2005
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
Bedford Today,
31 December 2005
Police turned out in
force in Sandy after reports of a man threatening a group of youths
with a silver handgun. The gun was later discovered to be a
replica. A man was arrested and
released on bail.
icSouth London,
30 December 2005
Simon Gill who claimed
he had an 8 mm handgun to commit suicide was jailed for five-and-a-half
years. Detectives, however, believed he paid for the
converted Glock handgun after being caught
up with drugs crime. Police found the gun during a raid on a premises
in Croydon. Gill admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and
possession of seven rounds of ammunition.
BBC,
30 December 2005 *
Armed police have
arrested a man after the fatal shooting of another man in Grimsby.
The victim died in hospital after being found lying in the street. A
man has been given a life sentence for what was described as a "completely
random, motiveless and pointless" attack (see
October 2006 Incidents).
BBC,
30 December 2005
Three people were
arrested by armed police after a man said a weapon had been fired at him in
Cuxton, near Rochester. It is not believed that anyone was
injured in the incident.
BBC,
29 December 2005
Two men robbed a
football club in Bristol, threatened and assaulted a barman before
taking a quantity of cash. During the raid a sawn-off shotgun was
fired.
BBC,
28 December 2005
Two men were
accidentally shot during a pheasant shoot in the Hennock area, near
Newton Abbot. Both were hit by shotgun pellets. Police said the
incident followed a misunderstanding between heaters and shooters. The
Health and Safety Executive has been made aware of the incident.
BBC,
28 December 2005
A man was shot in the
leg as he sat in his car in Wembley. He was approached by five
men who hit him around the head before he was shot. The victim's
condition is described as serious, but not life-threatening.
Bexley Express,
28 December 2005
Two youths, aged around
18, are being sought after a 15-year-old girl had a gun held to her face and
her mobile phone stolen in a street in New Eltham. It is
thought that a man may also have been a target of the duo at New Eltham
train station.
BBC,
27 December 2005 *
A man has been shot dead
and another received minor gunshot injuries after a row at a bar in
Ravensthorpe,
Dewsbury. According to the police it is believed that the incident
followed an altercation inside the bar. Three men have been arrested
in connection with the shooting (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 5
January 2006). An 18-year-old has been charged with murder, a
17-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and
assisting an offender (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 30 March 2006).
Four men have received long jail sentences for their involvement in the
killing (see March 2007 Incidents).
BBC,
27 December 2005 *
A woman was found shot
dead at a house in Audley, north Staffordshire. A man has been
arrested and is helping police with their inquiries. He was eventually
been found guilty of manslaughter (see
August 2006 Incidents).
BBC,
24 December 2005 *
An 11-year-old boy
suffered a serious sexual assault from a man who threatened him with what is
believed to have been a handgun. The boy was walking in Spalding
with a 9-year-old boy when they were approached by the man. He pulled out a
what is thought to have been a gun and grabbed the 11-year-old. The other boy
managed to run away. A man has been jailed for at least six years (see
April 2006 Incidents).
BBC,
24 December 2005
Two shop assistants were
threatened by a man with a pistol at a store in Perham Down, near
Tidworth in Wiltshire. The man stole cash and then walked away from
the scene.
South London Press,
23 December 2005 *
Damien Sawyers faces a
possible life sentence after being convicted of possessing firearms and
intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin. He was caught with a
Skorpion CZ-91S sub-machine gun and three pistols, one disguised as a key
ring, when police went to his hideout in Clapham in February 2005.
However, despite the likelihood of a jail term the judge allowed Sawyers
home until sentencing in February. Sawyers was later refused a renewed
application for bail and remanded in custody (Sun, 3 January 2006).
BBC,
23 December 2005
A security van was
robbed by an armed gang in an attack at a supermarket in Ashby de la
Zouch. One of the gang was armed with a handgun. Guards were
threatened and a substantial amount of cash was taken.
BBC,
23 December 2005
A man has been arrested
after reports of shotgun fire and shouting at Manninford Bohune near
Pewsey in Wiltshire. Specialist officers were called to protect police
and the public. Shotguns were seized.
BBC,
23 December 2005
The windscreen of a van
was cracked as it was being driven along a road in Welton,
Midsomer Norton, after it was shot at by a man using an
air rifle.
This is Local London,
22 December 2005
Jerome Charles was
sentenced to 25 years in jail after being convicted of murdering a man in
Northolt as he begged for his life. He had granted an unknown
gunman permission to execute the victim, who had gone to the location for a
drug deal in February 2005 (see
Incidents).
Liverpool Echo,
22 December 2005
A schoolboy pointed a
BB gun at a bus driver and passengers near
Liverpool city centre. Two children were picked up by the
police following the incident. The gun was seized and the boys taken
home to their parents to be warned about their behaviour. The driver
was so terrified he is considering quitting his job.
icHuddersfield,
22 December 2005
Abu Mansha plotted to
"hunt down" and kill a decorated British soldier. When police searched
his flat in Thamesmead they found "virulent anti-Western propaganda"
and a blank firing gun in the process of
being converted to shoot live rounds. He insisted he had bought the
pistol from a market stall as a souvenir. He was convicted of one
count under Section 58 (1b) of the Terrorism Act. Sentencing was
adjourned.
Herts Advertiser,
22 December 2005
A man armed with a
handgun robbed a security van outside a bank in Harpenden. The
man got away with a substantial sum of money.
Croydon Guardian,
22 December 2005
A man from New
Addington shot himself dead with an air rifle.
A pellet entered his right temple and went right through his head. The
coroner recorded a verdict of suicide. His wife believed that the gun,
which was in the loft, had been disposed of some time ago.
BBC,
22 December 2005 *
A £10,000 reward is being
offered by detectives investigating the murder of a man who was shot dead in
a street in Harlesden, north west London, in January 2005. He
was taken to hospital but died from a gunshot wound to the head.
BBC,
22 December 2005
A gun was fired from a
moving car in Hulme, Manchester. Damage was caused to a house
window and wall, but there were no injuries.
