2006

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 (*).

Some Personal Accounts sent to GCN are recorded separately.

 

ENGLAND

Sheffield Today, 30 December 2006

A robber brandishing a silver handgun confronted a sub-postmaster as he was opening up the branch in Darnall.  He demanded to be taken inside and be given the contents of the safe.  He tied up the sub-postmaster and then climbed on to the roof to escape.  The victim's wife called the police who sent an armed response team but the robber had fled.

BBC, 30 December 2006 *

A 17-year-old was shot three times in what is being described by police as a targeted attack.  The teenager was cycling through a park in Stretford, Manchester, when he was shot in the back, stomach and legs.  His condition is described as comfortable.  An 18-year-old has been convicted of attempted murder and three teenagers have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause actual bodily harm (see May 2007 Incidents).

The Press (York), 29 December 2006

Two armed robbers used a handgun to demand cash from terrified shop assistants at a shop in York.  The men took cash and escaped.

Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 29 December 2006

A bag of cash was stolen from two men in Huntingdon when they were approached by a man with a handgun.  They were intending to deposit the bank at a nearby bank.

Hemel Today, 29 December 2006 *

A man has been bailed by police after an incident in Ealing Broadway, west London, in which he is alleged to have pointed a gun at another driver during a road rage argument.  A BB gun was found inside the man's car.

BBC, 28 December 2006 *

A man was discovered dead in a field in Cottingham near Hull.  He had been brutally beaten to death and also been shot with an air weapon.  Another report described the victim's body being found peppered with wounds from an airgun (Sun, 28 December 2006).  The police want to speak to people with information about air weapons being used in the area.  Two teenagers, aged 19 and 18, have been found guilty of murder (see October 2007 Incidents).

BBC, 28 December 2006

A robber told the staff at a Leicester betting shop that he had a handgun.  He threatened them with an object wrapped in a carrier bag then left with a quantity of cash.

BBC, 27 December 2006

A shop assistant in Leasowe on the Wirral was threatened by a robber armed with a stun gun who made off with the takings.  The victim was left shaken but uninjured.

BBC, 26 December 2006

A man armed with a shotgun threatened an attendant at a petrol station in Doncaster.  The attendant was forced to hand over cash.  She was left shaken but otherwise unhurt.

This is Hertfordshire, 22 December 2006

Two masked raiders threatened staff with a handgun and a baseball bat as they stole a small amount of cash from a book shop in Hatfield.

BBC, 22 December 2006

Two robbers held a gun to the head of a security guard as he made a delivery to a supermarket in Bury.  The men ran away with at least five bags containing a "significant amount" of money.

BBC, 22 December 2006

A teenage shop worker was injured when he was attacked in an off licence in Rugby by a masked man carrying a handgun.  The robber fled with an unknown amount of money after kneeing the victim in the stomach.

Telegraph, 21 December 2006

Douglas Bernstein buried an illegally-held .357 Ruger revolver and 20 bullets in his garden in Dunsfold, Surrey.  His wife discovered what he had done and informed the police.  He pleaded guilty to having a prohibited firearm and ammunition without a certificate.  He said he had bought the weapon lawfully in America and claimed he had inadvertently brought it into Britain inside the drawer of some furniture when he took up a post at Southampton University.  He was given a 51 weeks' jail sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to carry out 180 hours' unpaid work.

Hemel Today, 21 December 2006

A pensioner was robbed at gunpoint at his home in Berkhamsted.  Three men, one of whom was holding a black handgun, stole Christmas presents, cash and credit cards.  They had rung his doorbell late in the evening and then demanded money from him.

AOL News, 21 December 2006 *

Four teenagers have been convicted of killing a woman as she cradled a baby at the child's christening party in Peckham in August 2005 (see Incidents).  A 17-year-old was convicted of murder and the other three, aged 15, 16 and 17 were convicted of manslaughter.  All four were members of an armed masked gang who burst into a christening party and after shooting the victim robbed other guests of valuables.  Roberto Malasi, 18, was jailed for 30 years for the murder and was given a second life sentence for killing another woman two weeks later.  Diamond Babamuboni, 17, and Timy Babamuboni, 15, and Jude Odigie, 16, were all given indeterminate sentences for manslaughter and robbery and will serve a minimum of 8 years in detention (Telegraph, 15 February 2007).

Times, 20 December 2006

A soldier, Danny McKee, has been jailed for three years after stealing a Browning 9mm pistol from the armoury of his barracks at Chivenor, north Devon, in June 2006 and using it to threaten a drugs dealer in a row over £20.

Diss Mercury, 20 December 2006

A man was shot in the leg at point-blank range outside a pub in Diss following an argument.  About half an hour after time had been called one of the men who had been arguing returned brandishing an air rifle and shot the other man in the leg.  The victim needed hospital treatment for severe bruising but was saved from more serious injuries after the pellet first hit his keys.

Coventry Evening Telegraph, 20 December 2006

Deke Merlin Hogan of Willenhall was given a community punishment order for 12 months and ordered to do 100 hours unpaid community work after having a loaded air rifle in a public place without lawful authority.  The gun was forfeited.

BBC, 20 December 2006

Two robbers dressed as postmen threatened a couple at their home in Ewell, Surrey.  It is believed that were armed with a firearm in a black plastic bag.  They had entered the property after telling the man they had a letter in their van.  The robbers stole money.

National Newspapers, 19 and 23 December 2006 *

Yusuf Jama, 20, has been found guilty of the  murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky, who was shot dead at point blank range following a bungled armed robbery at a travel agents in Bradford in November 2005 (see Incidents).  Another police officer, PC Teresa Milburn, was shot and injured.  Two brothers, Faisal Razzaq and Hassan Rassaq, were found guilty of the manslaughter of PC Beshenivsky.  Jama was also found guilty of possessing a Mac10 machine gun and a 9mm pistol with intent to endanger life and two counts of possessing firearms.  Raza Ul-Haq Aslam was cleared of all charges except for robbery and will be retried in February.  Earlier Muzzaker Shah had admitted PC Beshenivsky's murder, but the judge had ordered the jury to clear him of PC Milburn's attempted murder.  Shah and Jama have each been sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in prison.  Faisal Razzaq was given a life sentence and will serve at least 11 years before being considered for parole.  Hassan Razzaq was given a twenty year sentence (see BBC, 23 May 2007).  Two other men, Mustaf Jama and Piran Ditta Khan remain on the run from the police.  Raza Ul-Haq Aslam has been jailed for eight years for taking part in the robbery (BBC, 23 May 2007).  Mustaf Jama has since been found guilty of murder, robbery, possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon and been given a life sentence (West Yorkshire Police, 22 July 2009).

Lancashire Evening Post, 19 December 2006

Michael Richard Allen has been given a supervision order for 18 months after being seen in Preston carrying a machete and a ball-bearing gun.

Leeds Today, 18 December 2006

A man who spent hours documenting acts of vandalism, threatening and antisocial behaviour in a street in Middleton, Leeds, describes some of the things he caught on camera as outrageous.  He says he recorded airgun pellets being fired and threats made to shoot a four-year-old girl.

ic Birmingham, 18 December 2006

Police are investigating the death of a man who was discovered with gunshot wounds at a farm near Broadway, Worcestershire.  An inquest has been opened (Evesham Journal, 20 December 2006).

Sunday Mirror, 17 December 2006

A masked gunman robbed a woman of up to £500,000 of jewellery and cash at her home in Sandbanks, Dorset.  She was alone when the man broke in through an open side door.

BBC, 17 December 2006 *

A shop worker was shot with a ball-bearing gun as two men held up a shop in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire.  The robbers fled with the night's takings.  The victim was shot in the arm and suffered bruising.  Three men have now received long jail sentences for this and other armed robberies in Northamptonshire (see December 2008 Incidents).

Portsmouth.co.uk, 16 December 2006

Three robbers burst into an off licence in Fratton and threatened a cashier with a gun.  The men attempted to get into the till but were unable to open it and fled empty-handed.

Contactmusic.com, 16 December 2006

A suspected thief pulled out a stun gun in Harrods store in Knightsbridge, London.  The suspect smashed a glass door before running away, chased by security guards.  He surrendered 30 minutes later after running into a block of flats.

Cotswold Journal, 15 December 2006

Police in the North Cotswolds are warning parents about the pitfalls of allowing children and teenagers to own air weapons.  The warning comes after police received reports that youths were firing an air rifle at the windows of homes in Withington.  Three boys, aged 16 and 15, were given a police reprimand.

BBC, 15 December 2006

Staff at a travel agents in Darlington were confronted by a gunman who stole £5,000 in sterling and other denominations.  No one was hurt in the incident, although two female members of staff were left shocked and shaken.  Police are investigating whether the robbery is linked to the one on another travel agents in Hartlepool (see below).

BBC, 15 December 2006

A murder inquiry has begun after a man was shot at his home in Handsworth, Birmingham.  Police say they were called to reports of an incident at the house.  The victim died in hospital.

Hartlepool Today, 14 December 2006

A man fled with cash which he demanded from a female shop assistant at a travel agents in Hartlepool.  Police believe he was carrying a handgun.  The assistant was badly shaken but not hurt during the incident.

Daily Echo, 14 December 2006 *

Thomas Blackburn, 20, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful wounding and possession of a firearm, following the shooting of a seven-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle outside his home in Poole in August 2006 (see Incidents).  An air rifle, silencer and ammunition were found in his room at home after the attack.  The victim spent three nights in hospital where surgeons attempted to remove   an airgun pellet from his leg and clean the wound.  Blackburn was sent to a young offenders' institution for 10 months (Daily Echo, 13 January 2007).

Guardian, 13 December 2006

Lloywen Carty, Jermaine Labastide and Conroy Smith, members of a London drugs gang, were convicted of murder during the 2004 Notting Hill carnival.  The gang drew weapons, including a Mac10 sub-machine gun, and shot the victim near Kensal Green underground station (see Incidents).

Bromley Times, 13 December 2006

Two armed robberies are believed to have been carried out by the same gang of youths.  At Penge four men burst into a shop, one of them brandishing a handgun wrapped in a cloth or a sock.  They made off with an undisclosed sum of money and some cigarettes.  A shop was robbed in Anerley by a similar gang who accosted a security guard, threatened him with a handgun, before taking him into the back room while they stole two till trays, emptied the safe and took packets of cigarettes.

BBC, 13 December 2006

A man threatened a lone female cashier with a gun during an armed robbery on a building society in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.  The man escaped with £1,500. 

Press Association, 12 December 2006

Trevon Kyron Thomas was convicted of trying to kill PC Rachael Bown in a back street in Nottingham in February 2006 (see Incidents).  PC Bown suffered life threatening injuries in the attack and has still not returned to duty.  Thomas was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.  He had responded to being sprayed with CS gas by PC Bown's colleague by firing three shots from his Browning 9 mm pistol, two of which hit PC Bown.  He has been jailed for 30 years (BBC, 14 December 2006).

Mansfield Today, 12 December 2006 *

A group of men have appeared in court charged with pointing a ball bearing gun out of a car while they drove around the centre of Mansfield in February 2006.  Matthew Smith, Jason Brown and Richard Meehan admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.  They also admitted other driving and vehicle offences.  The vehicle was stolen in Clipstone and the guns were already in the car.  Brown, 18, and Meehan, 21, were given custodial sentences of 15 months and for seven months and 90 days for these and other offences.  Smith, 21, received a six months sentence suspended for 18 months.  Another man, Jason Broadway, was given a community order with 120 hours unpaid work (Mansfield Today, 31 January 2007).

Journal (Newcastle), 12 December 2006 *

Armed police were called to an incident in Tynemouth in which a man was shot in the legs.  Members of the public reported the sound of gunshots.  The victim was in a serious condition in hospital.  A man has been given an indefinite jail sentence for the attack (see May 2007 Incidents).

News Shopper, 11 December 2006

A woman was tied up and threatened with a handgun and a knife after robbers forced their way into her home in Gravesend.  Two men asked if they could read the electricity meter and when they were refused entry they pushed the door aside, followed by two more men.  The gang stole cash, jewellery and the woman's car which was recovered an hour later.

Guardian, 11 December 2006

Lance Corporal Ross Phillips and Private Shane Pleasant from the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment admitted possession of a prohibited pistol at a hearing at Catterick Garrison.  Two other soldiers admitted an offence of trying to pervert the course of justice.  Two other soldiers, who are both due to face proceedings next year, planned a "business arrangement" to buy guns in Iraq and sell them to colleagues at the battalion base in Germany in an alleged plot to smuggle guns out of Iraq and trade them for drugs and cash (see October 2006 Incidents).  Philips had bought an imitation handgun converted to fire live ammunition from one of the other soldiers and Pleasant admitted buying from the same man a different imitation pistol which had been converted to fire live rounds.  Phillips and Pleasant were both sent to prison for over five years.  The other soldiers, Lance Corporal Ben Whitfield and Private Robert Marlow, were sentenced to a jail sentence of two years and eight months and six months in an Army detention centre, respectively (BBC, 11 December 2006).

BBC, 11 December 2006

A man from Church Langley, Harlow, took two men for a test drive in his car, which he had advertised for sale.  He was threatened at gunpoint by the men who stole his mobile phone and drove off in his car.

BBC, 11 December 2006 *

Police have applied to magistrates for a closure order on a nightclub in Ipswich after one man died and three others were injured.  A post-mortem examination revealed that the dead man had received a gunshot wound (it was initially reported that the victim had been stabbed).  Another man was shot in the shoulder and legs, and two men were also treated for gunshot wounds after being injured in the club.  A man was arrested for a public order offence and released on bail and eight people have been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences but a spokesman said police were unable to say whether the arrests had any connection with the earlier incidents at the nightclub.  A handgun was found in a car park at the rear of the club (East Anglian Daily Times, 11 December 2006).  Suffolk Police have offered a reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the murder (BBC, 4 December 2008).

BBC, 10 December 2006 *

A man was shot dead in his car in a busy retail park in Croxteth, Merseyside.  It is believed that the gunman escaped in a car which was later found abandoned in Norris Green.  The victim, described as a notorious criminal, had survived an attempt on his life by a masked gunman after being sent off while playing in a football match in 2005 (Liverpool Echo, 12 December 2006).  A 19-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder (BBC, 23 August 2007).

Manchester Evening News, 9 December 2006

Peter Grass, described as an expert shot, hunted down and executed a dairy farmer, shooting him twice from behind and then waiting five minutes before reloading his shotgun and killing him by shooting him in the head.  Grass was arrested after a seven-hour siege at his victim's farm at Radcliffe, near Bury.  Grass had been friends with the victim and had lived as a tenant on the farm for seven years but their relationship had changed and he had been ordered to leave.  He must serve at least 26 years in jail before he can be considered for release.

BBC, 7 December 2006

A man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence after a fight at a pub in Newlyn, Cornwall.

BBC, 7 December 2006 *

Two nurses at a Birmingham hospital were threatened by a man, believed to have been a patient and thought to be armed with a gun.  He demanded drugs.  Police used a stun gun to arrest a man who is now in custody.  The incident was very traumatic for staff and patients, although none were injured.  A man has admitted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm (see March 2007 Incidents).

ic South London, 6 December 2006

An off licence in Belvedere was raided by three masked robbers who shot a shop worker three times with a ball bearing gun.  A ball bearing was removed from the victim's arm.  The robbers took just a few packets of cigarettes.

ic South London, 6 December 2006

A Croydon nightclub was evacuated by armed police after a man was spotted with a handgun.  The loaded pistol was found hidden in the gents' toilet.

News & Star, 5 December 2006

A woman was taken to hospital with a bruised arm after being shot as she walked down a street in Botcherby, Carlisle.  Police believe her attacker used a ball bearing gun.

This is Hertfordshire, 4 December 2006 *

A man has died after being found with gunshot wounds at a house in Carshalton, south London.  The victim did not live at the address and it is not know what links he had there (ic Croydon, 8 December 2006).  A man has been convicted of murder and will serve at least 30 years in prison (see July 2008 Incidents).

This is Hampshire, 4 December 2006

Jermaine Tyrer and Simon Brooker have been given indeterminate jail sentences after they were found guilty of attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of Class A drugs.  A man was left with a life-threatening gunshot wound to his abdomen after violence erupted in a Basingstoke bar in December 2005 (see Incidents).

BBC, 4 December 2006

Three masked men threatened customers and staff at a post office in St Agnes, Cornwall.  They were armed with a sawn-off shotgun.

BBC, 4 December 2006

A haul of 65 high-powered guns was discovered during a raid on a house in Crystal Palace, south London.  The house was unoccupied and no-one was arrested.

BBC, 2 December 2006

A worker in an off licence in Whittingham, Preston, was threatened with a gun by two men during an armed robbery.  The pair drove off in a car after stealing cigarettes.

BBC, 2 December 2006

Two men were injured in a shooting in Ordsall, Salford.  Both men are in a stable condition and their injuries, both to legs, are not believed to be life-threatening.

BBC, 2 December 2006

Neighbours reported a disturbance and said a gun had been seen at a house in Birmingham where it was believed a man was being held hostage at gunpoint.  However, after a six hour siege it was discovered that there was no on inside the house.

Press Association, 1 December 2006

Philip Bignell, a man described as an "evil" gun collector, has been jailed for 16 years for subjecting young boys to a catalogue of cruel sexual abuse.  He used his collection of weaponry and war memorabilia to lure vulnerable victims into his clutches.  Bignell, who worked at Harrow School, has had his dozen gun licences withdrawn.

BBC, 1 December 2006

A female security guard was threatened with a handgun by masked robbers as she was delivering cash to a store in Wickford, Essex.  They forced the guard to drop the cash box and made off by car.

Peterborough Today, 30 November 2006

A man brandishing a black handgun terrified staff at a Spalding bookmakers.  He demanded cash and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

In the News, 30 November 2006 *

A man has been killed in a shooting in the Lozells area of Birmingham.  He died in hospital after he was found suffering from gunshot wounds.  Three days earlier two people were arrested following reports of  a man being shot at in the area (BBC, 27 November 2006).  A man has been arrested in connection with the killing, which happened when the victim was working in a shop.  It is thought that the victim's brother was also killed in a shooting in 2003 (BBC, 1 December 2006).

BBC, 29 November 2006 *

A shotgun was fired at a police van during a bank robbery in Horwich, near Bolton.  One police officer suffered facial injuries, either from shards of glass or shotgun pellets and his female colleague suffered shock.  Three men are being sought by police.  Three men have now been arrested after nine homes in Leigh were targeted during a series of dawn raids (This is Lancashire, 18 December 2006).

News Shopper, 28 November 2006

A woman was pistol-whipped by a man who snatched two of her puppies when he came to her Greenwich home with another man for a pre-arranged visit to see the dogs.  As he picked up the pups he pulled out a gun and said he was not going to pay for them.

East Anglian Daily Times, 28 November 2006

Carl Loveridge, who was traced after he left blood at the scene of a robbery, was discovered to have a firearm stored away in his bedroom when police raided his home in Brandon.  Despite claiming the air rifle to be his father's, he admitted one charge of theft and one count of possessing ammunition (as a former prisoner he was barred from having any firearms or ammunition within five years of release).  He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service.

Cambridge Evening News, 28 November 2006 *

Ken Kew has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a gun in Fen Ditton in June 2006 (see Incidents).  He denies possession of a pistol with intent to cause fear of violence, threats to kill and threatening to damage property.  In court a male nurse has described how he was wounded by Kew.  He was shot in the left side of his chest, centimetres from his heart.  The nurse and his family were visiting Kew's estranged wife at the time.  Kew has been jailed for 16 years for attempted murder and given a deportation order (Cambridge Evening News, 15 January 2007).

BBC, 28 November 2006

Two family members were fired at as they drove out of a car park in Smethwick.  The attacker fired six shots from a handgun.  One victim was shot in the leg, the other in the shoulder and pelvis.  The pair are in hospital where their condition is described as stable.  Two other passengers in the car were unhurt.  All the men had been to a funeral.

BBC, 28 November 2006

Bus services on a service in Weston-super-Mare have been diverted after shots were fired, probably from an airgun, at its vehicles.  A passenger was told that his bus could only go to its destination in Worle because five buses had been hit by yobs (Weston & Somerset Mercury, 7 December 2006).

