charged with possession of a firearm with
intent to endanger life (This is Derbyshire, 28 November 2008).
St Albans & Harpenden
Review,
18
November 2008
Adam Boon has pleaded guilty
to possession of an imitation firearm
with intent to cause fear of violence to another man. He was
visiting a friend in St Albans, Hertfordshire, when their noise
disturbed a neighbour who did not accept their apology. Boon said he
was frightened and took the pistol, which did not work, to show the man he
was armed. The judge said it would be unjust to sentence him to the
recommended minimum sentence of five years and jailed him for 18 months.
Northern Echo,
18
November 2008
A robber brandishing a weapon,
possibly a handgun, targeted a cash delivery at a cash point at a
supermarket in Yarm, Teesside. He grabbed an amount of cash
and made off in a car driven by another suspect.
Northumberland Gazette,
17
November 2008
Police believe that a series
of airgun attacks in Tyneside are
linked. A man was hit on his hand in Pelaw and the police
received a report of damage to windows in Heworth. Later a
porch window in Pelaw was damaged.
Liverpool Echo,
17
November 2008
Nathan McGrail, 18, has been
jailed for six years for possessing a handgun and bullets used in a
robbery and was given a seven-year-sentence to run concurrently for
possessing an Uzi submachine gun. He had been wanted in connection
with a spate of shootings in Huyton, Merseyside. His cousin
Jason McGrail, 19, was also given a seven year sentence after he was
caught in a taxi carrying an Uzi, a silencer and dozens of cartridges.
George Sweeney was sentenced for three years for attempting to retrieve a
gun used by the McGrail family.
Liverpool Echo,
17
November 2008
A shotgun was fired at a house
in Netherton, Merseyside, in an early morning attack. The
family living at the house escaped injury.
BBC,
17
November 2008
A man is seriously ill in
hospital after being shot in the leg in a pub in Moss Side,
Manchester. He was said by police to be in a serious condition and
was "lucky to be alive".
This is Plymouth,
14
November 2008
A 16-year-old has pleaded
guilty to possession of an air weapon
in a public place after police were called when a youth was seen with a
gun heading towards a fast food restaurant in Plymouth in July 2008
(see Incidents).
Police believe that an organised fight had been planned. It was
claimed that the teenager did not own the gun which belonged to another
youth who was carrying two knives and was also arrested. He has been
given a six month referral order. The BB gun will be forfeited and
destroyed.
This is Derbyshire,
14
November 2008
A teenager was jailed for five
years after police found a .38 compact revolver at a home in Allenton,
Derby. They also found ammunition in a bag with the gun and in his
house, as well as cannabis and drug paraphernalia. Ferrari
Forrest-Clarke pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm, two
charges of possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate,
possessing prohibited ammunition and possessing cannabis with intent to
supply.
BBC,
14
November 2008
Ten teenagers have been
arrested in Croxteth, Merseyside, on suspicion of possession of a firearm.
They were stopped by police who thought they were acting suspiciously.
A weapon, believed to be a decommissioned firearm, was recovered.
BBC,
14
November 2008
A man brandished a handgun and
demanded cash from an assistant at a garage on the A19 near Easington,
County Durham. He ran out of the store without taking any money.
Telegraph,
13
November 2008
A coroner has recorded an open
verdict at an inquest into the death of a man who was found dead by armed
police at his home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in January
2008. He shot himself with an unsecured shotgun owned by his
housemate, but the coroner concluded that the evidence did not match the
standard of proof for a finding of suicide.
Telegraph,
13
November 2008
A teenage girl who smuggled a
ball-bearing pistol into her school in
Manchester has been excluded. It is believed that the police
were tipped off by one of her classmates.
Grantham Journal,
13
November 2008
Armed police officers were
called to a house in Grantham, Lincolnshire, following reports that
a man was making threats with an air rifle.
He was persuaded to give himself voluntarily and has been arrested on
suspicion of assault not relating to the air rifle.