Mirror,
21 December 2005
Earl White was
reportedly shot by police in the back as he drove at an armed police officer
when fleeing his mother's home in Fulham. White was wanted by
police for a string of crimes including robbery. The Independent
Police Complaints Commission would not confirm the details of the incident,
although Scotland Yard have warned that White, who is in hiding, is
"dangerous" and should not be approached.
Peterborough Today,
20 December 2005
Four teenagers have been
arrested after a number of people were shot at with an
air rifle in Dogsthorpe.
Residents were forced to duck for cover as the gun was fired at pedestrians
and vehicles. Three people were treated at hospital after being hit.
BBC,
20 December 2005
A boy was shot in the
head with an airgun in an incident
described as an accident, which happened as he played with the gun with a
friend in Billingham. He had to go to hospital to have a pellet
removed from his head. Cleveland Police say he was "extremely lucky".
The victim does not wish to press charges.
BBC,
19 December 2005
Mohammed Omar Akbar was
found guilty of murder following the torture and shooting of a teenager at a
house in Burnham in November 2003. Altogether seven people have
been convicted in connection with the murder but an inquiry is to continue.
Another man, Majad Khan, had also been found guilty of murdering the victim
and was jailed for life in November 2004.
BBC,
19 December 2005
A man was shot dead by
police at his home in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, after armed police were called
to a block of flats by a neighbour. A firearm was found at the scene
and the man is also reported to have been wielding a sword. The
Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the incident.
A later report suggested that the weapon was a shotgun (Mirror, 20
December 2005).
BBC,
19 December 2005
A man is recovering in
hospital after he was shot in the leg following a car crash in
Heckmondwike. He was shot as he returned to his car after
approaching the other car involved in the collision to talk to the driver.
BBC,
18 December 2005
A man has been arrested
after he was seen brandishing an air rifle
in the centre of Lincoln. He had been reported to have been
pointing a firearm at cars and passers-by.
Manchester Evening News,
17 December 2005 *
A shop worker was shot
dead at an off-licence in Old Trafford. The victim, who
suffered a single gunshot wound, died at the scene. It is thought that
two gunmen escaped from the scene and that the shooting may have been a
robbery which turned violent. Detectives have doubled the reward on
offer for information to £20,000 (BBC, 24 August 2006).
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle),
17 December 2005
An armed raider made off
with money from the counter at Newburn post office after he had
pointed a handgun at the postmaster's head.
National Newspapers,
16 December 2005
Damien Hanson, who was convicted of the murder of a financier and the
attempted murder of his wife at their Chelsea home in November 2004,
was also carrying a handgun when he knifed his victims as he and an
accomplice attempted to rob them.
National Newspapers,
16 December 2005 *
Police have revealed that Lee Smith fatally shot his 16-year-old
ex-girlfriend before turning his shotgun on himself. Their bodies were
found in a field near Woodsetts in south Yorkshire. Both had
died from a single gunshot wound to the head. A friend of Smith's has
been convicted of manslaughter and of shortening the barrel of the shotgun
and been given a nine year jail sentence (see
July 2006 Incidents).
Burnley Today,
16 December 2005
Around 100 BB guns were discovered in
the backyards of boarded-up homes in Burnley Wood by community
officers, who returned the following day to find another 20 to 30 weapons.
The guns ranged from handguns to large weapons. Police feared that
they could easily have got into the hands of criminals or children.
BBC,
16 December 2005
A
man opened fire with a gun after disturbing two intruders at his house in
Walpole St Andrew, west Norfolk. The intruders escaped in a white
van. Police said that it remained unclear if either of the suspects
was injured.
BBC,
16 December 2005 *
A
group of youths thought to be between 12 and 15 fired
BB guns at younger children outside a junior school at
Maltby, near
Rotherham. Some of the children were hit in the face by the
pellets. There are unconfirmed reports that the incident was filmed on
mobile phones. South Yorkshire Police (21 December 2005) have
announced that three males, aged 13, 14 and 15 have been arrested and
released on police bail. BB guns and ammunition and a mobile telephone
have been seized. In a further statement the police that no further
action will be taken against the 13-year-old (South Yorkshire Police,
5 January 2006). Two teenagers, who appeared in court charged with
assault, affray and possession of an imitation firearm (Yorkshire Post,
27 June 2006), were found guilty and given supervision and curfew orders
(see July 2006 Incidents).
This is Hertfordshire,
15 December 2005
Hertfordshire Police seized a gas-powered
ball bearing gun in one of a series of raids in Hatfield, Welwyn
Garden City, London Colney, St Albans and Borehamwood targeted at the drug
trade.
Bromley Times,
15 December 2005
Leonard Scamp dug up a shotgun from his garden and used it to shoot a
visitor to his Orpington house in the leg. He was jailed for 12
years.
Yorkshire Post,
14 December 2005
Andrew Sunman, 15, who deliberately fired a
ball-bearing gun at a shop security camera, has been banned by an
ASBO from four stores in Elmbridge, Hull, for the next two years.
He had shot at the camera when he refused to leave a store from which he was
already banned and was told he was on CCTV.
Life Style Extra,
14 December 2005
One of nine men arrested following dawn raids in London's East End and Essex
for offences relating to theft of motor vehicles was also arrested for
possession of a firearm. He was detained at an address in Romford.
icCroydon,
14 December 2005
A
masked raider attempting to break into a pub in Norbury fired a shot
after he failed to get in. He sped off on a motorbike driven by
another man.
BBC,
14 December 2005
Gunmen wearing balaclavas forced their way into a Warwickshire home
where a couple and their two daughters were watching television. The
owner was forced to hand over cash and he was punched in the face. Two
of the five men in the gang carried guns.
Teesdale Mercury,
13 December 2005
Passengers on a bus that was attacked by youths as it passed through
Gainford described it as an airgun
attack. Three of the bus's windows were smashed and the bus driver
talked about someone using an air rifle.
BBC,
13 December 2005
A
man was hurt in a struggle with an armed robber during a raid in Great
Thurlow, Suffolk. Two men wearing balaclavas armed with sawn-off
shotguns entered the post office. One worker suffered a cut to the
head after being struck by the butt of a gun.