Portsmouth Today, 27 November 2006

A man walked into a video shop in Waterlooville and brandished what police believe was either a BB gun or an air rifle.  The shop assistant handed over a small amount of cash before the robber made off.  No shots were fired.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 27 November 2006

A thief who was armed with a gun hit a man over the head during a raid on a betting shop in Birkby.  The victim handed over cash and the man fled.

Bromsgrove News, 27 November 2006

A youth claiming to have a handgun escaped empty-handed after attempting to a petrol station in Belbroughton.  However, the only weapon seen was a small wooden baseball bat.

BBC, 26 November 2006 *

A gunman walked into a hotel in Slough and shot a 19-year-old man in the leg before running off.  The victim is being treated in hospital.  Three men are on trial accused of attempted murder and robbery (Daily Mail, 20 February 2008).

This is Bradford, 25 November 2006

Matthew Brakewell, a former police officer, told staff at a Bradford bingo hall that he was an undercover agents but had concocted an elaborate plot to steal money in October 2006 (see Incidents).  When caught he aimed an imitation handgun at two police officers to avoid arrest.  He was jailed for four years.

Stamford Today, 24 November 2006

A man forced a terrified pharmacist to hand over drugs and cash in a raid on a village chemist in Glinton.  He had pulled out what looked like a gun.

Hackney Gazette, 24 November 2006 *

Two men were shot in a drive-by attack in Stoke Newington, east London.  One of the victims died later in hospital.  The second man was able to leave hospital after treatment.    A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting (BBC, 18 July 2007).

BBC, 24 November 2006

A soldier died during an exercise at Lydd firing ranges from a single gunshot wound to the head.  Police have been called to the ranges and are continuing to work alongside Army representatives.

Wakefield Today, 23 November 2006 *

A father was shot in the head with an airgun as he was pushing his 2-year-old son in his buggy on a walk to the shops in Lupset.  A pellet lodged in his head.  The incident happened just 90 minutes after a 16-year-old girl was fired at.  A man has been sent to young offender institution for nine months (see February 2007 Incidents).

ic Surrey, 23 November 2006

A teenager from South Godstone appeared before magistrates accused of having an imitation firearm and driving a car without valid licence or insurance cover.  He will argue that the gun was simply a toy belonging to his son.  The case was adjourned.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 23 November 2006

A man threatened a shopkeeper with a handgun and demanded money in an attempted robbery in Lindley.  The shopkeeper pressed an alarm button and the robber fled empty-handed.

Daelnet, 23 November 2006

A man entered a bookmakers in Skipton and threatened staff with a handgun to obtain cash.  He was captured on CCTV.  The gun was described as an old black military type pistol with a long barrel similar to those used by officers in the First World War.

BBC, 23 November 2006

A 16-year-old has been shot in the leg in the latest shooting in the Moss Side area of Manchester.  He was approached by a group of about six people, before one of them shot him in the knee.  He suffered minor injuries.

BBC, 23 November 2006

A man was found dead on the doorstep of a house in Purbrook, Waterlooville.  A shotgun was recovered from the scene.  Police had been called to reports of a domestic disturbance.  Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. 

BBC, 23 November 2006

A robber, one of two, held a gun to the head of a garage owner in Plymouth and threatened to pull the trigger.  The men burst in when the owner was closing and, after dragging him and an apprentice upstairs, bound him and made off with cash.  Police believe they may have been responsible for another raid in Plymouth at a takeaway restaurant.

Worcester News, 22 November 2006 *

A paper girl, aged 13, was shot between the eyes with a ball-bearing gun while delivering newspapers in Worcester.  A gang of youths were involved in the attack.  The youth who shot her was described as being aged between 14 and 16.  The victim's mother believes her daughter could have lost an eye.  Two youths have been charged with assault and possessing an imitation firearm (BBC, 1 December 2006).

This is Lancashire, 22 November 2006 *

A drunken man, armed with an air rifle, and two accomplices burst into a house in Colne in April 2006 leaving a 10-year-old girl to flee in terror.  Christopher Costello, who was carrying the gun, Ian Jackson and Ashley Cullen, all 18, admitted a charge of affray.  They were looking for a man they claimed had carried out an alleged indecent assault.  The man was not there at the time.  Costello was given a 12-month community order with three-month nightly curfew, Jackson got 40 weeks in prison, suspended for 52 weeks, with supervision and 100 hours unpaid work, and Cullen a similar sentence.  Jackson was subsequently jailed for 40 weeks after flouting his community order (Citizen (Burnley), 6 August 2007).

Reuters, 22 November 2006 *

Three men, Robert Tyrer, Jamie Tyrer and Kenneth Lloyd from Manchester, were sentenced to a total of 37 years in prison for their role in a large gun import racket.  Two other men will be sentenced later.  The gang smuggled blank-firing guns bought legally in Germany into Britain and then converted them to fire bullets.  Most of the guns were simply posted from Germany to Britain in large parcels.  The plot was discovered after a parcel of 14 guns was mistakenly delivered to a shop in a Manchester suburb.  The gang sold the guns, bought for about £80, for £750 after modification.  Some of the guns, 109 out of 274, have been recovered by police.  One of the guns was used in a raid on a Lancashire sub-post office in which the gun was fired, narrowly missing the sub-postmaster.  In October 2005 two men, John Welsby and Maiden Martin were jailed for 13 years and 6 months, respectively, for that robbery.  The sub-postmaster, Jagdish Patel, and his father Kantilal Patel have received bravery awards for chasing and helping to catch the men who had fled empty-handed.  Mr Patel has called for stricter weapon controls (Asian News, 19 December 2006).

Chard & Ilminster News, 22 November 2006

Police dealing with anti-social behaviour during one evening in Ilminster confiscated a BB gun after a 12-year-old boy was seen firing it at a can on a wall.  The officer concerned was worried that a pram behind the wall could have been hit.  The father of the boy criticised the police for confiscating the weapon.

BBC, 22 November 2006 *

A Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after an incident involving a newspaper reporter in West Thurrock, Essex.  The man is in custody.  He faces charges of dangerous driving, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear and false imprisonment (see July 2007 Incidents).

Avon & Somerset Constabulary, 22 November 2006

Police are warning parents not to be tempted to buy imitation guns for their children this Christmas.  Burnham and Highbridge police have been called to three incidents in the last four days in which imitation guns have been seen by members of the public, prompting emergency calls.  One police officer said that a number of shops and local market stall are selling imitation weapons. 

The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 will make it illegal to sell, manufacture and import imitation guns.  GCN considers it totally irresponsible for anyone to continue selling them at this time.

National Newspapers, 21 November 2006

A gang of three men held a gun to an eight-year-old boy's head as they stole his mother's car at a filling station in Cheadle.  His mother was vacuuming the car when the gang of three approached and pointed a handgun and dragged the boy from the car.  They drove off in the car which was later found abandoned in Fallowfield after it had collided with a bus.

BBC, 21 November 2006 *

A man who was walking along a street in Netherley, Merseyside, was shot and later died from his injuries.  Two men have been convicted of murder and given long jail sentences (see July 2009 Incidents).

This is Wiltshire, 20 November 2006

Two masked men robbed a security guard at gunpoint outside a supermarket in Trowbridge.  The men escaped with thousands of pounds after the attack.

Sheffield Today, 20 November 2006

Joe Mitchell was spotted by police acting suspiciously in a park in Parson Cross who caught him with a sawn-off rifle and ammunition.  He was followed to the house of his stepfather, Paul Dawson, whom police found trying to hide the weapon.  The rifle was a converted air rifle, the barrel shortened and a silencer attached.  Both men pleaded guilty to possessing the Martini Action rifle without a certificate, having a firearm in a public place and a silencer attached.  Mitchell was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders' institution, Dawson was given a community order and 100 hours of unpaid work.

The Press (York), 20 November 2006

Gilbert Alexander Cook, a released murderer, broke his parole conditions by carrying an air rifle.  He was seen on Strensall Common with a friend and two air rifles, which at one point were worn openly on their shoulders.  They told two members of the public that they were looking for rabbits.  The case was adjourned.  The Home Office will make a final decision on whether Cook is recalled to prison to continue serving his life sentence.

Gazette & Herald, 20 November 2006 *

Armed police surrounded a block of flats in Melksham, Wiltshire, after a stand-off with a gunman.  A stun gun was used to disarm the man who was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.  The man has been given a suspended jail sentence after admitting a charge of affray (see February 2007 Incidents).

BBC, 20 November 2006

Three men armed with two guns threatened security staff near a cash machine at a supermarket in Great Barr, Birmingham.  An amount of cash was stolen.

BBC, 19 November 2006 *

A man was shot dead in a bar in Shoreditch, east London, while celebrating a friend's birthday.  There was an argument with another man which police said led to the shooting.

Eastbourne Today, 18 November 2006

Police were called to a street in Eastbourne after a member of the public claimed to have seen a man with a gun.  A man was searched but no gun was found, although he was charged with possession of an offensive weapon.

BBC, 18 November 2006

Two robbers forced a female security guard to the floor and threatened her with a handgun in a robbery outside a bank in Oxted, Surrey.  Cash was taken from a security van before the men drove off.

This is Wiltshire, 17 November 2006

Gary Burbridge, a murderer released on licence after serving 10 years for beating a toddler to death, could be returning to jail after being caught with a firearm.  He was with two teenagers on a canal towpath in Hilperton when police were called to investigate reports of someone firing an air rifle.  He was observed apparently kneeling and looking through the scope of the gun, but ran off.  He went to a police station the next day and handed over the rifle.  He claims he didn't fire the gun.  He was specifically banned from possessing a firearm on the terms of his licence.  The case was adjourned and Burbridge released on conditional bail.

Oxford Mail, 17 November 2006

A gunman fired a pellet from an airgun which shattered the rear window of a van.  It appears the gunman was a motorist angry at being blocked off at a roundabout at the M40 services at Wheatley.  He had followed the van driver for seven miles before the shooting incident, which took place at Thame (Oxford Mail, 18 November 2006).

Citizen (Blackburn), 17 November 2006

Taxi drivers in Blackburn are threatening to stop working at night after a driver had a gun held to his head by two hooded raiders in Bank Top.  The robbers attempted to steal cash and the car but left with neither.

BBC, 17 November 2006

Two people are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to rob after an attack in Lozells in Birmingham in which a ball bearing or pellet gun was fired and two shopkeepers were left with facial injuries.  Both victims require surgery.  The incident may be linked to the murder of a man in nearby Newtown (see below).

BBC, 17 November 2006 *

A 20-year-old was shot dead in a possible revenge attack in Newtown, Birmingham.  A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.  Three men were originally convicted of murder, but a judge has ruled the verdicts "unsafe" and replaced them with convictions for violent disorder.  They were each re-sentenced to four year imprisonment.  None of them had fired the 12-bore shotgun used to kill the victim after about 25 youths ran amok (BBC, 19 November 2010).

BBC, 17 November 2006

Four people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after a shotgun was fired through the glass door of a pub in Sheffield.  The police believe the incident followed a dispute between two groups of people in the area.

BBC, 17 November 2006

Two men armed with shotguns robbed a post office in the village of Northwold, Norfolk.  No shots were fired and no-one was injured although the postmistress was left extremely shaken by the incident.

This is Cheshire, 16 November 2006

Police are hunting a gunman who held up a store in Widnes.  He produced a black handgun and demanded that the safe was opened.  But he panicked and fled empty-handed.

The Press (York), 16 November 2006

A court has heard how a teenager was shot three times by a man wielding an air pistol in a residential street in York in February 2006.  The man, who has denied possessing a firearm with intent to make the victim fear unlawful violence and wounding the youth, is alleged to have pulled his weapon out from his clothing without warning as the victim and his friends were walking home.  A pellet had to be removed by surgery from the 17-year-old's face and he was also shot in the hand and leg.  The incident is alleged to have followed a fight between one of the victim's friends and a housemate of the accused.  The trial continues.

Northern Echo, 16 November 2006

A female security guard was held at gunpoint during an armed raid at a supermarket in Eaglescliffe.  Two men armed with handguns forced the woman to hand over money then ran into a nearby housing estate.

Milton Keynes Today, 16 November 2006

A woman teacher was confronted by two young men whilst working alone in a classroom of a school in Bletchley.  One of the youths produced what looked like a gun and demanded she hand over her valuables.  She gave them only a school bag and they left, but searched other rooms and offices.  The incident has sparked fears about security at the school.  Three people, two aged 18 and one 16, have been arrested and were questioned before being released on police bail.

Horsham Today, 16 November 2006

A Horsham resident with a ball bearing gun was arrested during the town's Remembrance Day parade.  The person was spotted leaning out of the window of a flat with the gun, and was given a caution.  The gun was destroyed.

Harlow Star, 16 November 2006

A security guard was threatened at gunpoint during a raid on a bank in Epping.  Two men, one of whom was brandishing a gun ordered the guard to hand over the cash box he was carrying.

East London and West Essex Guardian, 16 November 2006

The paper had reported that a live round of ammunition, a .22 calibre short round, had been found in Walthamstow High Street, in the doorway of a shop.  Since the article was posted on the website the paper had been bombarded with e-mails, all but one from the USA, questioning why this should be an issue.  Many boasted that they carried a handful of bullets around in their pockets.  However the law is very different here, and as a local councillor said, "As far as the council and the police are concerned, this a serious offence.  It [the bullet] could not have got there by any legal means."

Dearne Today, 16 November 2006

A gunman opened fire on two men during a car chase through the streets of Thumscoe following a raid on a post office.  The men were pursuing three robbers who had entered the post office, brandishing a handgun.  They forced customers to lie face down on the floor while they stole money from security guards who were refilling a cash machine.

Citizen (Chorley), 16 November 2006

A female sales assistant at a store in Croston was confronted by two raiders, one whom was brandishing what appeared to be a handgun.  A small amount of cash and a safe were stolen.

Cambs24, 16 November 2006

A masked armed robber threatened a security guard with a handgun before stealing a money box from a bank in Stansted.  An undisclosed amount of money was taken.

BBC, 16 November 2006 *

Three armed burglars, who battered a woman to death and stole her car, went on to attack another family in Hillingdon where a man and his two children were asleep.  One of them brandished a fake gun while another fetched one of the children from her room and held a knife to her throat.  They were forced to escape when the father grabbed the gun and used it to hit all three of them.  He was stabbed in the knee.  Two brothers, Dean Atkins and Michael Atkins, have been convicted of murder, aggravated burglary, wounding and possessing an imitation firearm.  The third man involved, Thomas Carty, committed suicide while on remand (BBC, 26 February 2008).

Herts24, 15 November 2006

Garry Shales waved a loaded air pistol (a replica of a Walther handgun) in his ex-girlfriend's face.  He pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.  He had used the gun in the back garden to fire at objects around the garden.  Shales had attacked the woman as she got into a friend's car in Hatfield on May 2006.  He had already been spared a prison sentence after a previous attack.  He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 15 November 2006

A robber with a silver pistol raided a post office in Birchencliffe and threatened staff with the gun.  They were forced to hand over cash.  The man fled and was driven away by an accomplice.  The staff had suffered a similar ordeal four weeks earlier.

Cambs24, 15 November 2006

A man from March pleaded not guilty when he faced charges of possessing a firearm, a TX200 air rifle, without a certificate and ammunition without a certificate, both charges contravening Section 1 of the Firearms Act.  He has been released on unconditional bail.

ic Croydon, 14 November 2006

A man and a woman have been arrested after two bus passengers suffered stab wounds in Wallington.  The man was charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm, two counts of assaulting police officers and both were charged with possession of two shotguns and one handgun, two counts of possessing ammunition of possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

This is Bradford, 13 November 2006

A man is being guarded by police in hospital following a suspected gun incident in Great Horton.  The incident followed a serious public order incident in Wrose, Shipley, to which it is being linked.  The police have not confirmed all the details.

South Essex Echo, 13 November 2006 

Armed police swooped on a 15-year-old girl's birthday party after gun-wielding thugs tried to gatecrash. A group of 20 youths stormed the party in Southend. One friend was left bleeding from a wound to his head after being hit by a gun. The party on Saturday evening started with a group of girls being turned away because they were not invited.

BBC, 13 November 2006

An air rifle, pellets and cannabis were seized from a house in Sheerness, Kent, after an alleged assault in which a man was hit with a pellet whilst walking in the street.

BBC, 13 November 2006

Traffic in the city centre of Bath was halted as police came to the aid of a taxi driver who was being held at gunpoint.  Three men apparently threatened the driver with a gun.  A man was disarmed and all three were taken away by police.  What's believed to be an imitation firearm was recovered (Avon & Somerset Constabulary, 14 November 2006).

Sunday Sun, 12 November 2006 

A 16-year-old boy was said to be in custody after a firearms incident in Blakelaw, Tyneside.

Sunday Sun, 12 November 2006 

The house of a man cleared of murder was yesterday the target of a gunman.  The man was asleep upstairs in his house in Cowgate, Newcastle, when a gold-coloured bullet smashed through a window and landed in the living room where his terrified girlfriend was watching TV.

Bedfordshire on Sunday, 12 November 2006

Children were warned about the dangers of carrying imitation firearms after a policeman confiscated a number of BB guns.  A man had been hit in the face by a plastic pellet from a gun fired by a young child in Brickhill.  Police found that children aged 9 and 10 had been playing in the street with three of these weapons.

BBC, 12 November 2006

Three youths have been arrested after police received reports that people were being targeted by air rifles at Penshaw, near Washington.  Members of the public became worried about their safety.  Several air rifles were seized.

BBC, 12 November 2006 *

A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a police officer in the Graiseley area of Wolverhampton.  The constable was shot twice in the shoulder at close range after he and a colleague chased a man seen acting suspiciously.  He is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.  A man is in court facing charges of attempted murder and two counts of possessing a firearm (see June 2007 Incidents).

Portsmouth.co.uk, 11 November 2006

A man armed with several kitchen knives was immobilised with a Taser stun-gun and arrested by police in Wymering.

Sheffield Today, 10 November 2006

A masked gunman opened fire on a home in High Green.  A man wearing a balaclava pointed a twin-barrelled shotgun at the house and fired repeatedly, hitting brickwork.  He then shot at the front grille of the family's van which was parked in the street.  Police officers recovered ammunition casing outside the house.

This is Hampshire, 9 November 2006

A teenager was injured when a fellow pupil fired a ball-bearing gun in the canteen of a school in Chandler's Ford.  He was hit near his right eye when the other pupil was "playing" with the plastic gun before lessons.  He has suffered from a sore eye and blurred vision since the incident.  A 15-year-old was arrested and cautioned for possessing an air weapon in a public place.  The gun was destroyed.

Eastern Daily Press, 9 November 2006

A man has been accused of threatening two security guards with a double barrelled sawn off shotgun.  Police surrounded a vehicle in the car park of a pub in Stiffkey after an earlier incident in which the guards were threatened at a caravan park at Wells.  A man was arrested on suspicion of firearms offences and then sectioned under the Mental Health Act at a secure hospital.

Morecambe Today, 8 November 2006

In the last 12 months there have been 35 instances of vandalism on churches in Morecambe.  Among the damage caused have been windows that have been smashed with ball bearing guns.

Manchester Evening News, 8 November 2006

A boy of five was shot in the head after a group of youngsters were apparently targeted with airguns.  The boy was yards from the back door of his house in Hollinwood when he was hit on the temple by a lead pellet.  He was taken to hospital and has made a full recovery.  Two men, aged 18 and 20, have been bailed on suspicion of assault and possession of an air weapon.

ic Solihull, 8 November 2006

A shop assistant in a video store in Monkspath was shot in the eye with an airgun by armed raiders.   The victim is recovering at home after being rushed to hospital with serious bruising and internal bleeding.  According to a colleague he is "still not out of the woods".  After firing the gun the raiders made a run for it empty handed.  CCTV footage is being reviewed (Birmingham Mail, 13 November 2006).

Cirencester.co.uk, 8 November 2006

Police are appealing for witnesses after receiving a report of shots being fired from what is believed to be a BB gun in Cirencester. The shots came from a black sports car as it travelled through the town centre.