Express & Star,
13
November 2008
Phillip Kent, a memorabilia
collector from Stafford, has been jailed for five years for
possessing a Second World War rifle listed as a prohibited weapon.
He was arrested by police acting on information and pleaded guilty to
possessing the rifle.
BBC,
13
November 2008 *
A man has been arrested after
firing a "number of firearms" while police officers were negotiating with
him at a property in the Derriford area of Plymouth. A Taser stun
gun was fired by officers during the incident. A man has been
charged with holding a young woman hostage and threatening her with a
handgun. He faces charges under the Firearms Act of possessing a
stun gun, a shotgun without holding a firearms certificate and a handgun.
He faces other drug and criminal property charges (This is Plymouth,
13 December 2008).
Worcester News,
12
November 2008
A man was threatened with a
gun, tied up, beaten with a crowbar and had holes drilled in his legs with
a screwdriver by three men at his home near Mustow Green,
Worcestershire. The men stole a quantity of cash. The victim
was left for 15 hours until someone found him.
Wigan Evening Post,
12
November 2008
A man from Standish,
Lancashire, has appeared at court to face child pornography and firearm
offences. He is alleged to have had a prohibited weapon and
ammunition without a certificate.
Manchester Evening News,
12
November 2008
A silver revolver used to
murder a man at a takeaway in Stretford in January 2008 (see
Incidents) was found
by detectives when they searched a house in East Didsbury, Greater
Manchester, in May as part of an unconnected investigation. A
forensic link has been made to bullets found at the scene of the murder.
Asim Bashir was jailed for six years for possession of a firearm with
intent to endanger life in September 2008 in connection with the seizure.
No one has been convicted for the fatal shooting.
Lancashire Evening Post,
12
November 2008
Two men, aged 20 and 18, have
both pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of a man who was hit by 56
shotgun pellets in his upper body when he was shot and beaten with a
baseball bat in Preston in April 2008. They also deny
possession of a firearm with intent to commit murder. The shooting
is alleged to have resulted from a drugs feud between rival gangs from the
Deepdale and Fishwick areas of the city. Kyle Parvez, 20, has been
found guilty of attempted murder and also of possession of a firearm with
intent to commit murder. Zainul James, 18, has been found guilty of
arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered. They will
be sentenced in December (The Citizen, 19 November 2008).
BBC,
12
November 2008
Four people have been arrested
in connection with a shooting in Rugeley, Staffordshire. A
man was shot in the bottom with a gun when a man came out of the bushes.
BBC,
12
November 2008
Two men, one armed with a gun,
forced their way into a home in Slough, Berkshire, and demanded
cash from the occupants. They made off with money and two mobile
phones.
BBC,
12
November 2008
A 15-year-old boy has died
after being shot in the chest as he was walking along a street in the
Sunnyhill area of Derby. He was taken to hospital where he
died from his injuries. A 19-year-old and an 18-year-old have been
charged with murder and two more people face charges of helping an
offender (BBC, 19
November 2008).
Birmingham Mail,
11
November 2008
A man was mugged at gunpoint
as he stood outside a shop in Smethwick, West Midlands. Two
men threatened him with the gun and demanded money.
BBC,
11
November 2008
A 15-year-old has been
arrested after another 15-year-old was shot in the leg in Pendeford,
West Midlands. The victim was treated in hospital and later
discharged.
North West Evening Mail,
10
November 2008
A boy, described as around 15
years old, is reported to have opened fire with a
ball bearing gun while standing at a bus
stop in Barrow, Cumbria. A store window was broken. He
travelled by bus to Walney where homes in three streets were hit.
The boy was in the company of another male and two females.
Manchester Evening News,
10 November 2008
Police carried out raids at 17
addresses in Longsight and one in Tameside in an operation
to crackdown on young gangsters before they become involved in major
gangland shootings. Six people were arrested.
Evening Gazette,
10
November 2008
A boy aged 12 escaped serious
injuries after being shot with an air weapon
or BB type gun in Thorntree,
Middlesbrough. He suffered reddening and bruising and a slight
puncturing of the skin.