BBC,
12 December 2005
A
shop worker was threatened with a handgun during a robbery in Tiptree,
Essex. The robber forced the man to open the till and the safe before
escaping with cash.
BBC,
12 December 2005
Nine people were arrested after a series of morning raids in connection with
a violent disturbance outside a nightclub and a subsequent shooting in
Harpurhey, Greater Manchester. Police believe that two of the
people shot had been involved in the earlier disturbance.
BBC,
11 December 2005
A
man underwent surgery after being shot in the stomach in a bar in
Basingstoke. Another man suffered a wound to his face, and a third
man had a minor hand injury. Two men were given indeterminate jail
sentences after being found guilty of a number of offences relating to the
incident (see December 2006
Incidents).
News & Star,
10 December 2005
Simon Lee shot his wife in the head and neck with an
air rifle in a bid to murder her in
Cockermouth in December 2001. He has lost an appeal to have his
convictions overturned. The Crown considered it to be a deliberate
shooting as Lee would have had to reload the gun between shots. He was
sentenced to nine years for attempted murder and three years concurrent for
a firearms offence.
BBC,
10 December 2005
Thieves have stolen four BB guns, along
with electrical items, during a break in at a house in Sandhurst.
Police fear the stolen guns could be used to commit crime.
Eastern Daily Press,
9 December 2005
Michael Harper admitted possessing an air rifle
intending to cause fear of violence and was jailed for two and a half years.
A court heard how in July 2005 he had fired the rifle at a neighbour and a
paramedic in Mulbarton after becoming "frustrated" over a financial
matter. Harper fired twelve shots in total, ten from his house and two
from outside. The sentence was reduced to 18 months on appeal (BBC,
10 March 2006).
Macclesfield Express,
8 December 2005
A
12-year-old girl was arrested after using a BB gun
with a laser sight to shoot a man in the ear. She had fired the gun
from a house in Macclesfield. Her victim lost hearing in his
right ear for several hours after the attack.
Eastern Daily Press,
7 December 2005
Gary Franks, 18, was sentenced to youth custody for 18 months after
threatening bouncers with an air rifle
in Dereham after being refused entry to a pub. Franks had
previously been sentenced to youth custody for starting a blaze.
Sun,
5 December 2005
An army captain who had apparently stayed up drinking on the night before
target practice shot a sergeant in the leg with his Minimi machine gun at a
range between Lydd and Hythe. He stumbled and
accidentally fired a stream of bullets.
BBC,
5 December 2005
Police are hunting a gunman who forced a woman to drive him to Temple Meads
station in Bristol. The man stopped her as she was driving in
Montpelier, got into the vehicle and forced her to drive him to the
station where he left her unharmed. The man is being hunted on
suspicion of armed robbery.
BBC,
4 December 2005
A
suspected robber was shot in the arm by police as they tried to arrest him
at a supermarket in Peckham, south east London. The wounded man
and two others were arrested, but a fourth man ran away.
BBC,
4 December 2005
A
man is recovering in hospital after being shot in a Saturday night incident
in Chapeltown, Leeds. Four people have been arrested in
connection with the incident.
Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough),
3 December 2005
Shaun Sidgwick was given a life sentence after admitting two robberies and
imitation firearm offences, Mark Gamble was jailed for seven years after
admitting two imitation firearm offences and other offences and William
Gatley was jailed for six years after he admitted theft and robbery charges.
The three men were involved in a series of crimes in May 2005. Gatley
pointed a pistol at a man in Wakefield and, together with Sidgwick
and another man, stole the victim's car. Later the same day Sidgwick
pointed the gun at security guards after Gatley had tried to steal four cans
of cider from a supermarket in Darlington. In another incident
Gamble and Sigwick robbed a woman of her car at gunpoint. When police
stopped Gamble in the car they found a kitchen knife and a
BB gun.
Peterborough Today,
2 December 2005
Three robbers tried to drag a man into their car as he left a post office in
Millfield, Peterborough. They demanded that he hand over any
cash and was hit over the head with a gun. He handed over his wallet
and mobile phone and the robbers took his coat.
News & Star,
2 December 2005
Armed police officers were called to an incident on an estate in
Workington in which a firearm was believed to have been involved.
A man and a woman were later arrested and police were searching for a second
man.
Hertfordshire Mercury,
2 December 2005
Motorists watched in horror as armed police held two suspects at gunpoint on
the A414 outside Hertford. However, it was revealed that the
incident had been a training exercise. Although police defended the
exercise, some witnesses were terrified by the incident.
Chester Chronicle,
2 December 2005
A
man in a deerstalker hat threatened staff of a building society in
Taporley with a handgun during an armed robbery. He escaped with
around £2000.
Bedfordshire Times & Citizen,
2 December 2005
A man is in custody
after a bungled shoplifting in Bedford in which a handgun was
produced and two members of staff threatened outside a shop. The
assailant dropped his weapon which broke revealing it to have been an
imitation gun.
BBC,
2 December 2005
Greater Manchester Police have begun an investigation after an officer
accidentally fired a gun in the changing room of Collyhurst police
station. It is believed that a bullet ended up embedded in a wall.
The officer was a GMP authorised firearms officer.
BBC,
2 December 2005
Six men who killed a doorman in Birmingham in November 2004 (see
Incidents) have each
been jailed for life. Dean Smith, William Carter, Carl Spencer,
Michael Christie, who were allegedly all part of a street gang called the
Johnson Crew, and Leonard Wilkins and Jemal Parchment were found guilty of
murder. They were also convicted of attempting to murder three of the
murder victim's colleagues. Two 9 mm handguns were used in the murder.
The judge said that the defendants must serve at least 30 years in prison.
icSurrey,
1 December 2005
Police are hunting a gunman who blasted the windows of a house in
Merstham. He used both barrels of a shotgun before jumping in a
car which was later abandoned in the car park of East Surrey Hospital where
a man and a woman left in a taxi and were dropped off in Crawley. A
man is due to appear in court charged with three firearms offences - four
other people have been bailed (BBC, 3 December 2005).