Luton Today, 6 November 2006

A motorist was shot in the foot by a gunman after his car was rammed in Slip End.  The victim was forced to run onto the nearby M1 in a bid to escape his attackers.

ic Birmingham, 6 November 2006

A man was fighting for his life in hospital after being shot repeatedly at point-blank range on a busy street in Birmingham.  Police were questioning three men, all aged in their 20s, who were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.  A firearm was recovered.

The Citizen (Blackburn), 6 November 2006

Nicola Eyre and Jade Walker shot a pub manager with a stun gun and stole £1000 for a shopping trip to the Trafford Centre.  Eyre was a former employee of the pub on the Blackburn and Oswaldtwistle border and her voice was recognised.  Both women pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a prohibited weapon and were jailed for two years.

Cambridge Evening News, 6 November 2006

A man who was cycling back from a routine shopping trip in Fulbourn was the victim of a drive by shooting.  A gang took a potshot from a passing car and the airgun pellet that lodged in the man's thigh had to be removed by surgery.

This is Nottingham, 4 November 2006

Anthony Billson has been jailed after buying a stun gun on the internet out of "curiosity".  He had used the weapon, which is illegal, once when he was drunk.  The weapon was discovered in a shoe box at his home in Sutton-in-Ashfield in June 2006 along with drug equipment, cannabis and amphetamines.  He admitted possession of the drugs and the weapon but said he had not realised the gun was a prohibited weapon.  Billson was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Press Association, 4 November 2006

A former Coronation Street star is to be questioned by police after a gun and ammunition were allegedly found during a raid at his home in Salford.

BBC, 4 November 2006

Four people, three of them teenagers, have been arrested after a series of paintball gun attacks in west Berkshire.  They are thought to be linked and follow a burglary at a paintball centre in Pangbourne in October 2006.  Three teenagers and a woman have all had paintballs fired at them, causing minor injuries, and a number of homes have been hit.

Peterborough Today, 3 November 2006

A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and firearms offences following an incident in which a bullet was fired through the window of a flat in the centre of Peterborough in October 2006.

Personal Communication, 3 November 2006

A mother from Oxfordshire wrote to us because we had not seen a report about her son's shooting with an air rifle earlier this year.  We have now added the incident to the list for April 2006.  The incident was another serious airgun incident involving a young teenager, and we believe it is important to provide more details (see Personal Accounts).

Guardian, 3 November 2006

Carl Dobson and his associate Anthony Green were jailed for a minimum of 30 years for murder for a revenge attack on a music producer in a row over lyrics which allegedly insulted Dobson's half-brother.  A handgun was held to the victim's head before he was shot in the back as he tried to escape.  He was also shot in the leg with a Mac-10 machine gun.  The murder took place in Chingford in November 2005 (This is Local London, 3 November 2006) (see Incidents).

Oxford Mail, 2 November 2006

Marc Daniel-Youngs was caught through DNA fingerprinting five years after a burglary in Shrivenham.  He had been chased from a property by a woman, whom he had threatened with a replica handgun, and ordered to give her back what he had stolen.  Daniel-Youngs admitted an aggravated burglary charge and was given a two-year suspended sentence and paid £1000 in compensation.

Liverpool Echo, 2 November 2006

Windows have been shot out with BB guns and air rifles at a leisure centre in Walton during a number of recent attacks on leisure facilities on Merseyside. 

Lancaster Today, 2 November 2006

Stephen Evans gave himself up in a 'negotiated surrender' when police had surrounded his house in Heysham after he had pointed an air rifle at his estranged partner's home.  Two .22 air rifles were found in his house.  He was convicted of possessing an air rifle with intent to cause fear of violence.  He received a 12 month jail sentence, suspended for two years.  (See also September 2006 Incidents)

The Argus, 2 November 2006

The owner of an off-licence in Woodingdean, Brighton, has described the moment when one of his staff was threatened by a gunman.  The woman shop assistant was worried the masked raider, who has still not been caught, might return. The raider, who was wearing a hood and a scarf covering his face, except for his eyes, walked into the shop brandishing a gun.

This is Local London, 1 November 2006

A teenager died and two other men were injured when they were shot outside a nightclub in Camberwell Green.  Police were called to reports of a disturbance between two groups of men outside the club.

Reuters, 1 November 2006

Flying Squad detectives supported by firearms officers shot and killed a man in New Romney, Kent, as part of an operation to prevent a suspected armed robbery.  The death is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.  It later emerged that the police officer who shot the man had also taken part in the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell underground station in July 2005 (Independent, 2 November 2006).  An inquest was told that the dead man, Bob Haines, received multiple gunshot wounds.  Three other men have been charged with robbery and possessing a firearm (Kent on Sunday, 12 November 2006).  An inquest jury reached a verdict of lawful killing (Kent Online, 25 January 2010).

Northwich Chronicle, 1 November 2006

Employees at  a cash-and-carry in Northwich were subjected to a terrifying ordeal by armed robbers who escaped with a substantial amount of money.  One of the robbers carried what is believed to be a sawn-off shotgun.

Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 1 November 2006

A 19-year-old victim was fighting for life after being shot in the head outside a talent show in Hornsey.  Trouble began when a group of young men were refused service at the bar and were told to leave the building.

Hartlepool Today, 1 November 2006

A post office was raided in Hartlepool by a man wearing a Halloween mask.  He produced what appeared to be a gun, but left the store empty handed after shop staff threatened to press a panic button.

BBC, 1 November 2006

A court has heard how Yvonne Newman shot her female ex-partner with an air rifle then beat her with a walking stick at the house they shared in Pinner, north-west London.  The air rifle shot missed.  Newman pleaded guilty to attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.  She was given a 51-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

BBC, 1 November 2006

Two people have been charged with possessing a prohibited weapon, a Taser stun gun.  The woman and the teenager are both from Clacton.

BBC, 1 November 2006

A 19-year-old member of the Gooch Close gang has been convicted of the murder of another teenager gunned down at a house in Hulme in September 2005 (see Incidents).  The victim was a member of a rival gang.  The teenager, who cannot be named, will be sentenced at a later date.

Liverpool Echo, 31 October 2006 *

An inquest has heard that Christopher Woods, 20, was at a friend's house in Anfield, smoking cannabis and playing computer games when he pointed a pistol at each of his friends and then placed it under his chin and pulled the trigger (see April 2006 Incidents). The "crude" replica weapon had been converted to fire steel ball bearings and was faulty.  Christopher died when his life support machine was turned off.  His mother has vowed never to let her toddler son have a toy gun and warned parents of the dangers of guns.  A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded (BBC, 30 October 2006).

Leamington Spa Today, 31 October 2006

Matthew Collins appeared in court after being charged with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.  He pleaded guilty to the charge that he had fired a powerful air rifle at the rear of a vehicle occupied by two people whom he claimed had made violent threats towards him when they visited him at his caravan in Combroke.  He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for two year (Leamington Spa Today, 30 November 2006).

Daily Record, 31 October 2006

It has been reported that Prince William lost an L86 assault rifle during firing practice at Sandhurst.  The weapon was picked up and used by another cadet who handed it back two hours later.

BBC, 31 October 2006 *

A newsagent was taken to hospital after being subjected to a violent attack during an armed robbery.  Police said three men armed with a handgun and a knife went into the shop in Blackburn. One man forced the shopkeeper to hand over the till's contents - about £700 - before attacking him with the knife.

This is Bradford, 30 October 2006

A man who fled from a road accident in Keighley was carrying what is believed to have been a rifle or some other firearm.

Peterborough Today, 30 October 2006

Armed police swooped on a street in Peterborough after reports that a man was seen wielding a handgun or a knife.  Nobody was arrested following the incident but officers are still investigating the disturbance.

Monsters & Critics, 29 October 2006 *

A man has been charged with attempted murder after shots were fired at two police officers investigating a reported bank robbery in Finchley Road, north London.  No police officers were injured in the shooting, but a female police officer was treated in hospital for a cut to her eye (This is Local London, 30 October 2006).  Two men have received long jail sentences (see November 2007 Incidents).

This is Exeter, 28 October 2006

Stephen Cunningham Young, a former police employee responsible for firearms, was given a caution for possessing an air pistol with a self-contained gas cartridge system at a nightclub in Exmouth (see September 2006 Incidents).  The judge at the court hearing brought the prosecution to an end after Young, who had pleaded not guilty, agreed to be cautioned.

Mirror, 28 October 2006

A gunman fired at a man and two boys as they fished at a private lake in South Ockenden, Essex, without permission.  The man was told he should not be fishing and to clear off, but he and the boys had got five yards away when two shots were fired.  A man has been arrested. 

Rochdale Observer, 27 October 2006

Armed robbers, one with a gun, got away with a large amount of cash in a raid on a post office in the village of Calderbrook, Littleborough.  Security guards were making a cash delivery at the time. 

Prestwich & Whitefield Reporter, 27 October 2006

Sufyan Sarwar has been jailed for 12-and-a-half years after shooting a man in the head in Salford in April 2006 (see Incidents).  He had arranged to meet the victim, who has suffered long-term damage to his speech, to pay back a debt but shot him twice.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 27 October 2006

A betting shop manager was robbed at gunpoint as he locked up the premises in Milnsbridge.  He handed over his bag, which contained cash, to the robber who grabbed the bag and fled.  The raider had pointed a silver handgun towards the victim's chest.

Cambridge Evening News, 27 October 2006

A man tried to rob three male students in Arbury.  When they refused to hand over their bags he threatened them with what appeared to be an imitation firearm.

Yorkshire Post, 26 October 2006

Guy Tasker shot and killed a young father in a "completely random, motiveless and pointless" attack was jailed for life (minimum 28 years).  Tasker had obtained a shotgun to injure or at least frighten one of a group of friends who had been mocking him.  Instead he shot a wholly innocent man who was making a snowman for his daughter in a street in Grimsby in December 2005 (see Incidents).  Tasker was high on drink and drugs and in a state of extreme agitation.

Observer News, 26 October 2006

A woman was manoeuvring her car in Bishop's Stortford when she was approached by two men.  She was threatened at gunpoint and the men climbed into her car and drove off.

Lakeland Radio, 26 October 2006

Two men were arrested for possessing an imitation firearm in a public place at Oxenholme station.

ic Coventry, 26 October 2006

A man pointed a gun at a cashier's head during a robbery at a supermarket in Coleshill.  No one was injured, but all three staff members were left badly shaken.  The gunman grabbed money for the till and ran out.

Halifax Today, 26 October 2006

According to an article the West Yorkshire Police website reports that a gas powered ball-bearing gun was confiscated from a local youth in Sowerby Bridge.

BBC, 26 October 2006 *

Six air rifle pellets pierced a fire engine as a crew attended a bonfire-related scene in Watcombe, Torquay.  Firefighters in Torquay will now get a police escort in the run-up to Guy Fawkes night.

News Shopper, 23 October 2006

Three men raided a jewellers in Beckenham, stealing jewellery from the window displays at gunpoint.

Evening News (Norwich), 23 October 2006

Jamie Browne, a 19-year-old who was one of a group of youths who fired air rifles at cars travelling on the A47 near Costessey, was given a deferred prison sentence to give him a chance to mend his ways.  He was one of three youths arrested in October 2005 after cars were hit by air pellets.  Browne had to forfeit the air weapons so they could be destroyed.

Evening Star, 23 October 2006

Airgun vandals have shot at two windows at the home of a woman in Ipswich.  The victim is worried that that they could hit somebody unintentionally.

Life Style Extra, 22 October 2006

 A man found with a number of gunshot wounds in an alleyway in Clapham was pronounced dead at the scene.  Police have launched a murder hunt.

24Dash.com, 20 October 2006 *

Two teachers were attacked outside a school in Bristol with a stun gun.  One male teacher was hit after being confronted with one or two men and when a woman teacher came to his aid she was assaulted and suffered a broken jaw.  A teenager has admitted assault, grievous bodily harm and possession of a weapon (see July 2007 Incidents).

Shropshire Star, 19 October 2006

Armed police sealed off part of Shrewsbury town centre following reports of a man wielding a gun.  Traffic was halted during the operation.  A man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a prohibited weapon and has been bailed pending further enquiries (BBC, 20 October 2006).

Sheffield Today, 19 October 2006

A 17-year-old female shop assistant was held up at gunpoint in Wincobank, Sheffield.  Two masked men burst in and demanded cash.  When the assistant called to a colleague one of the men pointed the gun in the second woman's face.

Macclesfield Express, 18 October 2006

Three boys were captured on camera as they walked through Macclesfield town centre with two of the boys carrying what police fear may be guns.  The photograph was taken on CCTV in late September.  The police believe the guns were likely to be BB guns but said armed police could easily have been scrambled to the scene with potentially fatal consequences.

ic Surrey, 18 October 2006

East Grinstead has suffered two air rifle attacks just days apart.  In the second incident the windows of a theatre and arts centre were peppered with holes at an estimated cost of £600 to repair.  This followed an attack on a car (see below).

BBC, 18 October 2006 *

Two men have been charged with smuggling offences after firearm components, knives and ammunition were allegedly found in a vehicle at Dover docks.  Both men have been jailed for 12 years (see July 2007 Incidents).

ic Coventry, 17 October 2006

A shop assistant at an off licence in Leamington was on her own when a man walked in and asked her to hand over the contents of the till.  He told her not to press the shop's panic button and that he would shoot her unless she did.  He had a bag with him and pointed it at her saying he had got a gun. £65 was stolen.

BBC, 17 October 2006

A 15-year-old boy has been charged after armed police recovered a firearm on a bus in Weoley Castle, Birmingham.  He was charge with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

This is Hertfordshire, 16 October 2006 *

A second man has been shot dead in London over the weekend.  Another 22-year-old was killed in Ealing.  Two other men suffered gunshot wounds in the shooting at an office used by the Eastern European community as a social venue.  One of the gunmen responsible has been jailed for at least 33 years (see July 2007 Incidents).  A year later a second man was jailed for a recommended minimum term of 34 years (Ealing Times, 14 October 2008).  In another incident a man was left fighting for his life after being shot outside a nightclub at Elephant and Castle, south London.  Police believe the man was shot accidentally while another clubber, who was shot in the buttock, fled from the gunman.

Harrow Times, 16 October 2006 *

A 22-year-old man, David Kerr, was found dead in the communal area at a block of flats in Harlesden.  Police were called to reports of shots being fired.  A post mortem gave the cause of death as a gun shot wound to the chest.  A man has been given a life sentence for murder (see May 2008 Incidents).

GCN was contacted by a friend of David's to say that on 21 October a fund raiser was being held at his local pub in South Harrow to try and raise as much money as possible to pay for funeral expenses and to provide support to his girlfriend and family.  Anyone who would like to make a donation should contact 0208 422 0505.

BBC, 16 October 2006

Two men threatened staff with a firearm at a fast food restaurant in Nottingham city centre.  Members of staff were found locked in a room at the back of the restaurant.  The men stole an undisclosed amount of money.

Peterborough Today, 14 October 2006

A 16-year-old was approached by two youths on bikes and one on foot and was then pulled to the ground and threatened with a ball bearing gun in a Spalding car park.  The gang stole the victim's wallet and mobile phone.  Police are treating it as a serious incident.

Northern Echo, 14 October 2006

A youth has been given a six-month detention and training order for blinding a girl with an airgun in April 2006 (see Incidents).  Surgeons were unable to save the sight in her eye after the youth shot her in the face with an air rifle on a path at South Bank near Middlesbrough.  He was one of a number of friends who were firing the air weapon at the time.  The teenager was given a consecutive 12-month order for knocking a youth unconscious during an attack filmed on a mobile phone camera.  He had faced other charges to which he pleaded guilty but was given an absolute discharge for these.  The victim's mother was said to have been left devastated by the court sentence.

BBC, 14 October 2006

Four people, including a 14-year-old girl, have been remanded to custody accused of firearms offences.  The girl is accused of conspiring to supply firearms, including revolvers and a machine pistol, and possessing illegal weapons and ammunition.  A youth of 16 is charged with possessing a revolver, cocaine, cannabis and five CS sprays.  The four were arrested in Harrow.  Other firearms and crack cocaine were recovered during the raid.

BBC, 14 October 2006

Three armed men stole cash from a safe at a post office in East Bergholt, Suffolk.  The men were armed with a shotgun, baseball bat and crowbar.  Police are linking the raid with others at post office stores in Suffolk at Wickhambrook and Assington.

Swindon Advertiser, 13 October 2006

Kevin Clarke of Eastleaze, who has served a prison sentence for armed robbery, was caught with an air rifle in August 2006.  He has admitted one count of possessing a firearm after a previous conviction with three-plus years of imprisonment and another of possessing ammunition.  He now faces another jail term.  It was claimed that he had purchased the air rifle that day to shoot at targets in his garden. Clarke was given a three month jail sentence for the firearm offence with a further month on top for failing to surrender to custody (This is Wiltshire, 9 January 2007).

Peterborough Today, 13 October 2006

A primary school in Bretton was attacked by vandals who broke several windows, causing hundreds of pounds of damage.  The windows were shot out with a ball-bearing gun.

Northamptonshire Police Office, 13 October 2006

The police Stolen and Lost Property site includes details of a theft from a house in Kingsheath, Northampton, in which a gas-powered paint ball gun with paint balls in it was stolen.

Leeds Today, 13 October 2006

A man was shot in a hail of bullets in a street in Harehills and was fighting for his life in hospital.  His condition was described as "still critical, but stable".

GCN is grateful to a correspondent who alerted us to this incident.

BBC, 13 October 2006

Two masked men armed with a knife and a handgun robbed a security van as it made a delivery to a bank in Larkfield, Kent.  No shots were fired and no-one is believed to have been hurt.

BBC, 13 October 2006

Marcus Rhoden has been jailed for a minimum of six years and nine months after admitting firing a shot at two armed policeman in Huddersfield in November 2005 (see Incidents).  The officers needed hospital treatment after the incident.

BBC, 13 October 2006

Two crews from the North East Ambulance Service were targeted with air weapons in separate incidents in Middlesbrough.  No one was injured but damage was caused to two vehicles which were taking patients to hospital.  The attacks follow recent incidents against crews on Tyneside.

BBC, 12 October 2006

Nine soldiers are to be prosecuted over allegations of smuggling guns out of Iraq to trade for drugs and cash.  The soldiers are from the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of Wellington's Regiment) based in Warminster.  The charges follow a criminal inquiry by the Royal Military Police.  See also December 2006 Incidents.

BBC, 12 October 2006

A landlady and her partner were locked in a cupboard when armed robbers broke into her pub in Wigan.  The three men threatened the couple with a gun and knife.  Money and cigarettes were stolen.

BBC, 12 October 2006

A woman was arrested in Newcastle after staff at a Chinese takeaway were threatened with a gun.  The weapon was a ball-bearing pistol according to police.  Staff were left shocked but uninjured.

BBC, 12 October 2006

A man has been accused of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, false imprisonment and wounding following an incident at the West Indian Carnival in Moss Side, Manchester, in May 2006.  Shots were fired and a man was taken against his will.

BBC, 12 October 2006 *

A man is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot in the Holbrooks area of Coventry.  He underwent surgery but remained critically ill two weeks later.  He was hit four times outside his home when he confronted four masked men but the motive is not known (ic Coventry, 24 October 2006).  A man who six weeks later murdered a man in Netherley, Merseyside, has been convicted of attempted murder (see July 2009 Incidents).

ic Surrey, 11 October 2006

A motorist in East Grinstead reported having a window broken with what was believed to be an air weapon.  A police helicopter circled over the town centre.

ic Liverpool, 11 October 2006

A man is recovering in hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to his stomach.  The wound appeared to have been caused by an airgun pellet.  The incident occurred in a street in Kirkdale.

Citizen (Blackpool), 10 October 2006

A Blackpool hotelier who issued a warning about the dangers of providing free internet access after problems with two guests also reported that some lads (whom he believes were responsible) were seen firing BB guns from a window at the hotel at girls outside.

Rye & Battle Today, 9 October 2006

A team of police locked down the village of Crowhurst after a resident saw a man with a rifle or shotgun wandering around.  No sign of the man was found after a two hour search.

East Anglian Daily Times, 9 October 2006

A shopkeeper in Clacton has described how he tackled an armed robber wearing a Scream mask who held a gun (a black pistol) at his head.  Two raiders had burst into the newsagents.  The raiders fled.