Bury Free Press,
10
November 2008
A man threatened staff with a
small handgun at a hotel in Fornham St Genevieve, Suffolk. He
was given cash and then left the premises.
BBC,
10 November 2008
Ronald Higgins has admitted
attempting to rob a newsagent but has denied murdering him.
The victim was shot dead in his store in Huyton, Merseyside, in May
2008 (see Incidents).
Higgins has also admitted possession of a .44 Pietta muzzle loading
revolver at the time of committing the offence as well as a number of
other firearms charges. He admitted having a firearm and ammunition
in a public place in Broad Green, Liverpool, possessing a stun gun
and purchasing a semi-automatic pistol. He pleaded guilty to two
other counts of possessing prohibited weapons including two stun guns at a
property in Knotty Ash and another revolver. A trial is
expected to take place in February 2009.
BBC,
10 November 2008
A man was in a serious
condition in hospital after being found in a car outside Beckton
DLR station, east London, with at least one gunshot wound. Two men
have been arrested (BBC, 11 November 2008).
Avon and Somerset
Police,
10
November 2008
Two people were shot at in
separate incidents involving a ball bearing gun.
In the first incident a man out running in Henbury,
Gloucestershire, was shot and struck in the face. Ten minutes later
a man walking in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, was hit in the
face with a shot fired from a car.
Northumberland Gazette,
9
November 2008
Three teenagers have been
arrested after a woman was shot in the eye with an
airgun pellet in Sunderland.
BBC,
9
November 2008
A man pointed a small handgun
at staff during a raid at a fast food restaurant in Waltham Abbey,
Essex. He threatened staff and forced them to open the till, took
money from it and then ran out of the restaurant.
Liverpool Echo,
8
November 2008
John Muldoon robbed five
Merseyside taxi drivers at gunpoint. The robberies in Huyton,
Southport, Maghull and the centre of Liverpool took
place in a seven week period around January 2008. He pleaded guilty
to six robberies and six offences of possessing an
imitation
firearm with intent and has been given an 11-year jail
sentence. His cousin Stephen Black, 19, admitted his involvement in
one of the offences and was sentenced to 21 months.
Lancashire Telegraph,
8
November 2008
Two men walked into a takeaway
in Blackburn carrying what appeared to be a handgun. They
asked the assistant to fill a bag with money and when he turned his back
they fired three shots with what is now believed to be an
airgun before fleeing empty handed.
One of the shots caused bruising to the assistant's lower back.
Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough),
8
November 2008
Stuart Sillitoe has admitted
attempted robbery and possession of an imitation
firearm and been jailed for four years. He brandished a
"weapon" in front of three female staff at a post office in
Middlesbrough and demanded cash in a bag. One member of staff
pressed the panic alarm button and Sillitoe fled empty handed. The
weapon was a scaffold pole wrapped in a towel.
Echo (Essex),
8
November 2008
A lorry driver was tied up and
robbed after being threatened by two men, one of whom told him he had a
gun, at a service area in Thurrock and forced to drive across
Essex. He was ordered to stop at two unknown locations before being
told to pull up in a lay-by where two containers were unloaded from the
lorry onto another lorry. He was found at Fyfield (BBC, 8
November 2008).
BBC,
8
November 2008
Three shotguns and an
air
rifle were stolen from a farm in Trafford, Greater Manchester,
along with a number of valuable antiques.
BBC,
8
November 2008
Two men threatened staff with
a gun and an axe during an armed robbery at a hotel in Bristol.
One man has been charged with robbery and possession of a firearm with
intent to commit an indictable offence.
Mercury
(Hertfordshire),
7
November 2008
Alan Parker ran outside with
an airgun when he thought youngsters
deliberately aimed fireworks at his home in Hertford. Armed
police who closed the road outside his house to arrest him say they were
responding to reports that a shotgun was involved. Four shotguns and
cartridges from a gun cabinet were seized as well as the airgun.