BBC,
1 December 2005
A
masked man armed with a handgun threatened a shop assistant in the
Southbourne area of Bournemouth before stealing the shop's takings.
The gun was not fired. Police are hunting an armed man and his
accomplice believed to have been involved in five armed robberies in the
Bournemouth area between 3 November and 10 December. Premises targeted
have been a bookmakers, a petrol station and three stores (BBC, 15
December 2005).
BBC,
1 December 2005
A
biker shot at two men as they sat parked outside a pub in Ladbroke Grove,
west London. The driver is recovering from minor gunshot wounds.
Blackpool Today,
30 November 2005
Louis Kettle broke into a Blackpool hotel brandishing a gun. He
has pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and possession of an
imitation firearm and was sentenced to six
years in youth custody. The family who own the hotel have described
their terror when Kettle broke in and tried to take a phone and camera from
behind the bar.
BBC,
30 November 2005
Staff at a bank in Coppull, Chorley, were threatened with a shotgun and a
crowbar by two robbers who escaped with a "substantial" amount of money.
BBC,
29 November 2005
Paul Atkinson was jailed after threatening to kill his girlfriend, with whom
he used to live in Aspatria, with a sawn-off shotgun. He was
sentenced to at least two years eight months in prison but was told by the
judge that he would only be released if he no longer posed a threat to
women.
BBC,
29 November 2005
Two teenagers threatened a farmer with a handgun when he told them they were
trespassing on private land in Sandford-upon-Thames, Oxfordshire.
The youths, aged about 16, were riding a scrambler bike at the time of the
incident.
BBC,
29 November 2005
A
young shop assistant was shot in the face during an armed robbery in
Sparkbrook, Birmingham. The victim was taken to hospital where his
condition was described as stable. The masked raiders stole a laptop
computer and a mobile phone.
Yorkshire Post,
26 November 2005
The body of a father-of-three was discovered in the driveway of a house in
Moortown, Leeds. Police say they believe that his injuries were
consistent with a gunshot wound.
Life Style Extra,
25 November 2005
Four men, all 21 or under, were jailed following the fatal shooting of a
robbery victim at a house in Dagenham in July 2004. The victim
suffered "catastrophic" injuries to his face and head after being shot at
close range with a shotgun by Russell Patterson, then 19. The victim
had been enticed to the house by close friend Jay Marshall who was joined at
the house by Patterson, Lee Wilson and Robert Crump. Patterson pointed
a loaded shotgun at the victim's head to threaten him but pulled the trigger
as the victim attempted to disarm him. Just hours before Marshall and
Patterson had taken part in another gunpoint robbery. Patterson and
Marshall were jailed for 18 years for manslaughter and also given 12 years
for firearms and robbery offences. Wilson and Crump were given six
year sentences for plotting a robbery.
Leigh Today,
25 November 2005
A
fire engine was shot at with an air rifle
as firefighters tackled a blaze in Tyldesley. No one was hurt
but the crew were said to be shaken by the experience. Detectives are
keen to trace a group of four to five youths, aged approximately fifteen.
icCoventry,
25 November 2005 *
Robbers armed with a gun forced the staff of a pub in Earlsdon,
Coventry, to lie on the floor as they stole cash. Two days earlier a
group of four or five men, who were carrying handguns, attempted to rob a
security guard as he delivered cash to a supermarket in Cannon Park,
Coventry. The guard managed to get inside his armoured vehicle and the
men drove away empty handed.
BBC,
25 November 2005 *
A jury has ruled that police
officers who shot dead Fosta Errol Thomson in St Werburghs, Bristol,
in August 2002 acted lawfully. Thomson, a drug dealer, was shot by
armed officers during an undercover operation.
BBC,
25 November 2005
A
lorry driver was kidnapped at gunpoint as he was parked in his cab at the
Burtonwood Service Station off the M62. A man with a shotgun burst
into the cab and he and three other men forced the driver into a waiting
van. He was driven round before being dumped in Preston. The
truck was found minus its trailer.
BBC,
25 November 2005
A
man was shot and seriously injured in West Bromwich. He was
found after police were called to reports of a gun being fired. He is
said to be in a serious condition in hospital.
icSurrey,
24 November 2005
Ian Ranger was jailed for two years for possession of a firearm with intent
to cause fear of violence and six months for damaging property after
shooting at his wife's car in Bookham with a shotgun in August 2005.
She had spurned his pleas to give their marriage a second chance.
Ranger had held a firearms certificate for 12 to 13 years and had three
licensed firearms and an air rifle.
Mirror,
23 November 2005
In May 2005 Michael Elson was given conditional bail for threatening to kill
a woman. Three days later he ambushed her in Oldham and
threatened her with an axe and an imitation gun.
He dragged her into a car and held her for 20 hours at a derelict house in
Longsight before police talked him into releasing her. He has
admitted kidnapping, false imprisonment, perverting the course of justice,
wounding with intent and possessing an imitation firearm.
BBC,
23 November 2005
Following three shooting incidents in Sheffield in a few days, the number of
armed response officers has been doubled. In addition to the attack on
a couple in their car in Gleadless (see below, BBC, 21
November 2005), a man was shot several times while walking home in the
Walkley area and a father of four was shot on the doorstep of his home
in Darnall.
South London Press,
22 November 2005
Alfoday Fofanah was jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to the robbery
of a supermarket in Peckham in April 2005. The shopkeeper
refused to hand over takings even when a gun was pointed in his face.
The self-loading 12 bore shotgun went off as the shopkeeper and his staff
grappled with Fofanah, hitting the shopkeeper in the groin.
BBC,
22 November 2005
Police have charged a man with possession of a firearm after they were
called to a charity lunch in Bath where the man have waved a gun.
BBC,
22 November 2005
A
man was stabbed as he tackled two raiders, armed with a knife and a gun, who
had threatened two shop assistants in Bridgnorth. It is
believed that the raiders have taken part in 19 other raids across the Black
Country and Shropshire.
BBC,
21 November 2005
A
couple were shot by a gunman who fired into their car as they waited at
traffic lights in the Gleadless area of Sheffield. The
man was shot in the leg and suffered other minor injuries. His wife
sustained leg injuries. Police believe the couple had been targeted.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The
male victim was in a stable condition in hospital (BBC, 22 November 2005).