Daily Post, 9 October 2006

An armed police unit was sent to Liverpool Lime Street station after reports that a man had been seen with a firearm on a train on a Wigan to Liverpool service.  The train was brought to a halt just outside the station.  A man was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an imitation firearm.

BBC, 9 October 2006

Four teenagers were arrested after a car containing youths and a shotgun were reported in Ashford, Kent.  Armed response units were called out and saw the car on the M20.  The vehicle crashed shortly afterwards in Willesborough.  Imitation firearms (two imitation shotguns and a soft air weapon) were found in the car.  The four, aged between 15 and 19, were held for firearms offences, burglary and stealing a car.

BBC, 8 October 2006

A man was arrested after another man said he was being threatened with a handgun.  Police had been called to premises in Felling, Gateshead.  During their search a cannabis farm was discovered.

Lancashire Evening Post, 7 October 2006

Police in Preston have said that home-made weapons were being handed out from a "lending library" for specific crimes so known suspects were never caught with them.  Criminals were resorting to home-made devices rather than more powerful manufactured weapons.  In 2004/05, 160 of the 259 firearms incidents in Lancashire involved weapons like ball bearing guns.

Blackpool Today, 7 October 2006

Three raiders burst into a Blackpool jewellers and pocketed £100,000 worth of designer watches.  They were armed with a handgun and hammers.  Police are not convinced that the men were the same ones who robbed another jewellers in Blackpool in September (see Incidents), even though there were several significant similarities.

Scarborough Today, 6 October 2006

Following an attack on a bus driver on Barrowcliff in Scarborough local councillors have demanded a crackdown on the sale of ball-bearing guns to young people.  Shopkeepers are selling the guns on the seafront.  The councillors want their local MP Robert Goodwill (Con) to raise the issue in Parliament.

BBC, 6 October 2006

A nightclub in Nottingham has had its licence revoked after a shooting took place there in July 2006 (see Incidents).

This is Bradford, 5 October 2006

A former policeman who works in the security industry will appear in court later this month accused of trying to steal cash from a bingo hall in Bradford by allegedly posing as an undercover officer on a covert operation.  He faces two firearms charges in relation to the incident.  He has been jailed for four years (see November 2006 Incidents).

Harlow Star, 5 October 2006

A man who was shot in the back and face with an airgun has said that it could have ended his career as a graphic designer if he had been struck in the eye.  He was walking along the street a short distance from his home in Pennymead, Harlow when he heard a loud bang and felt a sharp pain in his back.  A youth in a car was pointing an airgun at him which he fired again.

Bridgwater Mercury, 5 October 2006

Two teenagers have been arrested after frightened shop workers spotted them strolling around Bridgwater town centre carrying guns.  The teenagers were carrying ball-bearing guns which were confiscated by police.

BBC, 5 October 2006

Security guards who were filling a cash machine in Paddock Wood, Kent, were robbed by a man who threatened them with a gun.  The gun was not fired.

Muswell Hill Journal, 4 October 2006

A disabled man who had seen youths running past, firing BB guns at his home in Muswell Hill, north London, has been the victim of fire bomb attackers.  He found his car had been torched during the night.

Birmingham Mail, 4 October 2006

A 12-year-old boy escaped serious injury despite being shot in the eye with an airgun as he walked along a street in Cannock.  A man has been arrested in connection with the incident.  Staffordshire Police say they dealt with 63 airgun incidents during the school summer holidays.

The Press, 3 October 2006

An armed man subjected staff at a rural petrol station to a harrowing robbery - and made away with only a wallet and a set of house keys.  Police said two men, one armed with a long-barrelled gun, had entered the petrol station on the A19 at Escrick, North Yorkshire.

BBC, 3 October 2006

A ten-year-old girl who claimed that she had been shot in a park in Wolverhampton with an airgun has admitted she was actually injured while playing with the gun herself.  She was hurt at a friend's house.  She has had stitches in her throat.  A 15-year-old boy who had been arrested was released without charge.

BBC, 3 October 2006 *

Police discovered a dead man in a downstairs room of a property in Wandsworth, south London.  He had been deliberately shot through the glass of his front door.  Police have ruled out burglary and believe the gunman had come with the "intention of killing him".  Almost a year after the murder police made another appeal to trace his killer, revealing that the weapon used was a .22 (BBC, 20 August 2007).

Yorkshire Post, 2 October 2006

A man was recovering in hospital after being shot in the stomach in a Sheffield nightclub.  The victim was among a group in a confrontation in the club.  His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

This is Bradford, 2 October 2006

Masked men armed with a handgun threatened shop staff during an armed robbery in Allerton.  Three men entered the store and made off with money from the till and a quantity of cigarettes.

BBC, 2 October 2006

Christopher Harwood, 19, has admitted having a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.  He threatened a woman with a pistol he wore for line dancing by pointing the fake weapon at the woman's head.  The incident happened when he had gone to Fulwood, Preston, to settle a minor argument with an old friend in April 2006.  The victim had come to investigate noises in the middle of the night.  Harwood was sentenced to eight months detention.

BBC, 2 October 2006

A man fled with an amount of cash after threatening two members of staff with a gun at a store in St Osyths, Essex.

BBC, 2 October 2006

A teenager brandishing an imitation firearm on a train sparked an alert by an armed response unit in Colchester.  The 19-year-old was arrested and a ball-bearing gun taken from him.  He was cautioned and released.

BBC, 1 October 2006

Two men have been charged with drug offences after an operation  in Swanley, Kent, in which cocaine was seized.  A handgun and ammunition were also recovered by police in the raid.

Sunderland Today, 30 September 2006

A man was arrested after an assault in Chester-le-Street in which the victim was attacked with a stun-gun.  The man was knocked unconscious by a bolt from the gun which is normally used on animals in slaughterhouses.  The incident is thought to have involved up to 15 people.

The Press (York), 29 September 2006 *

The victim of an armed robber fought back and grabbed his gun.  The man was returning home from a night out in York when he was approached by the gunman who demanded property.  The gunman ran off after the struggle.  The police confirmed that the weapon was an airgun, although it gave all the appearances of being a handgun.  A man has been jailed for five years (see January 2008 Incidents).

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 29 September 2006

A taxi driver was robbed at gunpoint after he had picked up a passenger in Deighton.  The driver was asked to drive in Sheepridge where the passenger pulled out a silver handgun and demanded money.  The robber demanded more and his mobile phone but rejected the phone and fled.

Blackpool Today, 29 September 2006

A man has appeared in court charged with robbery and with possessing an imitation firearm in the form of a Colt handgun after an armed robbery in which hundreds of pounds were taken from a post office in Blackpool.

BBC, 29 September 2006

Staff at a post office in Loxton, near Axbridge in Somerset, were held at gunpoint in an attempted robbery.

BBC, 29 September 2006

A shop assistant in Lincoln was left "shaken and upset" after an armed robber threatened her with what police believe was a handgun.  The robber was given some cash from the till and ran from the off licence.

BBC, 29 September 2006

In what police have described as a "targeted" shooting, a man was shot in the lower body in Dingle, Liverpool.  He was taken to hospital but his condition is not thought to be life-threatening.

BBC, 29 September 2006

A gunman opened fire on two teenagers outside a McDonald's in Brixton, south London.  One of the victims is in a critical condition after being shot in the chest, the other was shot in the arm and was in a stable condition.  It is not clear whether the boys were queuing outside the restaurant.

BBC, 29 September 2006

An inquest was told that Stephen Hensby of Rawtenstall died after shooting at two police officers who came to speak to him over a claim of harassment from neighbours on July 2005.  One of the police officers was wounded by a shot from a single-barrelled shotgun.  After a siege lasting several hours police entered the house and found that Hensby had shot himself in the head.  The court judged that his death was suicide.

BBC, 29 September 2006

A 16-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder by a gang who were terrorising children in Whalley Edge, Manchester.  She was taken to hospital for treatment although she was not thought to be seriously hurt.

Aylesbury Today, 29 September 2006

A robber held a gun to the back of a shop assistant at a video store in Aylesbury.  He left with an undisclosed amount of cash, leaving two assistants unhurt but very shocked.  A second man was probably involved.

Salisbury Journal, 28 September 2006 *

Motorists in Downton, Woodfalls and Hale in Wiltshire discovered that windows of their cars had been smashed. There were holes in the windows of a pub in Downton during the night.  Cars and property in Woodgreen and Fordingbridge had also been hit.  The number of cars with one or more windows or windscreens shattered was estimated to be as high as 97.  Youths with BB guns are believed to have been responsible for the damage.  A 19-year-old has been given a custodial sentence and a 14-year-old a two year supervision order (see March 2007 Incidents).

ic Surrey, 28 September 2006

Police are investigating the shooting of a man in the forehead in Redhill.  He needed five stitches for a gash above his right eye after the air rifle attack.  A 17-year-old girl suffered a bruised left eye after she was hit in the face with a baseball bat during the incident.  An 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of assault.  In another recent incident in the area a seven-year-old boy and a man walking his dog were both victims of a drive-by shooting in Earlswood.  (See also Quotes).

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 28 September 2006 *

A soldier was shot in the pelvis in an attack in a pub in Marsh, Huddersfield.  The motive is understood to be some sort of grudge.  The victim was recovering at home.  One man has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and violent disorder.  Another two men have pleaded not guilty to violent disorder (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 29 June 2007).

BBC, 28 September 2006

A 16-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm after he was spotted on CCTV cameras in Northampton carrying a handgun.    An imitation gun was found.

BBC, 28 September 2006

Police are searching for an armed robber who escaped from a prison van after it was raided as the man was being transferred from Redditch to Blakenhurst Prison.  Masked men stopped the van in Redditch and threatened the security staff with a handgun.

BBC, 27 September 2006

Air weapons and miniature crossbows have been found on a canal boat after a man threatened a member of the public with a sawn-off shotgun at a pub in Warwick.  No shots were fired.  A man was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an imitation firearm in a public place.

Press Association, 26 September 2006 *

A gunman is being hunted after a teenage boy was shot dead at a shopping parade in the Meadows area of Nottingham.  The victim was involved in an altercation with another youth when he was fatally wounded.  The victim had previously been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a man in the area in July 2005 but the prosecution against him was dropped due to lack of evidence (BBC, 27 September 2006).  A man has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years for the murder (see July 2007 Incidents).

ic South London, 26 September 2006 *

Three members of the Muslim Boys, a notorious South London gun gang have been given jail sentences for carrying guns and possession of firearms.  Marlon Stubbs, Stefon Thomas and Sanjit Webster were given sentences of at least four years, four years and three-and-a-half years, respectively.  Thomas was also sentenced to six years concurrent for other offences (ic South London, 28 November 2006).  A week before another member of the Muslim boys, Joel Simmonds, was jailed for 10 years for possession of a Mac-10 machine pistol, ammunition, body armour and a stun gun (see below).

Evening Post (Nottingham), 26 September 2006

A legal loophole has meant that Darren Randall escaped a mandatory five year jail sentence because his sawn-off shotgun was too long.  He was jailed for three-and-a-half years after being caught with the gun and a quantity of cannabis in his shed in Bilborough.  The gun was six inches too long to make a five-year sentence inevitable.  The loophole has been criticised by campaigners, MPs and a retired judge.

Chard & Ilminster News, 26 September 2006

Police have recovered an air rifle after a man and a boy were shot in a street in Chard.  Both received minor injuries, thought to be bruising.  A 17-year-old has been arrested.

BBC, 26 September 2006

More than 2000 pupils from schools in Peckham and East Dulwich were sent home early on the advice of police amid fears of gang violence, and recent shootings at London nightclubs (see below).

BBC, 26 September 2006

An air rifle pellet has been shot through the window of a primary school in Telford.  A parents' meeting was in progress at the time.  Police want to speak to a group of youths seen on grassland near the school.

BBC, 25 September 2006 *

Three men were shot in separate shootings at London clubs over the weekend.  One man was killed after being shot at a club in King's Cross and two men survived a shooting outside a club in Brixton.  CCTV footage of people who were present at the King's Cross club was released by the police almost a year after the murder (BBC, 20 August 2007).

BBC, 25 September 2006

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after another man was shot in the leg at a house party in Headington, Oxford.  Armed officers were called to the house after reports of a disturbance, probably the result of a group of youths gate crashing the party.  After an argument a man arrived with a gun which he fired in the garden.

Sunday Mirror, 24 September 2006

Mohammed Younis and Rodney Stoute were caught by police when they were driving from Reading to London, with automatic weapons.  They were driving to a suspected shooting to kill a bouncer who had refused to let them in to a club.  The were in a car with the registration G2GUN and were joined by a man riding a motorbike with the licence place G1GUN.  Younis was jailed for six years and Stoute for three years for possessing firearms.

BBC, 24 September 2006 *

A wounded man was taken to hospital with internal injuries after an incident at an address in Lemington, Newcastle.  The victim is critically ill.  Two brothers have been convicted of conspiracy to murder (see December 2007 Incidents).

Sunderland Today, 23 September 2006 *

Three teenagers walked into a school in Ashbrooke, Sunderland, and started taking pot-shots at pupils with a BB gun.  Three pupils suffered minor injuries when they were targeted.  The police said that pupils at the school were obviously shaken by the incident.  The three perpetrators will not face court action (see January 2007 Incidents).

BBC, 23 September 2006

Police are looking for Sean Sutton, whom they describe as "highly dangerous", after a shooting incident in Kennington, south London, earlier in the month.  The victim has been left confined to a wheelchair for life.

BBC, 23 September 2006

A teenager was being treated for wounds to his leg after a number of gun shots were fired in Winson Green, Birmingham.  Details were sketchy but it appeared a number of shots had been fired in the street.

Preston Today, 22 September 2006

Stephen Evans was convicted of possessing an air rifle with intent to cause fear.  He had gone round to the house of his ex-partner in Heysham and pointed the rifle at the front door and bedroom window.  He was given a 12 month jail term, suspended for two years (see November 2006 Incidents).

Lancashire Evening Post, 22 September 2006

A gunman shot a teacher in the leg while repeatedly firing an air weapon at visitors leaving a centre for the visually impaired at Penwortham, near Preston.  Police attended the wrong location and failed to re-contact visitors and staff who were left waiting for 90 minutes inside a building.

ic South London, 22 September 2006

An unarmed police officer, PC Steven Roots, has been honoured with London's top policing award.  He was recognised for his bravery after he overpowered a fleeing gunman, Kingsley Opuku, in a chase in Peckham.  Opuku was found to have a Mac-10 machine pistol, 15 rounds of ammunition, a silencer, replica pistol and bulletproof vest and was jailed for 11 years for possessing firearms in November 2004.

Evening Post (Nottingham), 22 September 2006

A man suffered a minor injury after being shot with a pellet gun in Arnold.  Police rushed to the location after receiving calls about a serious incident.

Spalding Today, 21 September 2006

An airgun was fired at the windows of a mobile building in Sutton Bridge which was used by a playgroup.  No one was in the room at the time.  The damage was discovered when staff attended an evening meeting.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 21 September 2006

A man was threatened at gunpoint for his mobile phone.  He had parked his car in a car park in Deighton when he was approached by a man with a gun.  The gunman had two accomplices.

The Comet, 21 September 2006

A gunman blasted the door of a caravan at a travellers' site on the A1 near Sandy, terrifying a man and woman inside.  The shot peppered holes in the door.  After the shooting a car was seen leaving the site.

Bury Times, 21 September 2006

A man was shot in the leg when he answered the door of his home in Bury.  The attacker fled, leaving his victim bleeding heavily on the doorstep.

Sunderland Echo, 21 September 2006

Daniel Stoddart, 18, pushed a friend on to a bed before using an air rifle to shoot him in the temple and the leg at the victim's house in Washington.  The victim, aged 17, has a pellet embedded in his head, inches from his right eye.  He had refused to shoot another friend after being ordered to do so by Stoddart, who has been told he must serve a minimum of six years in jail.

BBC, 20 September 2006

An armed policeman has lost a metal holder containing 15 bullets while on duty in the Nottingham city area.

Oxford Mail, 19 September 2006

A 14-year-old boy may lose the sight of one eye after being hit with a pellet fired from a ball-bearing gun.  He was shot in Greater Leys, Oxford whilst he was out in the street with some friends.  It was alleged that a man was at the bedroom window of a house with a BB gun near to where they were playing.  A man has pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm and causing grievous bodily harm (see February 2007 Incidents).

Monsters and Critics, 19 September 2006

Christopher Hatton has been sentenced to ten years in prison after threatening a police officer with a firearm following an attempt to rob a jewellers in Knightsbridge.  He was found guilty of attempted burglary and possession of a firearm with intent to resist arrest.

Guardian, 19 September 2006

A teenager has been arrested after a schoolgirl was shot in the face with an air weapon during breaktime at a school in Beaumont Leys, Leicester.  She was due to have an operation to remove a ball bearing from her cheek.  She was chatting to friends on a playing field at the time of the incident.

BBC, 19 September 2006

A large quantity of air weapons has been stolen from an angling shop in Woodhatch, Surrey.  A total of 33 air rifles and air pistols were taken.  Police are concerned the weapons could be sold on, and end up in the hands of young people.

BBC, 19 September 2006 *

A man was stabbed to death yards from his front door in south-east London in an attack by a mob of up to 40 youths.  One of the youths had pulled out a gun, aimed and fired several shots before the group dispersed.  Later they are thought to have fired shots in the air outside a community action centre before chasing and stabbing another man in Deptford Wharf.  A coroner has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing at an inquest into the death of the victim (see April 2008 Incidents).

BBC, 19 September 2006

Julia Palmer has admitted kidnapping a man and driving him 170 miles from Lincoln to Croydon.  Two men, one of whom had produced a silver handgun after the victim had got into the car, have denied kidnap charges.  The kidnapping was over an alleged debt owed to a man in Ireland.

BBC, 19 September 2006

A woman has been arrested for allegedly holding a water pistol to the head of a shop worker in South Shields and demanding drugs.  She was arrested on suspicion of causing fear with an imitation firearm.

Yorkshire Post, 18 September 2006

A man with an airgun deliberately targeted a lorry as it travelled on the A1 just north of Blyth services.  The lorry driver heard a noise and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a gun in the hand of a van driver in the next lane.  Subsequent examination of the lorry revealed damage around the driver's door consistent with a BB gun of small calibre air weapon.

Kenilworth Today, 18 September 2006

Armed police cordoned off a road in Kenilworth after a woman called to say she had seen a man with a gun in a communal garden behind a block of flats.  After two hours the cordon was lifted when officers recovered two air rifles, and air pistol and ammunition from one flat.  A man later reported to the local police station admitting he had been using one of the rifles to shoot at a tin can.

BBC, 18 September 2006

A man was in hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to his buttocks after an incident involving a large group of men in Hillfields, Coventry.

Life Style Extra, 17 September 2006

The A&E department of Homerton hospital in east London was closed for an hour after a patient threatened to kill staff with a gun.  The man was arrested at a nearby address.

BBC, 17 September 2006

A security guard was pushed to the ground and threatened with a gun as he delivered money to a cash point at a supermarket in Doncaster.  Two men were involved in the attack and a third man escaped with them in a stolen car.

Evening Post (Nottingham), 16 September 2006

Nathan Ricketts, an anti-drugs volunteer, has been jailed for eight years after he gave his girlfriend a loaded Mac-10 machine pistol and ammunition.  He was told by the judge that he had no doubt the lethal firearm was destined for criminal hands.  His ex-partner Bernadette Burke pleaded guilty to the same charges and will be sentenced later.  The gun was found in a box of old toys and clothes after police raided Burke's mother's house in Nottingham in October 2006.

BBC, 16 September 2006 *

A man has died after being shot at a nightclub in Bristol.  He suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest and died later in hospital.  A firearm has been recovered during a search of the area (BBC, 17 September 2006).  Four men have been arrested on suspicion of murder (BBC, 10 November 2006).  One of the men was acquitted at a trial in 2007 and the case against the other three has been dropped (BBC, 19 December 2008).