BBC,
7
November 2008
A man has been arrested after
a rifle was fired at police from a house in Bognor, Sussex.
The officers had been called to reports that a man had injured himself.
The gun is reported to have been an air rifle
(The Argus, 10 November 2008).
Southern Daily Echo,
6
November 2008
Two armed robbers held up a
taxi driver in Southampton, wrenching open his door, pointing
a black handgun at him and demanding money
Rugby Advertiser,
6
November 2008
Staff were held at gunpoint in
an attack during an event at a Rugby hotel. Two men, 0ne
armed with a shotgun, got away with a high value quantity of jewellery.
Huddersfield Daily
Examiner,
6
November 2008
Two teenagers, Ashley Matthews
and John Moorhouse, have admitted assault after a woman was hit in the
head by an airgun pellet in
Waterloo, Huddersfield. They were ordered to do 150 hours and
200 hours unpaid work, respectively. Moorhouse was given a two-month
compensation order.
Halesowen News,
6
November 2008
Liam Ford was involved in a
violent carjack at gunpoint and was then in a gang who fired shots as they
tried to rob a betting shop in Oldbury, West Midlands, using the
car as a getaway vehicle. He has been jailed for a total of 17 and a
half years. His accomplice Ryan Kirk had been sent to prison for a
total of nine years.
Evening Star,
6
November 2008
A shotgun, ammunition and a
quantity of cash were stolen during a break-in at a house in Wickham
Market, Suffolk.
Evening Courier,
6
November 2008
Two men and a youth have
appeared in court in connection with an armed robbery at a bookmakers in
Ovenden, West Yorkshire, in July 2008. Nathan Hutchinson, 18,
admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by allowing a
blank firing pistol to be concealed at his address.
Jonathan Williams and the youth pleaded guilty to robbery.
Buxton Advertiser,
6
November 2008
Staff at an off-licence in
Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire were threatened with a gun and a bat by
robbers. Three youths demanded cash but when staff refused they left
the shop with a bottle of vodka and two bottles of brandy.
Bolton News,
6
November 2008
A gunshot was fired when armed
raiders tried to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds during a raid on a
security depot in Kearsley, Bolton. The gang of three men
failed to gain access to the building and a security van and fled empty
handed.
BBC,
6
November 2008
A female armed robber fired a
shot into the floor during a failed raid on a post office in High Spen,
Tyneside. The postmistress refused to hand over money.
BBC,
5
November 2008
A man pointed a gun at two
people at a post office in Watford, Hertfordshire, during a failed
attempt to steal cash.
BBC,
5
November 2008
A 17-year-old youth was
seriously injured in a shooting in Wavertree, Liverpool. He
was taken to hospital where he remained in a serious but stable condition.
Mail,
4
November 2008
An internet trader has been
jailed for five years. David Sampson from Sittingbourne,
Kent, sold deactivated weapons on eBay and traded guns on the auction site
as a legitimate collector. He stockpiled grenades, a rocket launcher
and guns, most of which were legally held, but police found a 9 mm Luger
self-loading pistol and a Belgian pistol hidden when they raided the
property in October 2006. He was convicted of four gun-related
charges, two of possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a shotgun
without a certificate and possessing a rocket launcher.
Evening Star,
4
November 2008
A man has been charged with
threatening another with a firearm at a block of flats in Ipswich.
It is believed that the weapon was an air rifle.
Burton Mail,
4
November 2008
An alcoholic from
Swadlincote, Derbyshire, who had threatened to kill himself with an
air rifle, which the police duly seized
but had to return to him, was able to use the weapon two months later to
shoot himself fatally in the stomach in June 2008. The coroner
recorded a verdict of suicide.
Ham & High,
3
November 2008
A gunman opened fire on a
police car in Highgate, north London. The officers escaped
without injury. A man who allegedly threatened a dog handler with a
shotgun was arrested. Two teenagers were also arrested in relation to
the incident.