BBC,
21 November 2005
A
man armed with a shotgun accompanied by another carrying a crowbar
threatened staff at a bank in Haslingden, Lancashire. The men
escaped with a quantity of cash.
National Newspapers,
20 November 2005 *
WPC Sharon Beshenivsky, a policewoman answering a personal alarm call, to a
raid on a Bradford travel agents was fatally injured when one of the
three raiders shot her at point blank range. Her colleague was also
shot and suffered a serious injury to her shoulder. Police have been
questioning a number of people who were arrested in London. One man
has been charged with murder and two other suspects are being sought by
police. One man has admitted PC Beshenivsky's murder and another
man was found guilty. Two others were found guilty of manslaughter
(see December 2006 Incidents).
BBC,
20 November 2005
Four men were hurt as a man with a gun attacked a pub in Plaistow,
east London. One man was pistol-whipped, another was hit in the
stomach with the butt of the handgun and two others were hurt with glass
from a broken window.
South London Press,
18 November 2005
A
teenage girl was blinded in one eye when a gunman fired indiscriminately
through the letter box of a property on a Walworth housing estate.
The bullet lodged millimetres from vital arteries.
icSouth London,
18 November 2005
Armed police went to a road in Thornton Heath after reports that a
youth was seen brandishing a handgun. Police said a
ball-bearing gun was later recovered.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested.
Reuters,
17 November 2005
A
15-year-old youth has been charged with the manslaughter of a 12-year-old
boy who was shot in the head with an air rifle
in Conisbrough in May 2005 (see
Incidents). The gun went off in the
bedroom of a house, sending an air pellet through the victim's eye.
The youth's father was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
Leeds Today,
17 November 2005
A
boy of 11 was shot in the head by a nine-year-old with a
ball-bearing gun when he refused to hand
over a bag of Playstation games to three boys as he crossed common land in
Osmondthorpe, Leeds. His mother was able to take a photograph
of the boys with her camera. West Yorkshire Police later said that
they could confirm that they did receive a report of an incident and a
nine-year-old boy was warmed and advised in front of his parent. No
further action could be taken because he was beneath the age of criminality.
Ilford Recorder,
17 November 2005
Police found a Smith & Wesson revolver, ammunition and drugs when they
raided the bedsit of Marcus Nelson in Ilford. He pleaded guilty
to firearm possession and drug offences and was given a nine-year jail
sentence. The report goes on to describe how Redbridge police have
recovered 13 firearms in the past 11 months, eleven of which, including an
AK-47 machine gun, were uncovered in a raid on an address in Woodford
Green.
icSurrey,
17 November 2005
James Ginty, who brandished an imitation gun at a traffic warden in
Reigate in October 2004 (see
November 2004 Incidents), has been warned he could be jailed.
The incident occurred after the warden issued a ticket on his double-parked
van. He was found guilty of possession of an imitation firearm with
intent to cause fear of violence.
BBC,
17 November 2005
Five men were jailed for their involvement in the shooting and kidnap of a
man in Tameside, which culminated in a high-speed motorway chase by
police (see February 2005
incidents). Three of the men, Adrian Miller, Jason Schultze
and Ian Graham were found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to
endanger life and sentenced to 17, 12 and 13 years respectively.
BBC,
17 November 2005
A
post office in Narborough, Norfolk, was raided by a gang of three
men, two of whom were carrying guns. Staff were threatened and the men
escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
South London Press,
15 November 2005
A
suspected gunman and the victim of a failed gangland-style hit in East
Dulwich are both being sought by police. The man who was shot at
had not come forward.
Times,
14 November 2005
The man who called himself Lord Buckingham, who was recently sent to jail
for obtaining a passport using a false identity, raised his ex-wife's fears
when their children said they had found a gun in the glove compartment of
his car. The gun was found at his home in Little Billing,
Northamptonshire, after he had stripped the house. Police are checking
to see if the Walther P88 pistol was a replica or had fired live ammunition.
Telegraph,
12 November 2005
Four armed robbers who burst into a couple's bedroom at Cressing,
near Braintree, tortured the man with an electric Taser-type gun. The
gang left with a large quantity of cash and jewellery.
ITN,
12 November 2005 *
A
man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and other crimes
after shooting incidents in Wigan. Shots were fired at a house,
then a woman was the victim of gun-point car-jacking. Later police
received a call to say that a man had been brought in with gunshot wounds to
his upper body: he had been shot twice at his house. Finally there was
a second car-jacking at gun point. Two men had their car stolen and
were left extremely shaken. Two women and another man have also been
arrested in connection with the incidents (BBC, 14 November 2005) and
two men have now been charged (BBC, 16 November 2005). Neil
Wood has since been jailed for life for a series of offences (see
April 2006 Incidents).
Pendle Today,
11 November 2005
An ex-convict, Graeme Foster, took out a broken and unloaded air weapon
after being confronted by a gang on his way home from a pub in Nelson.
He then returned home and loaded the air pistol
before getting ready for bed. An Armed Response Unit
alerted by the earlier incident arrived at the house and seized the gun and
ammunition. He has been bailed for a pre-sentence report.
Hertfordshire Mercury,
11 November 2005
Two men armed with a gun tied up a young couple with tape and robbed them in
their home in Hertford. Police believe it may have been a
targeted attack. A number of items including computer equipment were
stolen.
BBC,
11 November 2005 *
A
gunman who was seen firing at a man in a parked car in Huddersfield
later fired at two armed police officers shattering the windscreen of their
unmarked car. One had an eye injury from flying glass. Police
are trying to trace Marcus Nathaniel Rhoden in connection with the incidents
(Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 3 January 2006). Rhoden was
jailed for six years and nine months after admitting firing a shot at the
officers (see October 2006
Incidents).
BBC,
11 November 2005
A
police operation involving high visibility patrols has been set up by
Greater Manchester Police in the Wythenshawe area after four
incidents. In one of these two men on a motorbike were seen
threatening a man with a shotgun. Later a man and a woman were
allegedly assaulted and threatened with a shotgun at a house in Baguley.