Sunderland Echo, 15 September 2006

An arsenal of weapons was found in a clear-out of a house in Ashbrooke after its owner had died.  The find led to the evacuation of neighbouring homes.  Among the items recovered was machine-gun ammunition.  There were a number of other items including a quantity of shotgun powder which the police believe the man was using to make his own ammunition.  He was a member of a gun club, so according to police it was probably just for cheapness rather than anything untoward.

ic South London, 15 September 2006

Four men were gunned down in five days.  A 19-year-old was hit in the stomach in Camberwell in what was thought to be a case of mistaken identity.  Another man was shot in the back outside a nightclub in Old Kent Road (see below), a cyclist was shot in the knee in Brixton and a man shot outside a barber's in Walworth.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 15 September 2006

Armed police sealed off a street in Walker in their hunt for gunmen behind a spate of robberies (see below).  One men was arrested but it is not known if any weapons were recovered.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 15 September 2006

A man was forced to kneel down with a gun to his head during a terrifying street robbery in North Shields.  Two men confronted the 18-year-old, grabbed him by the throat and dragged him into an alley where a gun was put to his head.  They stole property including an MP3 player and jewellery.

BBC, 15 September 2006

A man from Clapton, one of twelve men arrested in raids in London, has been charged with several offences including providing instruction or training in the making or use of firearms contrary to Section 54(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000.  Another man from Walthamstow had earlier been charged with both providing and receiving training in the making or use of firearms, a man from Putney with possessing a shotgun, in contravention of the Firearms Act (BBC, 13 September 2006), a man from Upper Norwood with receiving training in the use of weapons and an Eltham man with possession of a flare launcher under the Firearms Act (BBC, 12 September 2006).  Twelve men altogether have now been charged following the raids.

BBC, 15 September 2006

Darren Jones, who threatened a passer-by with an air pistol, admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at Norwich Crown Court.  He has been jailed for 12 months.

BBC, 15 September 2006

Shop staff in Needham Market, Suffolk, were threatened by two men with what police believe was a double-barrelled shotgun.  They men escaped with a quantity of cash.

Evening Post (Nottingham), 14 September 2006

A man shot and killed a woman outside her home in Alvaston, Derby, and then fatally shot himself.  Lenny Yorke shot his ex-partner in front of his daughters.  Police had investigated a domestic incident between the two.  It has emerged that Yorke was an airgun enthusiast who had recently bought two air pistols and ammunition from a Radford airgun shop.  He had set up a shooting gallery in his back garden.  A number of weapons were seized by police when they searched his house.

BBC, 14 September 2006

A gang of armed robbers threatened staff with a gun and stole expensive watches from a jewellers in Blackpool.  The three men ran off.

This is Essex, 13 September 2006

A masked man robbed security guards at gunpoint as they made a cash delivery to a bank in Benfleet.  The robber was driven away by an accomplice.  The bank had also been targeted in March 2006.

Lancashire Evening Post, 13 September 2006

A taxi driver was threatened at gunpoint when he picked up a fare in Preston.  The teenage gunman screamed at him to hand over his takings.

Journal (Newcastle), 13 September 2006

A masked raider fired two gunshots after forcing his way into a sub post office in Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  The man was armed with a shotgun.  No one was injured and the raider fled when staff activated the alarm.  Earlier in the week two men, one with a handgun, took cash from Denton Park post office.

Hartlepool Today, 13 September 2006

A man wearing a hood held up a shop in Hartlepool at gunpoint before making off with the store's taking.  Two female shop assistances were left petrified by the raider who was armed with a handgun.

Cambs 24, 13 September 2006

A teenager was shot with an air rifle while fishing in Brampton.  He felt a sharp pain near his right hip.  He turned around and saw a young man with what he described as an air rifle.

BBC, 13 September 2006

A man who managed the explosives and firearm licensing department for Devon and Cornwall police has been charged with being in possession of an illegal gun.  He was arrested after an alleged incident in Exmouth when he was allegedly found with a six-shot revolver-style air pistol.  The weapon was gas powered and the man did not have a licence for it.  He has received a caution (see October 2006 Incidents).

BBC, 13 September 2006 *

Hundreds of guns were found at a house in Dartford.  In what was one of the Metropolitan Police's biggest ever weapons seizures, pump-action shotguns, M16 rifles, revolvers and antique firearms were discovered.  One man was arrested and a second man was questioned in linked raids in the United States.  A man has been charged with a number of firearms offence (BBC, 15 September 2006).  See News Items.  A man was on trial facing 22 charges in June 2007 (see Incidents)

Avon and Somerset Constabulary, 13 September 2006

Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident in Keynsham in which an 18-year-old was shot with an air rifle whilst he and a friend were walking in a field.  The victim claims three teenagers were some distance away when one of them fired a gun at him.

Evening Post (Nottingham), 12 September 2006

James Wallace denied four charges of robbery, four charges of possessing a firearm with intent to commit robbery and one count of wounding with intent.  The case followed robberies at three shops and a bookmakers in the Nottingham area between September and October 2006.  Each time the staff were threatened with a fake gun.  Wallace was found guilty on all charges.  Another man who denied robbing a shop, possessing a firearm with intent to commit robbery and wounding with intent  was found not guilty and was acquitted.  Jonathan Scott had earlier pleaded to guilty to five armed robberies, associated firearms offences and grievous bodily harm.  A 17-year-old also pleaded guilty to concealing firearms and conspiring to steal (Evening Post (Nottingham), 16 September 2006).

Peterborough Today, 11 September 2006

A police armed response unit was called to a street in the centre of Peterborough after reports of two men carrying a handgun.  No one has been able to shed light on the whereabouts of the two men.

LondonSE1, 11 September 2006

Police are appealing for information regarding a shooting near the Old Kent Road.  The victim heard a gunshot and turned to see two men with handguns firing at him.  He suffered a number of gunshot wounds to his abdomen.

BBC, 11 September 2006 *

A man was shot in the face at a shop in Portslade, east Sussex.  The victim's injuries are not thought to be life threatening and he is stable in hospital.  The police confirmed there had been "a number of arrests".  Three men have admitted robbery and possessing a firearm and one of them admitted GBH (see May 2007 Incidents).

Bridgwater Mercury, 10 September 2006

Thousands of pounds worth of damage were caused in Bridgwater town centre when a catapult or ball bearing gun was used to smash windows.  Holes the size of golf balls were left in some windows, others had large cracks.

Bedford Today, 10 September 2006

A 12-year-old girl was shot in the face with an airgun while playing with friends on Biggleswade Common.  She was hit in the mouth with a pellet which has resulted in her losing part of her upper lip.  A man, who was said to have been shooting rabbits, was arrested close to the scene.

BBC, 10 September 2006

Two men have been charged with robbery following an incident which closed Finsbury Park station in north London.  The reports of a gunshot inside, but police said that there was no evidence so far that a gun had been fired.

BBC, 9 September 2006

An armed gang hijacked a lorry carrying £15,000 worth of lager from Aveley in Essex.  The two drivers were tied up after they had a gun pushed into their faces.  The lorry was found abandoned in Dagenham.

BBC, 9 September 2006 *

The murder of 15-year-old Jessie James was widely reported in the media.  The teenager was shot in the Moss Side area of Manchester.  His body was found in a park.  He had been hit with three bullets fired from a semi-automatic pistol (Times, 11 September 2006).  Last month three men were shot and wounded in two separate incidents in Moss Side.  Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in separate prisons in north west England (Guardian, 10 August 2007).  An inquest has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, but no-one has been charged with Jessie's murder (BBC, 2 June 2010).

Manchester Evening News, 8 September 2006 *

A gang of four wearing hoodies held up a jewellers in the centre of Manchester with a gun.  They terrified staff with the weapon before snatching handfuls of watches.  A gun was recovered from the scene by police.  A man has admitted his involvement in this and two other robberies and possessing imitation firearms with intent to commit robbery (see September 2010 Incidents).

ic South London, 8 September 2006

Richard Graham pulled a pistol on a policeman as he chased him down an alley in Herne Hill in January 2006.  After a series of bangs Graham escaped but a modified Beretta pistol and two unfired 8 mm cartridges were found.  Forensic experts were unable to prove that he actually filed the gun.  Graham has been jailed for seven years after he denied firing the gun but pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to resist arrest.

BBC, 8 September 2006

Joel Simmonds was found in possession of a machine gun and stun gun after searches of his house in Lambeth, south east London, and another property in Denmark Hill.  He was convicted in July of various offences and has now received a 10-year jail term.

BBC, 8 September 2006

In another airgun incident in the Stoke-on-Trent area a teenage boy was recovering in hospital after being shot in the leg.  He had walked home following the attack.

This is Hertfordshire, 7 September 2006

Police are trying to trace a car involved in a drive-by shooting in Barnet.  One car chased another along the A1 as several shots were fired.

Mirror, 7 September 2006

A man was in a critical condition in hospital after a hit and run incident involving a motorist armed with a handgun.  The gunman's car hit the pedestrian after he had been arguing with another motorist in the street in East Ham, east London, moments beforehand.

Manchester Evening News, 7 September 2006

Five pubs and restaurants in Oldham were targeted by a drive-by shooter in one night.  Nobody was hurt in the airgun attacks that occurred within half a mile of each other.  Windows were broken and customers and staff were left badly shaken.

Hucknall Today, 7 September 2006

A newsagent was punched in the face and pinned to the floor at gunpoint in an armed robber in Bulwell.

Harrow Times, 7 September 2006

A man was shot at with an air pistol and a second man was stabbed in the stomach when a fight broke out at a party in Wembley.  The injured men were taken to hospital.

Bromsgrove Standard, 7 September 2006

A man was left injured after he was shot by pellets while walking in Bromsgrove.  He suffered serious soreness and bruising.  The pellets were believed to be from a paint ball gun, fired from inside a car.

BBC, 7 September 2006

A man from High Wycombe faces three firearms offences.  He is alleged to have had a Balkal 8mm pistol in his possession, having a magazine clip with 10 rounds of ammunition and possessing a black gun silencer without holding a firearms certificate.  He is one of thirteen men who appeared in court in connection with an alleged plot to blow up airliners (BBC, 18 September 2006).

BBC, 7 September 2006

A man was arrested following an incident involving armed police at a house in Swindon.  There were reports that a man was setting fire to the property.  A pensioner was arrested on suspicion of affray.  A replica firearm was recovered from the scene.

BBC, 7 September 2006

Two hooded men raided a pub in the Meadows, Nottingham.  They threatened customers with a handgun and demanded cash before running off with a cash drawer from the till.  No shots were fired during the incident.

ic Surrey, 6 September 2006

A 12-year-old boy narrowly escaped serious injury after thugs fired at him from a passing car with a BB gun.  He was cycling in Southgate when he was approached by the car.

ic South London, 6 September 2006

Residents were in shock following a shooting at a family home in Welling.  Police are still hunting the gunman who blasted shots of the house.  The family had only moved in recently.

Ealing Times, 6 September 2006

A pensioner was shot at by a masked intruder, and then he chased the man along his street in Hanwell.  He suffered a slight injury to his hand.

BBC, 6 September 2006

A policeman is recovering in hospital after being shot in the back of the neck with an air weapon.  He was with other officers who responded to reports of projectiles hitting windows in Ridgeway, Sunderland.  Two youths were arrested at the scene.

Northumbria Police, 5 September 2006

An 8-year-old boy, who was playing in the garden of a house in North Tyneside, was shot in the head with an air rifle.  He suffered a pellet wound to the side of his head.  A 16-year-old male youth was arrested and an air weapon seized.

Injury Watch, 5 September 2006

A 16-year-old boy has lost the sight in one eye and has a pellet permanently embedded in his brain following an incident with an air rifle.  The boy, from Featherstone in Staffordshire, was playing with the weapon (a Westlake B2) in a wooded area when it went off.  The gun had been bought at a car boot sale.  The police have seized the weapon and initial investigations have raised concerns.  Similar models have also been seized and test seem to show that the weapon may fire when dropped on the ground.

ic Coventry, 5 September 2006

A couple were held at gunpoint at their home in Coventry by masked thieves who stole their car and an undisclosed sum of cash.

BBC, 5 September 2006

Two men armed with what are believed to be firearms attempted to rob a security van in Gosforth, Newcastle.  There were reports that two shots were fired at a building.

Richmond & Twickenham Times, 4 September 2006

Vandals armed with airguns have been shooting at cars and breaking their windows in Mortlake.  Two drivers reported being hit.

ic Coventry, 4 September 2006

A man was forced to stop his car and hand over cash by armed robbers on a scooter.  The incident occurred in Longford.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 4 September 2006

A masked raider pointed a silver handgun at two staff members at a takeaway in Marsh and threatened to kill him.  The raider grabbed a handful of cash, fired the gun at the floor and fled.  Police discovered that the weapon was a blank-firing gun.

Observer, 3 September 2006

In an article which describes how many firearms offences are committed by teenagers furious over a perceived lack of 'respect' the reporter describes an attack on a pedestrian in Hackney, east London, which left the victim with a gunshot wound in the leg.  The gunmen went off on a motorbike.

Wimbledon Guardian, 1 September 2006

Four men, aged between 18 and 20, have been convicted of firearm and robbery offences carried out in the Sutton area in October 2005 (see Incidents).  Sheldon Green, Jonathan Tetteh, Andrew Farge and Thomas Gumble pleaded guilty to a variety of offences.  Tetteh had threatened a girl with a handgun and two evenings later three of the men threatened two teens with a handgun and a knife and stole a moped.  Later they robbed a man of a mobile phone and gold chain.  Police found a number of videotapes showing the four men with weapons.  On one Green is heard threatening that he would blow a man's brain out while brandishing a Smith and Wesson revolver.  Police are still searching for some of the weapons shown on the gang's video.

Wimbledon Guardian, 1 September 2006

A petrol station cashier in Tattenham Corner was taken to hospital after being pistol whipped around the head in an armed robbery.  The robbery may be linked to a one at an off licence in Ashtead (see August 2006 Incidents).

This is Bradford, 1 September 2006

A road in Bradford city centre was closed after police received reports of a gun being fired.  Nobody was injured.

Lancashire Evening Post, 1 September 2006

A man says he suffered a mysterious gunshot wound at a friend's birthday party in Ingol, Preston.  Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with incident despite the man's claim that he was shot by an unknown gunman in an alleyway.  The police say there was no evidence to support his claim.

BBC, 1 September 2006

Armed robbers raided a jewellers in the centre of Chester.  The three men, one of whom was armed with what appeared to be a handgun stole watches and made their getaway in a car that was later found burned out.

BBC, 1 September 2006

Two men have been arrested when their car was stopped in the Stapleton area of Bristol.  The were arrested on suspicion of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life.

BBC, 1 September 2006

Police found a sub-machine gun, ammunition and a quantity of drugs at a flat in Liverpool city centre.  A man has been arrested.

Asian Times, 1 September 2006

A man stole a car at gunpoint from a woman who had been shopping in Rochdale.  Days later the same car with false number plates was seen at a service station in Ashton but was found abandoned a few hours afterwards.

Wembley & Kingsbury Times, 31 August 2006

Marius Leroux has been jailed for 14 years after admitting four counts of intention to supply drugs and illegal possession of a firearm.  The drugs and firearm were found by detectives when his home and a storage facility in Ladbroke Grove were raided.

Life Style Extra, 31 August 2006

An armed robber escaped with thousands of pounds in cash after holding up three betting shops in 40 minutes in a short stretch between Willesden Junction and Stonebridge Park railway stations in north London.  The robber was armed with a handgun.  It is reported that the same man also robbed another bookmakers in Acton (Willesden & Brent Times, 31 August 2006).

ic South London, 31 August 2006

A jogger was left bleeding and bruised after he was shot with an air rifle whilst running through Crystal Palace.  A car slowed down beside him, a gun came out of the back window and the next thing he knew he was thrown to the ground.  He received eight wounds to his legs.

ic Berkshire, 31 August 2006

Shazad Ahmed pulled an airgun twice on a boy in Tilehurst before dumping the gun under a bush following a police chase.  The Gamo PY Model 80 .177 calibre air pistol had five pellets in its magazine.  He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for one count of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

BBC, 31 August 2006 *

A gang of three men terrorised pensioners during an armed raid on a church social club in Childwall, Liverpool.  An elderly woman was grabbed as they arrived.  They made off with £1000 after firing two gunshots and punching the manageress in the face.

BBC, 31 August 2006

A woman was shot with an air weapon during what police described as a domestic incident in Morpeth.  A man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

BBC, 31 August 2006

Three guns and ammunition have been stolen during a burglary at a cottage in Whitfield Village, Hexham.  The police did not have any details on the make of firearms.  The owner's car was also stolen and abandoned later.

BBC, 31 August 2006 *

A seven-year-old boy was shot with an airgun as he was cycling in the Canford Heath area of Poole.  He was taken to hospital with a pellet embedded in his thigh.  He is now too scared to go outside and play.  A 20-year-old has pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful wounding and possession of a firearm (see December 2006 Incidents).

Sheffield Today, 30 August 2006

A man was shot in the leg by a gunman on a motorbike as he sat in his car near his home in Parsons Cross.  His injuries were said not to be life-threatening.  The car had a large bullet hole in the front passenger door.

Liverpool Echo, 30 August 2006 *

A father has described how he nearly died after being shot in the leg by a teenage gunman earlier in the month in Cremorne Hey, Merseyside.  He had been searching for his older son who had borrowed his mountain bike.  He was shot for standing up to the gunman who was also on a mountain bike.

Ilkeston Today, 30 August 2006

A group of youths shot a man in the chest with an airgun when they turned up on his doorstep in Ilkeston.  The group consisted of four boys and two girls.  The victim's skin was punctured but his injuries were not serious.  Two girls aged 16 and 18 were later arrested.

ic Surrey, 30 August 2006

A man used a black handgun to threaten off-licence staff during a robbery in Ashtead.  He escaped with several hundred pounds.  The robbery may be linked to one at Tattenham Corner (see September 2006 Incidents).

ic Coventry, 30 August 2006 *

Police have issued a safety warning after a woman was injured in a suspected BB gun incident.  She was walking in Alcester when she was hit in the chest by something flying through the air.

BBC, 30 August 2006

A teenager was being treated in hospital for head injuries following a disturbance at a property in Rochester.  An air rifle was recovered by police officers.  Five male teenagers aged between 14 and 19 were arrested.

BBC, 30 August 2006

A shotgun with a defective firing mechanism has been stolen during a break-in at a farm in Nonington, east Kent.  The gun would be dangerous if fired.

South Tyneside Today, 29 August 2006

Police were called to a home in Brockley Whins, South Shields after receiving a call from a man whose daughter had contacted him saying her partner had armed himself with a firearm.  A man was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill.  Police recovered two air pistols and an air rifle from the property.

Rochdale Observer, 29 August 2006

A 17-year-old girl was shot in the leg with a pellet from an air rifle as she walked along a street in Freehold.  She was subjected to racial abuse by the driver of a car and then felt a sudden pain in her right calf.

The Register, 29 August 2006

A gang set up a fake eBay car auction in Dagenham and then robbed a would-be buyer at gunpoint when he met them.  The victim felt "assured" by the vendor's 92.3 per cent approval rating and agreed to pay for the vehicle in cash.  He was approached by four people one of whom produced a gun and demanded the money.

Liverpool Echo, 29 August 2006 *

Two men were shot by two gunmen as they answered a knock at their front door in Stockbridge Village in Merseyside.  One victim is seriously ill in hospital after being hit in the chest, the other is thought to have been shot in the arm.

ic Coventry, 29 August 2006 *

A raider pointed a revolver-style handgun at a cashier in a bookmakers in Nuneaton and ordered the man to open the safe.  The gunman helped himself to cash and then ran from the store.  The worker has since been sacked for negligence, but says he was following company policy by agreeing to the robber's demands (icCoventry, 25 September 2006).

ic Coventry, 29 August 2006

A landlady was confronted by armed raiders who held up her pub in Woodway Park, Coventry, and snatched around £8000.  Three men were involved, one of whom held a gun above his head.  In another raid in the Coventry area three men, one of whom was carrying what is believed to be a silver handgun, stole the taking from a shop in Holbrooks.  A third raid took place on a shop in Coundon involving three raiders.  One of the men was carrying a handgun and another a shotgun.  They stole a large quantity of cash.