Eastern Daily Press,
3
November 2008
A 13-year-old was shot in the
stomach with a ball-bearing gun while
out trick-or-treating in Lowestoft, Suffolk. In a separate
incident a woman was struck on the hand by a
paintball pellet.
BBC,
5
November 2008
A man was hit in the face with
an airgun pellet in Telford,
Shropshire. The victim is said to be in a comfortable condition in
hospital after the pellet became lodged in his cheek. He also
suffered swelling to the bridge of his nose.
BBC,
3
November 2008
A drug addict, Graeme Kee, has
pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished
responsibility. He shot his stepfather three times at his home in
Liverpool in October 2007 (see
November 2007 Incidents). He has been given an
indeterminate sentence and must serve four years before he can apply for
parole.
The Citizen
(Burnley), 2
November 2008
Daniel McLaughlin has been jailed after "charging"
outside his house in Nelson, Lancashire,
with a loaded airgun and a Samurai
sword after getting angry at a youth in September 2008.
Residents, one of them feared for his life,
alerted police.
McLaughlin admitted possessing a loaded air weapon in public and
possessing an offensive weapon. He was jailed for 44 weeks.
SCOTLAND
Sunday Mail,
30
November 2008
A man who was finally captured
by police in July 2008 (see
Incidents) after going on the run after a shooting in
Glasgow in July 2004 has been sentenced to nearly six years in
prison. Following a confrontation at a club Gordon Horsfall had
opened fire at random with a shotgun. One woman passer-by was inured
by a ricochet before he then turned to a doorman and shot him through the
hand.
BBC,
24 November 2008
Two men carried out an armed
raid on a bookmakers in Renfrew. One of the men was
brandishing what appeared to be a gun. They threatened staff and
fled with a three figure sum of cash.
Sunday Mail,
23
November 2008
Michael Nelson has admitted
recklessly leaving a shotgun in a polythene bag which he dumped when he
was being chased by police in Glasgow. A police constable
picked up the bag and the loaded gun went off, shooting him in the hand.
Nelson, who claimed he had been asked to look after the firearm for a drug
dealer, also pleaded guilty to a contravention of the Firearms Act.
He was jailed for five years.
BBC,
23
November 2008
A man brandishing what
appeared to be a firearm robbed a shop in Johnstone, Renfrewshire.
He fled with a three-figure sum of money. No shots were fired and
the staff members were badly shaken but otherwise unhurt.
BBC,
19
November 2008
Police have seized 23 illegal
firearms and arrested almost 300 people during a crackdown on serious and
organised crime during a four-week operation by Strathclyde Police.
Evening News
(Edinburgh),
17
November 2008
A drugs charity worker was
sacked for gross misconduct after being accused of bringing an air weapon
or imitation firearm to work. He had fired a
toy gun at work in Edinburgh.
However, an employment tribunal has concluded that Graham Bennett was
sacked unfairly though found him ten percent to blame. He has
received compensation.
Hamilton Advertiser,
13
November 2008
Linda Gibson has been fined
£600 for brandishing an airgun at a
man and a woman in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, before carrying out an
assault in September 2008. She admitted the assault and a breach of
the peace.
BBC,
13
November 2008
A man is recovering in
hospital after being shot in the arm, leg and stomach during an attack in
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. He is in a stable condition and
is expected to make a full recovery. Police are treating the attack
as attempted murder.
Press & Journal,
7
November 2008
A shopkeeper from Inverness
has been accused of selling imitation guns.
The allegation follows a spate of incidents across the Highlands involving
the public reporting people carrying imitation weapons.
Sunday Mail,
2
November 2008
A man and a woman have been
arrested after police found three guns and ammunition at a house in
Clydebank.
WALES
BBC,
24
November 2008
Armed police were sent to a
house in Edwardsville, Merthyr Tydfil, following reports that a
person had been seen with a firearm. South Wales Police said they
did not find anybody at the house or any firearms.