In two other incidents shots were fired at two different houses.
Sunderland Echo,
10 November 2005
Andrew Ross was caught by police with a sawn-off shotgun in the boot of his
car at his house in South Bents. He had changed his story about
how the gun came to be there, but he eventually admitted possessing a
prohibited firearm. He was jailed for five years.
Hackney Gazette,
10 November 2005
Two young men were shot in Hackney in the early hours of the morning.
One had a lucky escape when a bullet grazed his head, the other was in a
stable condition in hospital.
Welwyn & Hatfield Times,
9 November 2005
A
policeman was shot with a rifle near Harpenden. The .22 bullet
tore into his arm. He had been following the trail of suspected
poachers. Two men have been released on police bail.
The Mercury,
9 November 2005 *
Agnius Baicys, described as being part of a gang which had dealt in guns and
drugs in Eastern Europe, was found guilty of wounding with intent after a
shooting incident in Woolwich in which he fired six shots from a
shotgun into the stomach of his victim in November 2004. He had denied
attempted murder. His father-in-law, on whose behalf Baicys was drawn
into a row which led to the shooting, was cleared of three charges.
Baicys has been jailed for 12 years (icSouth London, 14 December
2005).
Muswell Hill Journal,
9 November 2005
A
19-year-old was robbed at gunpoint in Muswell Hill. Four men
wearing black hoods stopped him, put a gun to his head and threatened him.
After punching their victim to the ground the men made off with his mobile
phone.
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle),
9 November 2005 *
A
17-year-old boy has died from shotgun wounds at his home in Newton Hall.
Police have ruled out foul play. A coroner concluded that he had taken
his own life (see April 2006
Incidents).
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle),
9 November 2005 *
Thomas Masserick is due to be sentenced for a string of assaults, threats to
kill, common assault on a child and witness intimidation. His ex-partner
has described how he had shot holes in photographs with airgun pellets.
She had bought him an air rifle to
divert his attention from her, but her daughter later revealed how he had
put the gun to her nose. Police were alerted when Masserick returned
to the house in Newcastle and found that his partner had fled.
He started shooting up the house with the air rifle: pellets were sprayed
over walls and furniture. The weapon was never recovered.
Masserick was jailed for seven years (Evening Chronicle, 16
December 2005).
Leamington Spa Today,
8 November 2005
Matthew Reading of Kenilworth received a community order for
possession of a loaded air weapon.
BBC,
8 November 2005
Two people were arrested after a man was shot in the head with an
air pistol outside a take-away restaurant in Botley,
Oxford.
Express & Star,
7 November 2005
A
gang escaped with cash and mobile phones after holding up a video store in
Dudley at gunpoint. One of the men brandished a silver pistol.
No-one was injured and the gun was not fired.
BBC,
7 November 2005
A
man was shot twice when he went to investigate a loud bang outside his home
in Old Bexley. The victim was said to be in a stable condition.
Villagers say a man had been in pubs, prior to the shooting, asking for the
victim, who was well-known in the area (This is Local London, 9
November 2005).
BBC,
7 November 2005
A
man was arrested at his Exeter home after throwing firecrackers at
people. He made threats to kill the officers. Inside the house
police found several replica weapons,
two air rifles one was very high powered
with a telescopic sight and a sound suppresser), and a
deactivated machine gun.
Scotland on Sunday, 6 November 2005
A
police officer at the US Embassy in central London sparked a gun
drama when he accidentally fired his weapon, a Heckler & Koch MP5, while on
guard duty.
Life Style Extra, 6 November 2005 *
A
post-mortem indicated that a man found in a Chingford street lying in
a pool of blood had died from gunshot wounds. A man has been arrested
in connection with the murder. Two men have been given life sentences
for the murder (see November 2006
Incidents).
BBC,
5 November 2005
Six men and two women were sitting in two cars in Bethnal Green when
they were shot at and then stabbed by two men.
This is Hertfordshire,
4 November 2005
Kirk Holdrick, who escaped jail in 2004 whilst on remand, was caught after
four weeks on the run, while in possession of a firearm and driving a stolen
vehicle in Waltham Abbey. He had originally been arrested
during a surveillance operation as he and another man prepared to rob a
security vehicle at gunpoint in Potters Bar. During the four
weeks he was on the run Holdrick committed three armed robberies.
After being found guilty of conspiracy to commit armed robberies and being
in possession of a loaded firearm he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Enfield Independent,
4 November 2005
A
receptionist at Chase Farm Hospital was held at gun point by a mental
health patient who had escaped from a secure ward. She described how
the man was threatening everybody. He frogmarched the woman into a
back room and pointed the gun at her head. He was eventually
restrained by a security guard and two paramedics. When he was disarmed it
was discovered that the weapon was a replica gun.
BBC,
4 November 2005
A
retired policeman has been jailed for two months after a gun was found in
his hand luggage at Luton Airport. He pleaded guilty after
being arrested in August. Bernard Gray said he put the unloaded Kommer
handgun in his holdall for safekeeping and forgot to remove it when he
packed for a holiday in Italy. His counsel claimed that it had been
Gray's intention to hand the gun to the police because he knew it was
illegal.
BBC,
4 November 2005
A
gun was fired at police officers answering an emergency call to a domestic
incident in Newtown, Greater Manchester. Police are now hunting
Neil Wood who disappeared after the shots had been fired from a house.
BBC,
4 November 2005
Police have said that two armed robberies on stores in the Bristol area, one
in Frenchay and the other a few days later in St George, may
be linked. Both involved a gang armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
BBC,
4 November 2005
A
defendant in a murder trial has claimed that his girlfriend shot herself as
they struggled with a gun in his car whilst they drove down the M1 towards
Sheffield. The gun was in the glove box of the car. He
has denied he ever had his finger on the trigger of the gun. Howard
Simmerson was subsequently found guilty of murder and has been given a life
sentence and should serve at least 25 years (BBC, 8 November 2005).