BBC, 29 August 2006

A man was kidnapped by two men and forced at gunpoint to drive around Staffordshire for 10 hours before being dumped at the roadside.  Two men forced their way into his car in Newcastle-under-Lyme and he a later dumped at a lay-by in Clayton.

BBC, 29 August 2006

A man was critically ill in hospital after he was shot outside a pub in Wibsey, Bradford.

BBC, 28 August 2006

Two firearms, a 9 mm pistol and a Taser gun, were stolen from a police armed response vehicle in Stockton.  A man was later arrested and the weapons recovered.  Two police officers have been suspended from firearms duties.

BBC, 28 August 2006

Two female petrol station attendants were locked in an office when they were threatened by two men with what are thought to be handguns.  The men stole about £2000 in cash during the robbery which took place in Longwell Green, South Gloucestershire.

BBC, 28 August 2006

A 15-year-old girl has been charged after police used a stun gun during an incident at a petrol station in Blackburn.

BBC, 27 August 2006

Two men and a woman have been held over an incident in which four people were injured by pellets from airguns.  The victims, all in their mid teens were slightly injured in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent.

BBC, 26 August 2006 *

A man was being questioned by police investigating the fatal shooting of a man in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester.  The victim was taken to hospital with bullet wounds but died later.  A man has been found guilty of murder and has been sentenced to life in jail (see June 2009 Incidents)

BBC, 26 August 2006

A man needed medical treatment to remove an airgun pellet from his cheek after he was shot whilst walking home in Marlborough.  A pellet struck him in the face and embedded itself so deeply that surgeons had to remove it from the inside of his cheek through his mouth (This is Wiltshire, 31 August 2006).

ic South London, 25 August 2006

Three thugs pistol-whipped and threatened to shoot a man after ambushing him as he bought a motorbike in Bermondsey.  He had £2000 in savings stolen.  The victim dialled 999 but when the police arrived they poured scorn on his claims.  However, a spokeswoman says they are now following up all possible lines of inquiry.

Cheshunt and Waltham Mercury, 25 August 2006

Armed police officers stopped a car on the border of Cheshunt and Turnford and demanded that two teenagers and one man exited the vehicle.  The officers were tipped off that one of the occupants was brandishing a handgun.  The gun turned out to be a black BB gun.  The three men were arrested and later cautioned for possession of an imitation firearm in a public place.

BBC, 25 August 2006

A man was shot in the back with a BB gun as he was walking in the Somers Town area of Portsmouth.  Although unhurt he said he had seen another man hit in the face.  A driver said his van had been hit.

Whitby Today, 24 August 2006

A seven-year-old was shot in the cheek with a pellet from a BB gun in his friend's back garden in Whitby.  The two boys were firing pellets at a target attached to a fence at the time of the incident.  Earlier in the week a toddler had been hit in the neck when a teenager fired a BB gun into a crowd of children in the town.

This is Essex, 24 August 2006

Two women were held at gunpoint during a robbery at a shop in Benfleet.  Two men threatened the women with a long-barrelled gun.  A purse was stolen.

Shropshire Star, 24 August 2006

A woman member of a bowls club in Telford was hit on the arm by an airgun pellet.  The sniper fired several shots from woods.

Press Association, 24 August 2006 *

A gunman shot dead a teenager who was leaving a prison in Fazakerley, Merseyside, after visiting a friend.  The victim was shot in the head.  Two men have been arrested (BBC, 25 August 2006).  Three youths have been convicted of murder (see August 2007 Incidents).

North-West Evening Mail, 24 August 2006

A man leapt from a van and fired a rifle over the heads of clubbers returning from a night out in Barrow.  The incident followed an earlier altercation.  A man was arrested at the scene and a bolt action .22 rifle was seized.

BBC, 24 August 2006

Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with an incident in Stamford.  CCTV operators contacted police after seeing three men with what they thought was a rifle.  The three were in possession of a BB gun.

BBC, 24 August 2006

A 10-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being shot with a replica gun in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.  The victim suffered minor eye injuries.  A 12-year-old boy has been questioned.

Welwyn & Hatfield Times, 23 August 2006

A man was at his home with four friends in Welham Green when a gunman and two others broke into his flat.  The robbers pointed a pistol at the head of one of his friends and demanded cash.  They took jewellery, cash and mobile phones before pistol-whipping the friend and then took cash, computer equipment and a dog from the flat's owner. 

National Newspapers, 23 August 2006 *

A man was shot dead on his doorstep in Canning Town, east London, in front of his three-year-old son.  A gang of youths was involved and a 14-year-old boy was arrested and released on bail.  One local  report indicated that the police had told the family they believed he was shot with a powerful airgun (Newham Recorder, 23 August 2006).  An 18-year-old has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm, an 8 mm handgun, with intent to endanger life.  Another 17-year-old youth is also charged with murder (BBC, 2 October 2006).  The 18-year-old has been found guilty of murder, but the 17-year-old was cleared (see March 2007 Incidents).

Nantwich Chronicle, 23 August 2006

A robber fled empty-handed from a raid on a post office in Cuddington.  The man, who was armed with a 'rifle-type' gun, threatened staff and customers and demanded money.  He left when the staff sounded the alarm.

BBC, 23 August 2006

Paintballing equipment was stolen from a club in Lydd, Kent.  Police have warned that the equipment (paintball pistols and rifles, gas bottles, protective clothing and ammunition pouches) could cause serious injury.

BBC, 23 August 2006

Airgun pellets were fired at passers-by from a bridge in Bristol.

BBC, 23 August 2006

A security guard was robbed at gunpoint while trying to fill at cash machine at a supermarket in Wakefield.  A masked man threatened the woman with a silver handgun.

BBC, 22 August 2006

A man was taken to hospital after being shot in the an alley in the Moss Side area of Manchester.  He is believed to have been deliberately targeted.  His injuries are not deemed to be life-threatening.

BBC, 22 August 2006 *

Police officers were called to the promenade in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea after reports of an air weapon being fired.  They found an air rifle hidden in undergrowth.  Three men, aged 19, 20 and 21, have been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences.  Two have now been charged with possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence (Evening Chronicle, 10 October 2006).

BBC, 22 August 2006

During a robbery at a hotel room in St Columb Minor, Newquay, armed men used a handgun to threaten a man and woman.  One man was arrested and released without charge but another man remained in custody.

BBC, 22 August 2006 *

Twelve-year-old boy Mitchel Picken has died after being shot in the eye with an airgun pellet in Stoke-on-Trent.  He was rushed to hospital where he died of a penetration wound.  Two 12-year-old boys were arrested at the scene and have been released on police bail.  A police spokesman said the his death "would appear to serve as a terrible reminder of the dangers of children having access to air weapons".  A man has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of making a gift of an airgun to an under-14-year-old and allowing him to use it unsupervised (Sun, 16 September 2006).  A 13-year-old has appeared in court charged with manslaughter (BBC, 27 September 2006) but was cleared by the jury (see February 2007 Incidents).

Leeds Today, 21 August 2006

Two men were in hospital after an incident involving a gun in a suburb of Leeds.  Police were alerted by members of the public who reported a disturbance involving a group of men armed with weapons, including a firearm.  A gun, believed to be a handgun, was later recovered. 

Isle of Wight County Press, 21 August 2006

A man and two youths were arrested after reports of guns being brandished and pointed at pedestrians in Shanklin.  A 13-year-old boy was slightly injured when he was shot with a BB gun.  Four air weapons were recovered by police in a house where the trio were arrested.  One man was given a fixed-penalty notice for using threatening words or behaviour and a youth was reprimanded for common assault.  The other youth was released with no punishment.

BBC, 21 August 2006

Wayne Curtis fired a shotgun at his former partner's mother in Gunnislake in January 2006.  He has been told that he must serve at least four years in prison.  He claimed he had the gun because he had received threats.

BBC, 21 August 2006

A man was shot with a stun gun as he was walking in a shopping centre in Bath.  Several teenagers had previously shouted abuse at him and as he confronted one of them he was shot by another member of the group.  He was shot a second time after he'd fallen.  Two boys, aged 15 and 13, were arrested (BBC, 25 August 2006).

BBC, 21 August 2006

A substantial amount of cash was stolen during a robbery at a bank in Stanley, County Durham.  Two men, one thought to have been armed with a firearm, entered the bank and demanded cash.

BBC, 21 August 2006

Staff at a betting shop in Kenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, were threatened with a handgun and knife when two men stole several hundreds of pounds.  Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Sheffield Today, 19 August 2006

Mark John Hammond, 19, shot a man in the face at point blank range after a row in Sheffield in January 2006.  He has been jailed indefinitely (minimum five and a half years) and branded a danger to the public.  The victim, who had stepped in to broker peace, underwent a three hour operation to remove a fragment of bullet from his brain.  He has been left with metal plates in his head and a huge scar.

BBC, 19 August 2006

A man armed with a gun threatened staff at a travel agents in Forest Hall (North Tyneside).  He left with a quantity of cash.

BBC, 19 August 2006

Two men threatened staff at a DIY store in Stoke-on-Trent with what appeared to be a firearm.  It is thought that a shot was fired.  The men stole money and gift vouchers and escaped in a stolen car, later found abandoned.

AOL, 19 August 2006 *

A man was shot outside a school in Rugeley during an incident involving armed police officers.  The shot man is seriously ill in hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.  An inquiry has been launched by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.  Armed officers had been called after reports that a man was wielding a gun and making threats to kill.  A man has been jailed for six years after being charged with assault, two counts of threatening to kill, affray and possession of an imitation firearm (see February 2007 Incidents).

BBC, 18 August 2006

Cumbria police have said that although no guns appear to have been used in disputes between rival drugs factions in North Cumbria they have recovered a CS gas canister and an imitation firearm.

This is Lancashire, 17 August 2006

Edward Munro walked into a hospital in Leigh and pointed a gun at staff in October 2005.  Because he was drunk he had been asked to come back when he was sober, but he reached into a bag and produced a ball-bearing gun and pointed it at the team manager's head.  Staff managed to usher him out but he was found later by two policeman.  The gun, designed to look like a semi-automatic pistol, was in the waistband of his trousers. Munro claimed he had bought it for 50p at a car boot sale and had intended to give it to his grandchildren.  He pleaded guilty to possessing the gun with intent to cause fear and violence and was jailed for 21 months.

Press Association, 17 August 2006

Rohan Chung was given three life sentences with a minimum term of 40 years for killing three members of the same family in Harlesden, north London. in August 2005 (see Incidents).  A stepfather and two sisters were executed in their home.  The victims had been shot in the head, and the eight-month-old son of one of the women was found crawling near the bodies 14 hours later.  A second defendant, Michael Letts, was also given three life sentences for the murders and will serve a minimum of 20 years.  The prosecution said the family was killed because the women's brother had double-crossed Chung in a drugs deal (Reuters, 17 August 2006).

BBC, 17 August 2006

Stephen Groom could be jailed after he was found guilty of brandishing a handgun at a motorist following an argument in Ipswich in May 2006.  Groom had denied possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.  The court heard how Groom had pulled up behind a people carrier and proceeded to "tailgate" before pulling up beside it at a junction when the argument occurred.  Sentencing will take place in September.

BBC, 17 August 2006

Two men were hurt in a drive-by shooting in Bolton when three cars drove past them and shots were fired.  The men were hit in the arm, leg and stomach but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.  The attack was reported to be the latest in a feud between rival gangs (This is Lancashire, 18 August 2006).

This is Lancashire, 16 August 2006

A clubber was arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation handgun after police called at a club in Blackburn.

This is Bradford, 16 August 2006

Two men, one of whom was brandishing a firearm, robbed a woman of her car as she was filling it with fuel on a garage forecourt in Odsal.  The men threatened the woman and forced her to hand over her car keys, leaped into the car and drove off.

Sheffield Today, 16 August 2006

A man needed treatment in hospital after an air rifle pellet became lodged in his face.  He was crossing waste ground in Parsons Cross when the shooting happened.

Muswell Hill Journal, 16 August 2006

A group of teenagers was threatened by two men in Fortis Green who approached them asking if they wanted to buy drugs and then told them to hand over their property or be shot.

Manchester Online, 16 August 2006

Teenagers on bikes fought a gun battle with youths in a car in Moss Side.  Police sent armed officers onto the streets after three shootings in 24 hours.

Leyland Today, 16 August 2006

A ball-bearing or airgun pierced a 1cm hole through the glass of a front room window in Leyland.  A mother and her young son could have been seriously injured as they'd been sitting on the sofa by the window seconds earlier.

ic Sefton & West Lancs, 16 August 2006

Michael Stockton shot dead his neighbour after blaming her for a fire which killed more than 50 of his pigeons.  He was found guilty of manslaughter by reason of provocation.  He had killed his neighbour at point blank range after shooting his way into her home in Audley, north Staffordshire, in December 2005 (see Incidents).  Stockton, who owned a number of legally-held firearms, used a shotgun to kill his victim.  Staffordshire Police said "There was no evidence to indicate that Mr Stockton was anything but a responsible person who was suitable to possess guns" (The Sentinel, 17 August 2006).

Herts24, 16 August 2006

A 14-year-old boy dressed as a cowboy and playing with a gun in a Brookmans Park street sparked a massive police operation after emergency calls reported a man brandishing an automatic weapon and a handgun.  A ball-bearing gun was found at the boy's address.  He was released by police after being given a reprimand.

Express & Star, 16 August 2006

Vandals have been firing ball-bearings at parked cars in towns across the Wyre Forest district.  Incidents in which car windows have been smashed have occurred in Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley.  Police have warned that ball-bearing guns could cause injuries.

This is Wiltshire, 14 August 2006

Another police force, Hampshire Constabulary, has issued a warning that youngsters carrying imitation firearms are running the risk of being shot dead.  In the last week a police community support officer was shot at with a BB gun and two teenage boys had BB guns confiscated from them.  The guns bore a startling resemblance to real weapons.

Sunderland Echo, 15 August 2006

Shoppers watched in horror as robbers staged a gunpoint raid outside a supermarket in Sunderland.  They struck as a security van was delivering cash but got away empty-handed after a security dye bomb inside the cash box went off.  The raiders will have been marked with the red dye.

ic Newcastle, 14 August 2006

A toddler was left with minor injuries after gunmen opened fire and hit a truck in which the child was playing.  The incident occurred in Miles Platting, Greater Manchester.  Two men fired two or three shots towards a house but missed and hit the truck.  It is believed a handgun was used.

Life Style Extra, 13 August 2006 *

A gunman is being hunted after a teenager was shot dead inside a nightclub in King's Cross in London.  The victim was rushed to hospital but died shortly after arrival.  No other people were injured.  Sean Samuels has been found guilty of murder and jailed for life (BBC, 12 July 2007)

BBC, 13 August 2006

A road in Handsworth, Birmingham, was closed after reports of gunshots being fired.  One resident reported hearing four shots.

ic South London, 11 August 2006

Gracey Blackwood flew into a rage when she thought a friend and neighbour in Brixton had reported her to social services.  She grabbed a ball-bearing pistol and held the gun to the face of her friend who was scared and fearful that the gun was a real one.  She has been given a 200-hour community punishment order.

Henley Standard, 11 August 2006 *

A company director was held under siege at his Henley-on-Thames showroom after a hail of shots from air rifles caused £5000 damage in the space of 15 minutes.  He was alone at the showroom at the time of the incident.

Dorset Echo, 11 August 2006

Police are hunting those responsible for an airgun attack at a house in the Northbourne area of Bournemouth.  A family were asleep when shot were fired at their home.  The glass in an upstairs window was chipped, another pellet left a hole in a panel surrounding their lounge window and their patio doors were shattered.

Review & Observer, 10 August 2006

A van driver was threatened by a man with a handgun as he drove through a caravan park in Park Street (Hertfordshire).  The driver did not stop and knocked the offender to the ground.  Police scoured the area looking for the gunman.

Lancashire Evening Post, 10 August 2006

Clark Townsend aimed a "realistic looking" handgun at the face of a shop assistant in Lancaster in March 2006.  But he panicked at left empty handed.  He had been taking steroids and later said the robbery attempt gave him "the best buzz ever".  He pleaded guilty to charges of attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit the offence.  He was jailed and will only become eligible to be assessed by the parole board after he has served three-and-a-half years.

Sunderland Echo, 9 August 2006

Armed police swooped on a Sunderland housing estate after receiving reports of a man waving a gun.  A woman and a 14-year-old boy were arrested.  It appears that an airgun was involved.

Hold the Front Page, 9 August 2006

Two reporters from the Nottingham Evening Post have described their terror as they were held up at gunpoint in a taxi after a night out.  Three men forced the vehicle to stop before one of them pulled open the passenger door and pointed a gun into the back of the cab.  The taxi driver sped off.

Eastbourne Today, 9 August 2006

Golfers at an Eastbourne golf club were shocked to see a man with a history of convictions for offensive weapons sitting on a monument at the back of a green holding an air rifle.  Wayne Harcourt told police he'd gone there for target practice and to shoot rabbits.  He was given an 18-month conditional discharge by magistrates.

East Anglian Daily Times, 9 August 2006

A young woman was tied up after being held up at gunpoint and forced to empty a safe at a motel in Feering, Essex.  He threatened her with a black handgun.  She handed over between £100 and £150.  The robbery was one of three in Essex and Kent which the police believe may be linked.  The others occurred at Canterbury and Wickford.

Harrow Times, 8 August 2006

A man and a woman were gunned down outside a pub in North Wembley.  They had just pulled up in a car when a car stopped next to them and shots were fired.  Both victims are in a serious condition.

Daily Post, 8 August 2006

A man was shot in the stomach in what is believed to have been a targeted attack in Huyton.  His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.  The gunman escaped by car (Liverpool Echo, 10 August 2006).  It was later revealed that the victim was cradling a baby girl at the time and managed to get her out of harm's way seconds before he was hit (Daily Post, 23 August 2006).

Daily Post, 8 August 2006

Two injured teenagers may have accidentally shot themselves while playing with a small gun that resembles a pen.  The boys suffered wounds to their hands while near playing fields in Norris Green.

BBC, 8 August 2006

A gang of six men burst into a chip shop in Rusholme, Manchester, and fired a gun at staff.  The gang left when they realised there were customers in the shop.

Argus (Brighton), 8 August 2006

A teenager shot a boy with a ball-bearing gun as he played in a park in Hove.  The nine-year-old was hit in the leg.  The boy was staying with relatives for the first week of the summer holiday when the attack happened.

Portsmouth Today, 5 August 2006

Hampshire police officers thought they were face to face with a Heckler & Koch G36 machine gun when they stopped a 12-year-old boy.  The toy ball-bearing gun was almost identical to the real thing.  They warned that it could end with an innocent person getting shot if replica weapons weren't stamped out.

News Shopper, 4 August 2006

A worker at Sydenham station is recovering in hospital after being injured during an armed robbery at the station.  Two men, one armed with a gun and the other with a machete, took hold of the victim before making off in a stolen car with a sum of cash

National Newspapers, 4 August 2006

Joel Smith, a self-confessed armed robber, was given a life sentence for the murder of 7-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield and Bertram Byfield, whom she believed was her father.  The double murder took place in Kensal Green in September 2003 (see Incidents).  It was recommended that Smith serve a minimum of 40 years.

Get Reading, 4 August 2006

Bookies have been warned to be on their guard after two betting shops in the Reading area were robbed at gunpoint within 48 hours. The second raid was at a bookmakers in Tilehurst where a robber pointed a handgun at two members of staff.

Weston & Somerset Mercury, 3 August 2006

Five men were arrested at gunpoint after they were caught playing with imitation weapons in Weston-super-Mare.  Armed police officers and a helicopter were called out.  The men were found with a fake semi-automatic rifle and an imitation handgun that could fire ball-bearings.  Four men were given formal cautions for possessing firearms in a public place.

Lancashire Evening Post, 3 August 2006

A binman was injured when he was shot with an airgun whilst collecting rubbish on a Preston estate.  The victim was left with severe bruising on his arm.

ic South London, 3 August 2006

Police are looking for a man who blocked a doorway to a customer of a shop in Mitcham and later threatened him with a gun.

BBC, 3 August 2006

Armed police officers arrested a man and recovered a firearm following an incident in Northampton.  The arrested man was wanted for breaching the terms of his licence after being released from prison.