South Wales Echo,
15
November 2008
A 16-year-old who pointed an
air rifle at a schoolboy's feet and
ordered him to dance before firing into his hip has been given a 10 months
detention and training order. He had previously been convicted of
causing grievous bodily harm but had failed to comply with a community
order which was imposed at the time. The incident occurred in
Aberdare after the two youths had been invited to shoot cans by two
other youths who had the gun.
This is South Wales,
10
November 2008
A hooded youngster robbed two young
women at gunpoint in Swansea. He threatened them with what
police said was a small pistol and stole and handbag and cash before
running off.
INCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS
Wisbech Standard,
28
November 2008
A £1000 reward has been
offered to find those responsible for the killing of ducks found shot dead
in the centre of March, Cambridgeshire. Three were found with
bullet wounds, but police were told that as many as eight ducks may have
been killed.
Melton Times,
27 November 2008
A pet cat from Syston,
Leicestershire, has been shot and injured three times in two
airgun attacks since August. Her
owners are also concerned that her housemate who came home with a bloody
hole in her nose and a swollen eye may also have been the victim of an
air weapon attack.
Daily Mail,
27 November 2008
Phil Bishop shot dead his
neighbour's dog after becoming annoyed at its early morning barking.
The dog died minutes after being shot when Bishop fired his
.22 air rifle from his study window in
Brinton, Norfolk. He claimed he was aiming to hit a metal
bench in his next door garden to make a noise to scare the dog away.
He was given a two-year conditional discharge after he admitted causing
unnecessary suffering to an animal. He was also ordered to pay
costs and £1,750 compensation.
Eastwood & Kimberley
Advertiser,
21 November 2008
A man has been given a
12-month conditional discharge and fined £938 after pleading guilty to
shooting a collared dove. James Dodd also signed his
air rifle over to the RSPCA. The
dove had to be put to sleep after being hit with a pellet. Dodd had
been seen shooting the bird at his home in Eastwood,
Nottinghamshire.
BBC,
21
November 2008
A cat suffered immense pain
and had to be put to sleep following an incident in Paignton,
Devon, in which she was shot with an airgun.
A pellet lodged near her spine and despite an operation the effects of her
injury were too severe.
Keighley News,
14 November 2008
A cat owner arrived home in
Keighley, West Yorkshire, to discover a trail of blood leading to her
pet. She had been shot at close range in the stomach. It
appears she was shot with a high powered air
rifle.
BBC,
14
November 2008
A kitten has died and two cats
have been injured in airgun attacks
according to the RSPCA. The kitten was shot in Stoke-on-Trent.
The injured cats were attacked in Pensnett and Sedgley in
the West Midlands.
Rhondda Leader,
13
November 2008
A dog has been found dead from
a gunshot wound in Pentre, Mid Glamorgan. The dog had
suffered a deep wound to its right ear and may have been led to the scene
before it died. Four days earlier a cat from Tylorstown had
been shot in the throat with an air rifle.
The cat survived but needed pain relief and sedation.
Coventry Evening
Telegraph,
12
November 2008
A kitten is recovering after
being shot with a pellet gun in the
Tile Hill area of Coventry. X-rays showed a pellet had gone
through her internal organs and surgery was needed to fix her ruptured
kidney and colon.
This is North Devon,
8
November 2008
A cat was shot with an
airgun and left to die near his family
home in Barnstaple, Devon. An x-ray showed he had been shot
in the shoulder and the pellet had gone into the animal's spine, causing
permanent damage. He had to be put to sleep.
The Citizen
(Blackburn), 2
November 2008
A cat was left in agony
after being shot with an air rifle
in Mill Hill, Blackburn. X-rays showed a pellet lodged
close to his heart. The pellet entered his body just behind his
right front leg.
The Sentinel,
1 November 2008
A cat has been left
struggling to walk after being shot with an air
rifle in Hanford, Staffordshire. A pellet is
lodged in her brain. Two years ago another of the owner's cats was
shot and a pellet was left embedded in his head.