Eastbourne Today,
3 November 2005
Youngsters were shot at with a ball-bearing gun
at a child's birthday party in Eastbourne Old Town. One boy,
who was playing in a garden with his three-year-old nephew, was hit in the
arm with a pellet. The gun had been fired by a youngster in a nearby
property.
BBC,
3 November 2005
Two staff were shot during an attempted robbery by masked raiders at a hotel
in Liverpool. They were in the bar area when three men wearing
balaclavas demanded money before shooting them. One victim had a
stomach injury, the other an injured arm.
Derby Evening Telegraph,
2 November 2005
A
gang of three men, believed to have been armed with handguns, threatened
staff at a supermarket in Castle Donnington and escaped with an
undisclosed amount of cash. During the getaway they crashed into a
car.
BBC,
2 November 2005
A
police officer was shot at while on patrol in Trench, Telford, after
he stopped to talk to a man carrying a black holdall. The man ran off
and turned and fired a short-barrelled firearm at the pursuing officer who
was shaken but not injured in the incident.
BBC,
2 November 2005
A
man and a woman have been charged with drugs and firearms offences after a
police raid on a pub in Bedminster, Bristol.
BBC,
2 November 2005
A
handgun has disappeared from the armoury of a nuclear site at BNFL
Springfields in Salwick, Lancashire.
BBC,
1 November 2005
A
gang wearing Halloween masks shouted "trick or treat" before shooting a man
in the doorway of his home in Huyton. He is critical but stable
in hospital after surgery.
BBC,
1 November 2005
Five men were shot when a gang of four men forced their way into a house in
Walthamstow. The injured were taken to a hospital by a
neighbour where three were treated for minor injuries and two are said to be
in a stable condition. Operation Trafalgar, which looks into non
black-on-black gun crime in London, is investigating the incident.
BBC,
31 October 2005
The kitchen window of a house in Eccleshill, Bradford, was shattered
by an air rifle. The occupants of
the house have claimed the police took half an hour to respond to their 999
call. The culprits had apparently casually walked away from the scene.
BBC,
31 October 2005
Armed police were called to a house in Spalding when a man claimed he
was assaulted and threatened with a firearm there. A man was arrested
and a replica firearm was recovered
during a search of the premises.
Times,
29 October 2005 *
Carl Morgan, a member of So Solid Crew, was jailed for life for murdering
his love rival in a gunfight in Tooting in November 2004.
He was sentenced to a minimum of thirty years. His victim, who was hit
by four shots, had armed himself with a modified pistol that fired homemade
bullets and fired seven shots at Morgan, all of which missed. The jury
failed to reach a verdict on another member of So Solid Crew, Dwayne Vincent
(Megaman), who faces a retrial. He is said to have urged Morgan to "burst"
the victim. Vincent was acquitted after a second trial collapsed (Guardian,
30 September 2006).
BBC,
29 October 2005
A
man was arrested over reports that a gun had been fired in Selby.
There were no reports of any injuries.
BBC,
28 October 2005 *
The family of a murder
victim have offered a £10,000 reward to catch his killer. The man
was shot in a street in Bordesley, West Midlands in September.
He died at the scene. A man has been arrested on suspicion of
murder (BBC, 18 May 2006).
BBC,
28 October 2005
Two men were injured, one seriously, in a shooting incident at Harpurhey,
Greater Manchester.
BBC,
28 October 2005
Three men were shot and a fourth man stabbed in a series of incidents in the
Sheepridge area of Huddersfield. The police say the shootings
are not connected with any other incidents and there is no threat to public
safety.
Welwyn and Hatfield Times,
26 October 2005
After a report that someone was brandishing a black handgun in Hatfield
an armed response unit rushed to the scene. Police arrested three
people after a BB gun was recovered. In
another incident in the area boys playing with a toy gun were shining a
laser sight at passing motorists. A 15-year-old will appear in court
charged with possession of an imitation firearm.
Times and Star,
26 October 2005
Two children, aged 8 and 12, were shot with a BB
gun in Workington. They were playing outside when
they suffered injuries to their legs.
Islington Gazette,
26 October 2005
A
13-year-old boy seen showing a small black handgun to other youths outside a
secondary school in Islington was arrested and taken to a police
station where he was told off. The weapon, which the boy had thrown
away before police arrived, was believed to be a BB
gun.
icSouth London,
26 October 2005
Damian Meredith shot himself in the leg when he was tackled by unarmed
police in Merton. He pled guilty to possessing a firearm and
was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in youth custody.
BBC,
26 October 2005
A
man was discovered with gunshot wounds in the Handsworth area of
Birmingham. He had been hit in the buttocks and the injuries were not
believed to be life-threatening.
icSouth London,
25 October 2005
A
Glock semi-automatic handgun, loaded with 10 bullets was discovered along
with a shotgun in an unlocked communal cupboard on a Brixton estate.
It was discovered when an electrician went to read a meter. Police
said it was a miracle that the gun hadn't fallen into the hands of an
unsuspecting youngster.
Cambridge Evening News,
25 October 2005
A
gang is believed to be firing potshots at pedestrians in Cambridge.
Two women were shot at with pellets from an airgun
or ball-bearing gun in
separate incidents. Police are searching for the occupants of a car
which spotted by both of the victims.
Telegraph,
24 October 2005 *
An 18-year-old was fatally shot in Newtown, Birmingham. Police
said it was 'too early to say whether the shooting was linked to the
weekend's disturbances in the Lozells area'. A teenager
has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder and
possession of a semi-automatic handgun with intent to endanger life (BBC,
27 February 2006). He was jailed for eight years (see
April 2006 Incidents).
icCoventry,
24 October 2005
Armed robbers fired a handgun as they tried to steal the keys of a car and
then stabbed its owner when he refused to hand over the keys. The
victim was leaving a restaurant at Dordon with his wife.
icCoventry,
24 October 2005
Armed police were called to a pub in Leamington after one man was hit
over the head with the handle of a gun. Other pub customers were
threatened as they tried to restrain the offender. No shots were
fired.
icBirmingham,
24 October 2005
A
police officer was shot in the thigh with a
ball-bearing gun during disturbances in the Lozells area
of Birmingham which left a man dead with stab wounds and 35 people in
hospital.