This is Wiltshire, 2 August 2006

Staff at a jewellers in Swindon were tied up by a gang during an armed robbery.  The men made off with tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery, watches and cash.

Northern Echo, 2 August 2006 *

Patrick Collins threatened a love rival with a gun in a pub in Hexham and then accidentally shot himself in the hand.  He was armed with a modified airgun when he met the other man in March 2006 (see Incidents).  Collins pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.  He was jailed for five years.  A later report described how a police search of Collins' home in Sandhoe, near Hexham, had revealed 22 containers of black powder, a belt with eight bullets, five airguns, two rifles, a ball bearing gun and shotgun cartridges (Journal, 6 December 2006).

Lancashire Evening Post, 2 August 2006

A man who had taken an overdose of prescription drugs as well as amphetamines waved a toy gun at police officers in Bamber Bridge.  He was in a fit of rage after being denied access to his child by his former partner.  Robert Towers pleaded guilty to a charge of affray and was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months.  The gun had been bought for his child as a gift.

ic Coventry, 2 August 2006

An armed police response unit went to Toll Bar island on the A45 after a report that two men had been seen with a gun in a field at Binley Woods.  A car was searched and it was discovered that the men had been using an air pistol.  No charges were brought but the gun was confiscated.

Biggleswade Today, 2 August 2006 *

Police are appealing for witnesses to an armed robbery in Henlow in which a postmaster was threatened with a gun and a knife.  The robber grabbed a small amount of cash and fled the scene on a bicycle.  A man has been jailed for four years after pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent (see June 2007 Incidents).

Rugby Today, 2 August 2006

Armed police were called to Brownsover after a drive-by shooting in which two men fired numerous airgun pellets at a house, smashing an upstairs and downstairs window.  No one was injured.

ic South London, 1 August 2006

Two teenagers were injured in separate shootings at an annual street festival in Battersea.  An 18-year-old, who was involved in an argument, was shot when he later confronted the same person.  Surgeons were to remove a bullet lodged in the front of his skull.  A 14-year-old was hit in the chest after being chased by a group of young men.

Norwich Evening News, 1 August 2006

A gang armed with an air rifle terrorised families on an estate in Norwich.  Two shots were fired, although nobody was hit by the pellets one man was taken to hospital after being punched by the gang.

BBC, 1 August 2006

Two teenagers were injured in an airgun shooting in Liverpool.  Both were treated for wounds to their hands.  Police say it was a "targeted" attack.

BBC, 1 August 2006

Two armed robbers wearing motorcycle helmets walked into the home of a couple in Broadway, Farcet, Cambridgeshire, threatened them with a gun before making off with cash.  One of the men was holding what was thought to be a handgun.

Hertfordshire on Sunday, 30 July 2006

During the latest in a string of attacks in Hertfordshire the same armed robber went into a bookmakers in Hemel Hempstead and waved a handgun at the assistant manager (see also March 2006 Incidents).

Manchester Evening News, 29 July 2006

A man is believed to have shot his wife in the back of the head outside her home in Droylsden and then shot himself dead.  His wife survived the attack with a bullet embedded in her head and is being treated in hospital where her condition is described as "serious".  Earlier this year the dead man had been given a suspended prison sentence for an assault on his wife.

BBC, 29 July 2006

Four men were arrested after police searched five properties in Milton Keynes.  Drugs, stolen property and a stun gun were seized.

BBC, 29 July 2006

A man was seriously injured in a shooting in Thrybergh, Rotherham.  He suffered wounds to his face and shoulder.  There is no known motive for the attack.  One man has been arrested and released on bail.

Yorkshire Post, 28 July 2006

Adam Briggs was jailed for nine years following a friend's shooting of a 16-year-old girl in a field at Woodsetts, near Rotherham in December 2005 (see Incidents).  Lee Smith, whose relationship with the girl had recently ended, had then turned the weapon on himself.  Briggs was convicted of manslaughter for assisting Smith.  He was also convicted of shortening the barrel of the shotgun used to kill the victim.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 28 July 2006

A gunman shot out a window of a train in the Thornton Lodge area of Huddersfield.  British Transport Police confirmed that an airgun had been used in the attack.

BBC, 28 July 2006

Long jail sentences were given to four men involved in smuggling an armoury of illegal weapons from Lithuania into the UK.  Marius Renke, Anton Valsnoras, Dawson Wray and James Parker were jailed for 18, 14, 13 and 11 years six months, respectively.  The court heard that they smuggled 30 pistols, 30 silencers and 1,220 rounds of live ammunition hidden in a secret compartment welded beneath the seats of a car.  They were arrested as they put the guns into a garage in Trafford, Greater Manchester.  Another man, Richard Saltmarsh, was found guilty on similar charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier in the month.

BBC, 28 July 2006

A woman and two men have been arrested in connection with a shooting in a flat in Hastings.  A man was injured when two shots were fired.

BBC, 28 July 2006

A 15-year-old boy was treated in hospital after shooting himself in the eye while playing with an air rifle at a house in Wickford, Essex.  It is not known whether the boy will suffer any permanent damage.

This is Nottingham, 27 July 2006

Cleef Metcalfe and a 17-year-old who cannot be named have been jailed for a series of shop raids.  In one in March 2006 they threatened a pregnant shopkeeper in Old Basford with a knife and a gun.  They also admitted two raids in Arnold.  Metcalfe was given an indeterminate sentence and the teenager was sentenced to three years in a young offenders' institution.  One robbery involved a third man who has not been found.

News & Star, 27 July 2006

A woman suffered a slight back injury after she was hit by what is believed to have been an airgun pellet as she crossed a car park in Carlisle.

BBC, 27 July 2006

Andrew Meekey and Guner Salih have been found guilty of the sale or transfer of prohibited weapons, and of possession of firearms with intent to cause fear of violence, and Paul Meekey has been found guilty of possession of a prohibited weapon and ammunition after a trial that revealed a huge gun conversion racket.  Salih bought hundreds of replica guns, blank-firing pistols and airguns legitimately, converted them into lethal weapons and then sold them to criminals.  He also supplied dum-dum bullets.  A shop in Bethnal Green Road, east London, was a front for the operation where several guns capable of firing live ammunition were found.  Some of the guns were given to Stephen Herbert and Gary Beard who converted them in a makeshift factory in Sydenham: They had pleaded guilty to various charges in 2004 (see Incidents) and are currently serving jail sentences.  A large scale factory at the Meekey's home in Leytonstone changed replica Walther PPK handguns into deadly weapons.  Salih was sentenced to 22 years, Andrew Meekey to 15 years and Paul Meekey to seven years.  The Meekeys’ neighbours, some of whom have known them for up to 30 years, described them as “good as gold”.  They were aware that Paul Meekey collected guns which he said he saw as an investment for the future (East London and West Essex Guardian, 3 August 2006).

BBC, 27 July 2006 *

A building society customer had a gun held to his head during a raid in Stalham, Norfolk.  The robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.  Julian Amis, who was carrying an imitation gun, has been jailed for nine years.  The manager of the branch was praised for her bravery in taking a photograph which helped lead to Amis's capture (Eastern Daily Press, 1 September 2006).

BBC, 27 July 2006

A man needed treatment for eye injuries after he was shot with a BB gun at point-blank range by another man in Plymouth.  A man was being questioned.  Police seized two air pistols, an air rifle and a knife following the incident.

BBC, 27 July 2006

An inquest has ruled that Craig King was lawfully killed by police after he had aimed his rifle at officers when they were called to his sister's home in Ashton-under-Lyne in September 2005 (see Incidents)  King had fired at a house with a family and two police officers inside.  The incident was the first fatal shooting by police in Greater Manchester.

BBC, 27 July 2006

A 15-year-old boy who killed his friend with his father's new air rifle at his home in Conisborough in May 2005 (see Incidents)  has been discharged after a jury failed to reach a verdict.  The boy denied manslaughter by gross negligence.  The parents of the dead boy have voiced their anger that no one will be held responsible for his death (Sheffield Today, 29 July 2006).

Swindon Advertiser, 26 July 2006

Mike Redpath, who terrorised his neighbours for months with drunken abuse, has been evicted from his flat in Wanborough.  One neighbour reported that he had aimed an airgun at people from his window.

Daily Post, 26 July 2006 *

A man was fatally shot at a showroom in Aintree, Liverpool.  Another man received injuries to his back and hand when gunmen opened fire at the windows of the office.  A £10,000 reward has been offered to help find the killers (BBC, 24 July 2007).  In a separate incident a man was fighting for his life after being shot outside a pub in Garston. 

BBC, 26 July 2006

Police have described an incident in Weston Park, Sheffield, as possibly homophobic.  Two men were injured when they were shot at with an airgun.  A police officer who arrived to talk to the men was narrowly missed by a pellet.  Police want to speak to a woman and two men who were seen walking together at the entrance of the park: one of the men had a brown air rifle case over his shoulder.

BBC, 26 July 2006

Armed police were called to the centre of Newcastle after reports of a group of men carrying guns.  Two men were arrested on suspicion of carrying imitation firearms.

BBC, 26 July 2006

Bullets were fired into three cars parked outside a home in Little Aston, Sutton Coldfield.  A family have been moved to a same house since the incident.

BBC, 26 July 2006

A man was in a serious condition in hospital after he was shot in the back and leg in the Whitmore Reans area of Wolverhampton.

Whitehaven News, 25 July 2006

A grandmother had a lucky escape after being shot in the face with an airgun while she sat out in her garden in Monkwray Brow.  She suddenly felt a stabbing pain just behind her ear and realised she had been shot by someone hiding in the grassy area behind her home.

ic Coventry, 25 July 2006

A man was shot in the leg outside a nightclub in Foleshill.  He was reportedly attached by three or four other men.  He has been released from hospital following treatment.

Citizen (Burnley), 25 July 2006

A group of youths threatened a 12-year-old boy with a gun as he walked in a street in Nelson.  They pulled a gun as they demanded his PlayStation.

BBC, 25 July 2006

Two teenage boys, who shot at children in a school playground in Rotherham in December 2005 (see Incidents), have been found guilty of using an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear.  Both were sentenced to supervision (for 18-months and 12-months) and curfew orders.

BBC, 25 July 2006

A 17-year-old was arrested for possessing an imitation firearm after shooting at two men from a car using a BB gun in Fleet, Hampshire.

ic Coventry, 24 July 2006 *

Earl Bailey of Bell Green, Coventry and another unnamed man were found guilty of conspiracy to possess an explosive substance and conspiracy to possess prohibited weapons and ammunition.  They had been attempting to smuggle an arsenal of firearms and explosives into the UK.  The weapons were found in a hidden panel in a lorry at Felixstowe Port.  The haul included 10 handguns, three machine guns and more than 1000 bullets.  Both men were jailed for 12 years.

Daily Post, 24 July 2006

David French, who was brought in to threaten a Liverpool man by Iftikhar Mehmood, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in September 2005 and found to have an air pistol in the boot of his car.  French pleaded guilty to possession of the gun plus ammunition and was jailed for eight years. Mehmood was jailed for three and a half years. 

Life Style Extra, 23 July 2006

A woman, who was with a group of friends in Kennington, was shot by a man who got out of a car and fired several shots.  She was allowed home from hospital after treatment.

Life Style Extra, 23 July 2006

A man was shot in Forest Gate.  He was taken to hospital where his condition was described as "stable".

Wiltshire Times, 21 July 2006 *

Four people have been arrested following a disturbance in Bradford on Avon and a report of a man carrying a loaded air weapon.  It is thought that up to four shots were fired.  The incident is believed to be linked to a long running neighbourhood feud.

ic South London, 21 July 2006 *

Police discovered an arsenal of firearms in the boot of a car parked in Peckham.  They included a Mac 10 machine pistol capable of firing 1000 rounds a minute, three automatic pistols, silencers, 150 rounds of ammunition.  Police also found a quantity of drugs.  A man has been found guilty of eight charges including possessing firearms and ammunition (see September 2007 Incidents).

Hartlepool Today, 21 July 2006

Armed police used a Taser gun to stun a man after he allegedly took a girl hostage at knifepoint in Station Town.

Cambs Times, 21 July 2006

A hotel owner from March has appeared in court facing two firearms charges.  The charges follow an alleged incident in April 2006 when police officers raided the hotel and arrested the man.  He is accused of possessing an air rifle without a firearms certificate and a slug cartridge without a certificate.

BBC, 21 July 2006

A 15-year-old youth has been given a police caution after a man was shot at in his car in the Robinswood area of Gloucester.  Officers were called to a house where they arrested the youth and confiscated an air rifle.

Observer News, 20 July 2006

An armed robber held staff at gun point in a raid at a petrol station in Bishop's Stortford.  The man threatened an employee with a handgun and forced him to hand over money from the till.  No shots were fired.

Croydon Guardian, 20 July 2006

A taxi driver was attacked at gunpoint in Coulsdon.  His passenger reached forward and brought his arm around the driver's neck and placed a small air pistol to his neck and demanded money.  In the resulting struggle the driver was punched several times but managed to grab the gun from his assailant.

Guardian, 18 July 2006 *

A man was shot dead in front of his two young children as he took them to school in Wembley, north London.  He was shot by a gunman who emerged from one of two cars that pulled up in the street nearby.  A 19-year-old has been found guilty of being one of the shooting party (see August 2007 Incidents).

BBC, 18 July 2006

Anthony Rimmington, a film set designer, admitted possessing three prohibited pistols and ammunition.  He had been allowed to keep the guns as souvenirs after filming.  He was sentenced to six months, suspended for two years.  The guns were found at his flat in Ealing.  He was told by the judge that as a prominent member of a gun club he knew the weapons were illegal.

Wigan Today, 17 July 2006

Detectives hunting a gunman who fired shots at a property in Worsley Mesnes found that cannabis was being cultivated inside.  The gunman had fled by the time officers arrived.

Eastern Daily Press, 17 July 2006

Following a double shooting in King's Lynn police carried out searches at two properties.  The victims of the shooting, a man and a woman, suffered minor injuries when three armed intruders burst into a house and opened fire.  Two other people in the house escaped injury.

Doncaster Today, 17 July 2006 *

Scott Dowse, 17, was given a 16-month sentence in a detention centre for causing grievous bodily harm with a random shot from his air rifle while target shooting in Homes Carr Great Wood in September 2005 (see Doncaster Today, 1 November 2005).  A pellet from the weapon hit a 16-year-old in the back as he rode his motorbike and cut his spinal cord.  The victim is paralysed and has been left unable to breathe unaided.  He says that he will have to suffer a life sentence whilst Dowse will be out within months. 

Sunday Mirror, 16 July 2006

A man who was shot in a car park in Bermondsey died in his mother's arms as armed police waited 35 minutes to help.   Three men have been arrested over the shooting.

BBC, 16 July 2006

A man has been arrested for possession of a firearm in connection with a suspected shooting in Coventry.  Detectives are keen to trace two other men who were seen leaving the street in a car.

BBC, 15 July 2006

A police officer, part of an armed response unit, was shot with an airgun after a man barricaded himself  into a house in Clifton, Nottingham.  The injury was described as very minor.  Police recovered an air pistol and an air rifle at the scene.  A man was held under the Mental Health Act.

Hackney Gazette, 14 July 2006

A masked gunman shot and injured a man who was sitting outside a pub in Hackney.  The victim was injured in the chest. He was taken to hospital for treatment and has been discharged.  The attack happened after an argument broke out.

BBC, 14 July 2006 *

A man was shot dead in a car on an industrial estate in Bootle, Merseyside.  Passers-by heard shots and found the man.  Nine men have been arrested by police investigating the murder (Teletext, 9 December 2009).  A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder (BBC, 17 February 2010).

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 13 July 2006

A man fired three shots outside a pub in Huddersfield.  Six men were sitting in a yard behind the pub at the time but no-one was hurt.  The man who fired the weapon, believed to be a handgun, ran off and a car then drove away.

Eastbourne Today, 13 July 2006

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested after a woman was hit in the arm with a pellet from a BB gun whilst walking along the seafront at Eastbourne.  She felt a pain in her elbow and discovered she had been hit with a paintball pellet.  The teenager admitted causing the injury and received an official police reprimand.

Dearne Today, 13 July 2006

Pensioners on an estate in Denaby are living in fear after an airgun was used to shot holes through the windows of their OAP centre.  Eleven double glazed windows were peppered with pellet holes.

BBC, 13 July 2006

A man, who was arrested at Manchester Airport, has appeared in court accused of bringing knives, knuckledusters and a stun gun into the UK.

BBC, 13 July 2006

Two raiders stole cash from a security van making a delivery to cash machines in Greenhithe, Kent.  The two guards were threatened with guns before the robbers ran off with an amount of cash.

Tameside Advertiser, 12 July 2006

Four teenagers were arrested after playing with ball bearing guns in a street in Dukinfield.  The incident sparked a massive police alert after a young male was seen with what appeared to be a black handgun.  Two BB guns were seized.

Macclesfield Express, 12 July 2006

A cache of 38 rifles was stolen in a raid from the back of a wagon parked in Macclesfield as its driver sat in the cab.  Police think that the gang may have been opportunists.  The weapons are airguns but fire bullets rather than pellets and could be modified into more powerful weapons.  Three robbers were disturbed by the lorry driver.  The guns taken were 20 .22 calibre ZKM 452 Varmints and 18 Ceska Zbrojovka .177 calibre rifles.

ic Coventry, 12 July 2006

A man threatened staff of an off licence in Cheylesmore with a replica handgun and stole cash and alcohol worth £175.

BBC, 12 July 2006

A man was arrested after an armed siege at a house in Bath.  He had barricaded himself into the property claiming he was armed with a gun.  He was detained under the mental health act.

ic South London, 11 July 2006

A 13-year-old boy was hit in the face at close range with an airgun in an unprovoked shooting as he and his friends stood in a playground near their homes in Kennington.  He has been blinded in one eye.  A family friend of the alleged gunman attempted to excuse his actions, saying the lad was "letting off steam with a gun".  Two boys, aged 16 and 15, have been arrested and bailed.

Birmingham Mail, 11 July 2006

Oliver Russell Dowding of Shirley was fined £50 for discharging a firearm (air rifle) without lawful authority or excuse.

BBC, 11 July 2006

Twenty-four people have been arrested in a series of raids aimed at tackling drug-related crime in north Manchester.  Among weapons seized was a gas-powered ball-bearing gun.

BBC, 10 July 2006 *

Shots were fired in a Nottingham nightclub injuring two men and a woman.  The victims were taken to hospital but their injuries were not life threatening.  Police believe that the shooting was the result of a grudge against one of the victims.   The club has now had its licence revoked (BBC, October 6 2006).

BBC, 10 July 2006

Another child has been hit with an airgun pellet, this time a nine-year old girl who was struck in the upper arm while playing in the garden of her home in Bicester.  Although not badly injured the girl was left with bruising and was shaken by the incident.

AOL, 9 July 2006 *

Four people were found shot dead at a house in Newcastle-upon-Tyne after a man had walked into a police station armed with a nail bomb.  David Bradley, the nephew of two of the victims and cousin of the other two, has been arrested and charged with their murder (Northern Echo, 4 August 2006).  Bradley has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility (see January 2007 Incidents).

Driffield Today, 7 July 2006

An airgun pellet was fired at the window of a children's nursery in Driffield.  This followed other airgun incidents in June which resulted in damage to Wetwang Village Hall and the smashing of the glass of a window at a medical centre in Driffield.

BBC, 7 July 2006

Police were investigating reports of gunshots in the Highfields area of Leicester.  A man and a woman, who was later released on bail, have been arrested.

BBC, 7 July 2006

Guns were among items stolen from a home in Stourport-on-Severn.  The haul included a £12,000 shotgun, a £2,500 hunting rifle, a £1,500 .22 rifle and a £1,000 12-bore automatic shotgun.  Police have alerted weapon collectors.

BBC, 7 July 2006

A man carrying a gun and a knife was spotted in Wythenshaw.  Police officers who were searching for him discovered a live bullet.

Sudbury Today, 6 July 2006

David Bunker was jailed indefinitely after a court ruled him to be a danger to the public.  Bunker was arrested after a one-hour stand-off with police following an incident at his home in Great Cornard.   He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm creating fear of violence, and two offences of having an air rifle which was so powerful that it required a firearms license.  He had consumed a mixture of alcohol and painkillers at the time of the incident.