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle),
24 October 2005
Three men armed with a handgun and Taser stun gun left empty handed after
attempting to rob a Chinese restaurant in Newcastle.
BBC,
24 October 2005
A
shop assistant had a gun put to her head during a raid on a supermarket in
Ingol, Preston. The perpetrator had a silver handgun and forced
the woman to put hundreds of pounds in a bag before fleeing.
News & Star,
22 October 2005
Two 14-year-old boys were approached and one attacked by two young men
carrying a BB gun in Carlisle.
Yorkshire Evening Post,
21 October 2005
David Wooler was given a 120-hour community punishment after pleading guilty
to two charges of common assault after two young girls were shot and injured
in Lupset. Wooler had been firing an
air rifle from his bedroom window but claimed he had not intended
to hit anyone. The leniency of the punishment was criticised by one of
the girls' mothers.
West Yorkshire Police,
21 October 2005
A
man was arrested following searches at an address in the Lister Hills
area of Bradford. Police had recovered a firearm, as well as a
quantity of suspected Class A drugs and money.
BBC,
21 October 2005
Leondro Richards, who held a teenager at gunpoint in a bedroom during a
robbery in Clifton, Nottingham, in April 2005, was jailed for seven
years. He had been charged with robbery, theft and possession of a
firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.
BBC,
21 October 2005
Following the shooting of a man in Throckley, Tyneside, three men have
been charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
BBC,
21 October 2005
A
man found dead in a car near his home at Stanton St John,
Oxfordshire, had a bullet wound to his neck and had been shot with a
handgun. The car had been pushed into a ditch.
This is Nottingham,
20 October 2005
Bar staff at a pub in Radford were threatened by robbers with a gun.
Three men in balaclavas, one of them holding a handgun, forced one member of
staff to open the safe and put its contents into a rucksack.
Harlow Star,
20 October 2005
Three housemates in Lower Meadow were held captive at gunpoint by
masked burglars. The gunman's accomplice stole mobile phones, cash and
bank and credit cards.
BBC,
20 October 2005 *
An arsenal of weapons, including a pump action shotgun and four handguns,
two of which were loaded, were found under a child's bed during a police
raid on a property in Elephant and Castle, south-east London.
Rachael Jacobs has been charged with possessing four self-loading handguns,
76 rounds of ammunition and a silencer for a gun. She is also charged
with possessing firearms with intent to endanger life. Ms Jacobs was
cleared of all charges but a man has been jailed for five years for
possessing the shotgun (see July
2007 Incidents).
This is Worcestershire,
19 October 2005 *
Ihtsham Zahoor, 15, who was caught in a police drug swoop on a car in
Alvechurch, was found to have an imitation gun
hidden in his boxer shorts. He was sentenced to 15 months
detention.
icSurrey,
19 October 2005
Lee Goodsell, who fired a BB gun round through the letter box of a house in
Broadfield, has been made the subject of an antisocial
behaviour order.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
19 October 2005
A
man was shot at close range as he was walking through Sheepridge.
His attacker called out his name and the victim spun round with a man
pointing a revolver at his head. A shot was fired and a bullet hit the
victim's arm.
BBC,
19 October 2005
A
postmaster had a gun held to his head and a knife to his stomach during a
robbery by three men in Hooley. The victim was uninjured but
very traumatised. He has decided to close his post office (icSouth
London, 28 October 2005).
Sidmouth Herald,
18 October 2005
A
man was seen with a gun in Ottery's parish church grounds.
Peterborough Today,
18 October 2005
Nishan Bakunis and Misha Chatsjatrjan are on trial for the murder of a man
who had been stabbed and shot and whose body was set on fire in a field at
Upton in December 2002. A witness said that Chatsjatrjan had
confessed to putting eight bullets in the victim's head.
News & Star,
18 October 2005
Gun parts, used for making up ball-bearing weapons were stolen during a raid
on a house in Carlisle. Police were confident that the pieces
could not be put together to form a BB gun.
BBC,
18 October 2005
Two drunken men who used an air rifle in
the centre of Cheltenham have been jailed for a year. Marek
Losinski and Michael McMahon had bought the weapon in the town and then took
turns at shooting at target. The judge commented that "It must be that
at the time they visited the gun shop they were under the influence of
alcohol, which would have been visible to anyone".
Sunderland Today,
17 October 2005 *
A
student was shot in the face with an airgun
as he was walking in West Herrington. He was knocked to his
knees after being shot from a bunker at the roadside and needed six stitches
after a plastic pellet tore through his cheek. The victim's case has
been raised in the House of Commons (Sunderland Echo, 18 October
2005). However, the three boys charged with the shooting will not face
justice because lawyers can't prove which one of them fired the pellet that
hit the victim (Sunderland Today, 10 March 2006).
BBC,
17 October 2005
An army captain left a gun loaded with 13 rounds of blank ammunition in the
toilet of a supermarket in Hitchin. She left her waistband
holster in the disabled toilet and the pistol was missing for two days.
She had been on an authorised military exercise according to the Ministry of
Defence. The gun was later found by detectives in a postbox
after the person who found it told police on his mobile phone where he had
dumped it. A man was questioned and later released with a caution (The
Comet, 18 October 2005).
BBC,
17 October 2005
A
13-year-old boy was arrested after a gun was fired in a school in
Crewkerne, slightly injuring another pupil. A
ball-bearing gun was fired into the air and
the ball bearing ricocheted off the ceiling and struck the victim.
BBC,
16 October 2005
A
youth showed a counter assistant the handle of a gun which was tucked into
his waistband during a raid at a Southend newsagents. He
escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
This is Nottingham,
15 October 2005
Troy Quimby from Mansfield was ordered to do 120 hours' community
service after shooting a neighbour in the leg with an
air rifle in April 2005. He was found
guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Sun,
15 October 2005
A
head teacher waved a real handgun in front of primary schoolchildren in
Newchurch, Lancashire, at a harvest festival to illustrate a scheme in
Mozambique in which the church swaps food for weapons. The gun was
decommissioned.
Life Style Extra,
15 October 2005