Coventry Evening Telegraph, 6 July 2006

Five men are on trial in Birmingham accused of murdering a man who died in April 2005 after being shot outside a pub in Foleshill (see Incidents).

Birmingham Mail, 6 July 2006

A sub-machine gun has been found by police in a raid on an address in Wednesfield, which followed an incident at a local petrol station.  Two men were taken into custody on suspicion of armed robbery.

BBC, 6 July 2006 *

A man has been jailed for five years for possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition after accidentally shooting himself in the leg near a pub in Wooton, near Bridgnorth in June 2005 (see Incidents).  Dane Desmond Grizzle admitted the charge.  The gun, originally made to fire blanks had been converted to fire live rounds.  According to his counsel Grizzle sustained a very serious injury.

Daily Record, 5 July 2006

A Royal Marine was charged with possessing a handgun with intent to commit robbery.  He is alleged to have committed the offence in Barnstaple.

BBC, 5 July 2006

A woman was hit in the side of the face with an airgun pellet as she walked through an alleyway in Jaywick, Essex.  The pellet lodged itself in the right side of her face near her ear.  She had lost a fair amount of blood and was taken to hospital.  The pellet was removed under anaesthetic.

BBC, 5 July 2006

A shotgun and two deactivated guns were stolen from the house of a pensioner in Windsor.  He had let a caller into his house and whilst showing him a fence in the garden another person broke in and stole the guns from a display cabinet.

This is Local London, 4 July 2006

A Loughton man who found what he believes to be a bullet hole in his back window has criticised police for "ignoring" the problem.  The police have said that they will be looking into the incident.

Norwich Evening News, 4 July 2006

Rory Bowskill terrified staff and customers at Norwich City Hall when he slammed a gun down on the counter whilst complaining about a benefit claim.  Police officers found that he had armed himself with another gun, an axe and two knives.  He admitted possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and other firearms offences.  He was jailed for five years.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 4 July 2006

An 18-year-old woman was nearly blinded when she was shot at with an air rifle whilst camping in Ripon.  She was attacked by four youths.  Four people have been arrested (Sunderland Today, 5 July 2006).

BBC, 4 July 2006

A murder investigation is underway after a man was shot dead at a house in the Moss Side area of Manchester.  He was shot in the leg and died later in hospital.  Three masked men were involved in what police believe to have been a targeted attack.

Express & Star, 3 July 2006

A gunman was seen outside a Wolverhampton pub, following a dispute between a number of men.  It was the third incident in the city in a week.  In the other incidents shots were fired and a man was stabbed in the city centre and a car chase ended when a gunman opened fire near a fast food restaurant.

BBC, 3 July 2006

Three men and a woman were arrested after raids on houses in Whitley Bay in which a Taser gun and a small quantity of drugs were recovered.

Wigan Today, 1 July 2006

Armed robbers are believed to have escaped with £140,000 after a raid on a bank in Standish.  Two men carrying firearms demanded access to a room at the back of the bank and one made a member of staff open a safe and fill a bag with cash.

Leeds Today, 1 July 2006

A schoolboy was said to be lucky to be alive after he was hit in the skull by an airgun pellet.  The pellet, which was embedded in his skull, had to be removed during a two-hour emergency operation.  He was hit near his home in Wakefield.

ic Solihull, 30 June 2006

A man was in hospital after a shooting incident at a tower block in Castle Bromwich.  The victim was found with a gunshot wound to his right leg.

ic Birmingham, 30 June 2006

A shooting victim was left in a pool of blood after he was hit in a drive-by shooting in Newtown.  Children were playing football just yards away.  The victim was stable in hospital.

Bucks Free Press, 30 June 2006

An armed robber stole money from a bank in Hazlemere.  The raid followed a separate incident when a man tried to force his way into the bank as it was opening.

Northumberland Today, 29 June 2006

An elderly man was nearly shot with an air rifle whilst he was sitting on a seat next to a beach at Amble with his wife.  The pellet whistled just past him.  He was also the victim of road rage in the town.

Liverpool Echo, 29 June 2006

A pub in Croxteth which was badly damaged in a blaze was being monitored by police working on an anti-gun operation.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 29 June 2006

In a shotgun attack outside a house in Benwell a man was left with injuries to his lower leg.  He was recovering in hospital.

BBC, 29 June 2006

Three shooting incidents occurred in Nottingham.  A man was seen firing a gun at a car in the St Ann's area.  Later the same evening shots were fired between two cars and then more shots were heard.  Armed patrols would be put on the streets, according to police.

Mansfield Today, 28 June 2006

Police have sent out a hard-hitting message urging youths not to use air rifles or other imitation weapons in public after three recent incidents in the Mansfield area.  In one two teenagers were seen waving a weapon around in an aggressive manner in a cemetery in Mansfield Woodhouse.  In another a man was reported to have been firing an air weapon near a civic centre and in the third youths were spotted using BB guns to fire at each other at a railway station.

ic Sefton and West Lancs, 28 June 2006

Police were hunting an armed gang who fired shots during a high speed car chase through Banks.  Two cars were seen speeding through the village and both cars were found burned out soon afterwards.

The Citizen, 28 June 2006

Police are hunting a gunman who tied up a male assistant in a robbery at a Chorley petrol station.  The assailant pulled out a handgun and demanded cash.

This is Bradford, 27 June 2006

Alasdair Harvey, a teenage student who claimed to have been the victim of bullying, has admitted shooting another teenager in the head with a ball-bearing gun.  The victim suffered injuries to his face and had to have pellets removed in hospital.  The incident took place in Keighley in March 2006.  Harvey will be sentenced in September.

Telegraph, 27 June 2006

A record label owner was left fighting for her life in hospital after her son shot her with an air rifle in the garden of their home near Henley.  The pellet was fired during a target practice session and hit an artery.  It was reported to have been a "complete accident".

Press Association, 27 June 2006

An undercover police officer carrying out a surveillance operation has been shot, sparking a street chase in which two men were arrested.  The police officer was with a colleague in Leytonstone, north east London, when the incident occurred.  He was hit in the shoulder and his injury was not life-threatening.  Police were interviewing five men in connection with the shooting (Guardian, 28 June 2006).  A man has been jailed for at least six years after being found guilty of wounding with intent and a firearms charge (see June 2007 Incidents).

Portsmouth Today, 27 June 2006

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested after a fellow pupil from a school in Southsea claimed he had been shot in the head with an airgun.  He said he turned around and saw a boy brandishing an air pistol and as he tried to run away the boy pulled the trigger.

BBC, 27 June 2006

A pair of air rifles, valued at about £1,000, have been stolen from a house in the Ketley area of Telford.  Other property was stolen.

BBC, 26 June 2006

In apparently connected incidents a man pulled out a sawn-off shotgun when confronted by door staff at a night club in Leeds and, minutes later, windows were blasted out at two house in the Chapeltown and Harehills areas.

BBC, 26 June 2006

A woman was taken to hospital after being shot in the arm with an airgun in Folkestone.  A pellet had to be removed.

ITV, 24 June 2006

Armed police stormed a home in Belsize Park, north London, after being tipped off by someone who saw a teenager in the house playing with a replica Heckler and Koch MP5 BB gun in his room and feared it was a real weapon.  Although the police were criticised by the family for being heavy-handed a spokesman said that "Armed officers will always respond to credible reports of guns being seen. ... they had no other option than to carry out this search."

BBC, 24 June 2006

A man was in custody after armed police were called to a holiday park near Mablethorpe following reports of a man claiming to have a gun.  No weapon was found.

Northern Echo, 23 June 2006

Police mounted a major operation after a break-in at a garage in the Burnside area of east Stanley.  It was feared that firearms had been stolen but the alert was scaled down when it emerged that the only weapons in the garage had been ball-bearing guns.  However, an unknown quantity of pyrotechnics were taken.

ic South London, 23 June 2006

A boy of 16 has become the latest victim of South London's gang culture.  The teenager was left fighting for his life after a hoodie gunman shot him in the stomach during an attack by yobs in a park in Brixton.

Guardian, 23 June 2006

Michael Lynch, 17, who was jailed for life for stabbing to death a student in Romford, had a string of previous convictions including shooting an Asian man in the leg with a ball bearing gun.

Dorset Echo, 23 June 2006

A man thought his life was over when a gunman pointed a double-barrelled shotgun at his head as he drove his convertible car through Colehill.  The driver pulled over, but the offender turned and ran.

BBC, 23 June 2006

A man was shot in the eye as he drove through a housing estate in Barnstaple.  He had a young baby in the car with him.  The police are treating the case, which they believe involved an air rifle, as serious assault.

Life Style Extra, 22 June 2006

A car involved in a suspected gangland shoot-out was being driven by a 13-year-old schoolboy when it was pulled over by police.  When the vehicle was checked the police found a fresh bullet hole.  The car was believed to have been involved in a shooting incident in Tooting earlier in the evening.

Swindon Advertiser, 21 June 2006

A person armed with an air rifle has been terrorising a street in Penhill.  An elderly woman had a pellet aimed at her and a man was shot on his way home.  One resident expressed anger at the time it took the police to attend after the first shooting.

ic South London, 20 June 2006

A gang of armed robbers led by Lanre Hameed were given lengthy jail terms for a series of terrifying raids in 2005.  Armed with handguns, Hameed and Marcus Onayiga held up a security van in central London in May 2005 and on their way home attacked a van driver in Walworth.  Hameed had also been involved in raids on an off-licence in Lambeth, during which an imitation firearm was used, and on a post office and a travel agent's outside London. Onayiga will serve at least eight years in prison and Hameed at least six years.  Two other gang members were each jailed for six years.   See July 2005 Incidents and April 2006 Incidents for earlier reports.

ic Coventry, 20 June 2006

An armed police response team went to Bedworth after a 999 call from a member of the public who had seen a group of youths with a gun.  The weapon was a BB gun.  A 16-year-old youth was "suitably spoken to".  Police urged parents to think twice before buying toy guns for their children.

Cambridge Evening News, 20 June 2006

A man has been charged with attempted murder after a man was shot in the chest with a handgun in Abbey, Cambridge.  The man has been charged with seven offences.  Eight gun shots were heard at the time of the attack.  A man has appeared in court charged with various firearm offences (see November 2006 Incidents).

Correspondent to GCN, 19 June 2006

Three pellets were fired into a new van as our correspondent was driving down a road in the Stoke-on-Trent area.  Had the passenger window been open he thinks his wife would have been injured.  He believes that the three pellets hit the van so quickly that three different air rifles were fired.

News Shopper, 19 June 2006

A school pupil fired a BB gun at an estate agent who was sitting at her desk in an office in Chislehurst.  The pellet shot past her shoulder and hit a filing cabinet behind her.  One of her colleagues saw a child sitting in a bus holding what appeared to be a BB gun.

ic Coventry, 19 June 2006

A man armed with a gun in Binley, Coventry, pointed the weapon at three teenage girls and threatened to kill them as they walked home in the evening.  The man hay have approached other people.  One of the victims said she could not tell if the weapon was real.

BBC, 19 June 2006

Mark Downs and Patricia Cremin were jailed for 11 years and 3 years, respectively, after convictions for possessing ammunition and firearm offences.  Police found a machine pistol and hundreds of live rounds in their flat in Hackney, east London.  Another man, Laurence McCarthy, was also jailed for 11 years - he had supervised the delivery of the pistol to Downs.  Their customer, Mark van Dinh, was jailed for nine years.

BBC, 18 June 2006

A man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm after a raid on a house in Soham.  He was remanded in custody for various charges which included converting an imitation firearm into a firearm, acquiring and possessing a large quantity of dum-dum ammunition bullets and possessing a handgun (Cambridge Evening News, 3 July 2006).

Driffield Today, 16 June 2006 *

Glass was smashed when an airgun was fired at a window of a surgery in Driffield.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 15 June 2006

Lee Hornsby was drunk when he started playing with a replica pistol and pretended to shoot his young son in the street.  He phoned police to say a gunman was rampaging through his street in Wallsend.  Armed police surrounded the street and a stand-off began as Hornsby refused to drop the gun.  He pleaded guilty to wasting police time.  Magistrates adjourned sentencing.  Police once again warned pranksters messing with toy guns that they risk being shot dead.

Eastern Daily Press, 15 June 2006

Police are appealing for information after a woman was shot in the chest by what is believed to be an air rifle.  She had stepped outside her home when she heard two shots, one of which hit a window and the other hit her.  It is thought that the gun was fired from a first floor window in the same street in Shipdham.

BBC, 15 June 2006

Three men suffered minor injuries during an incident described as a "targeted" shooting at a hairdressers in Bradford.  They were treated at a local hospital.  The shots were believed to have been fired from a car.  Another report suggested that five people were hurt (Yorkshire Post, 16 June 2006).

BBC, 15 June 2006 *

A 14-year-old boy had to have an airgun pellet removed from his head after he was shot in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire.  He was hit whilst standing with friends near the town's war memorial.  A youth has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm (BBC, 9 August 2006).

Herts24, 14 June 2006

A man was slashed as he single-handedly tackled a would be robber who was armed with a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun, which he dropped, and a knife.  The gunman had raided a worktop specialists in Hatfield.

Express & Star, 14 June 2006

A security van driver was handcuffed and threatened with a firearm by a gang after he pulled up at a petrol station in Lichfield.  He was taken away in a white transit van and the gang unloaded a substantial amount of cash into a second van.

BBC, 14 June 2006

Police have begun searching for a man they want to interview in connection with several burglaries and gun theft.  Leon Spencer is believed to be linked to a burglary in Redwell, Northamptonshire, where firearms were stolen earlier in the month.  Spencer is believed to be in Wellingborough.

The Star (Barnsley), 13 June 2006

A seven-year-old girl was shot in the face with an airgun as she played with friends in the grounds of her primary school between Sheffield and Rotherham.  A pellet lodged beneath her skin between her right eye and temple and the girl is now facing surgery to have it removed.  Police are investigating the shooting.

GCN is grateful to a correspondent for sending us this article

Lancashire Telegraph, 13 June 2006

John Bradley brandished an airgun at two neighbours in Rossendale and threatened to blow them to bits.  He admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and having an offensive weapon in March 2005.

BBC, 13 June 2006

Police were called to a pub in Nottingham after a fight.  A man has been charged with possession of an imitation gun with intent to cause fear of violence.

BBC, 13 June 2006

A man was shot in a street in Edgbaston and suffered a single gunshot wound to his arm.  He was in a stable condition in hospital.

BBC, 13 June 2006

During a press conference in Forest Gate one of two brothers, who were arrested by the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist squad on 2 June, described the moment he was shot in the chest when the police broke into his house.  He believed it was a robbery and said he didn't know that the police were involved until he had been taken outside.

Grantham Today, 12 June 2006

A mother from Grantham is calling for tighter controls on the sale of ball-bearing guns after her 10-year-old son's father bought one, mistaking it for a toy.  The shop where the gun was bought has a notice where the guns are kept saying they will not be sold to under-18s.

BBC, 12 June 2006

Two armed men robbed a supermarket in Gosforth.  One was brandishing what appeared to be a pistol, the other carried a large knife.

BBC, 12 June 2006

A Taser stun gun was lost by a police officer between Lewes and Eastbourne.  An urgent search was underway for the weapon which was probably left on the roof of a police car before the officer drove off.

BBC, 12 June 2006

A man who was driving on the A184 in Gateshead was shot in the heal while driving his van.  He had to have surgery to remove an air rifle pellet from his head.

Life Style Extra, 11 June 2006

A schoolboy who was stabbed to death in south London is shown on a gang website masked and pointing a pump-action shotgun at the camera.  His father said he did not believe his son was involved with gangs, guns or knives.

BBC, 11 June 2006

Two men in a van pulled up next to a car in Walton-on-Thames and fired two shots.  The car was unoccupied and there were no reports of any injuries.

Guardian, 10 June 2006 *

A jilted teenager apparently shot dead his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself in a house in Salford.  The girl died instantly, the youth died later in hospital.  Detectives were investigating how the youth got hold of a shotgun (Guardian, 12 June 2006).  An inquest opened in December 2006 and the coroner appealed for the public's help to discover how Joshua Thompson had gained access to the gun (Manchester Evening News, 20 December 2006).

BBC, 10 June 2006

A 16-year-old girl was shot in a street in Banbury with an airgun.  She had just made a telephone call in a phone box when a car with three men inside pulled up alongside.  A man shouted "several sexual remarks" at her before getting out and shooting her in the hand.  She needed surgery to remove a pellet.

Liverpool Echo, 9 June 2006

The police issued another warning that children playing with replica guns could be accidentally shot by armed police after a 10-year-old boy was found playing with a BB gun in a residential street in Halewood.  He was given a "severe telling off" by officers.  Although the police were criticised by the boy's mother, their action was praised by other parents who contacted the Liverpool Echo (13 June 2006).

ic South London, 9 June 2006

A former boxing champion was arrested and put in a police cell after his son's airgun was mistaken for a rifle.  Police branded him as "irresponsible" for carrying the airgun which he was taking back to the shop in Caterham where he'd bought it to have it mended.  He was released without charge.

ic Croydon, 9 June 2006

A hooded gunman fired four shots at the front door of a home in South Norwood.  The victim answered his door to find a man pointing a handgun: he immediately slammed the door shut but the gunman then fired.

Cheshunt and Waltham Mercury, 9 June 2006

An armed robber stole a five figure sum of cash from a security guard at a petrol station near High Beach.  The guard was forced to hand over the money when a man pointed a gun at him.

BBC, 9 June 2006

A man has appeared in court charged with five counts of attempted murder over two shootings, one at a concert at the NEC in Birmingham in February 2006 (see March 2006 Incidents) and another in Ladywood this month in which two people were injured.  He is also charged with two counts of having a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, robbery and dangerous driving following an incident in Highgate in November 2005.

BBC, 9 June 2006

Five people have been arrested in connection with a series of airgun shootings in Trowbridge which left three people injured.  The victims were a woman who was hit in the arm, a 14-year-old girl shot in the neck and a man who was shot in the chest.  An air rifle has been recovered.  The three victims were discharged from hospital after treatment to remove pellets but the trauma of the event had left them severely shaken (This is Wiltshire, 16 June 2006).

Lancashire Evening Post, 8 June 2006

Zoheb Patel was sentenced for possession of an imitation firearm which he had bought from a toy shop in Blackpool.  He was cleared by a jury of intending to cause fear of violence by pointing the gun at an armed police officer in Preston.  He was fined £500 and the judge warned that buying realistic toy guns could place members of the public at risk.  Patel told the court he was "messing around" with the ball-bearing gun with friends.

BBC, 8 June 2006

Linda West was convicted of the murder of her husband in their Southampton flat in May 2005 (see Incidents).  The prosecution claimed she had deliberately loaded her husband's double-barrelled shotgun and shot him at close range because of a heated row that evening.  Her husband was hit in the heart, killing him instantly.  Sentencing was deferred.

BBC, 7 June 2006

Two men were cautioned by police after shooting at a passing car with a BB gun.  The incident had taken place in Weston-super-Mare.  The BB gun was seized.

Times, 6 June 2006

Following the double shooting in Ardwick (see below) The Times reported recent incidents in Manchester, thought to be gun attacks between gangs over drugs in the south of the city.  During the last month a man was  shot in the chest when the occupants of a stolen car fired at people in another car in Longsight.  A man was shot in the back at a flat in the Bradford area of the city (150 shotgun pellets were removed from his back, arms, neck and head) and another man was shot in the hand after being approached by a group of men in Rusholme.  Police raided six addresses in Longsight and Fallowfield and arrested two men on suspicion of firearms offences: a sub-machinegun, a pistol, two shotguns and ammunition were recovered along with Class C drugs and stolen property.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 6 June 2006

Five men have been arrested after firing airguns near a golf course in Cramlington.  A police firearm unit was deployed.

National Newspapers, 5 June 2006

A masked gunman, one of a number of men in a car, shot two teenage boys in Ardwick, Manchester.  A 15-year-old is seriously injured: he was hit five times (in the chest, back, groin, buttock and thigh).  A 13-year-old was hit in the lower leg.  Detectives are trying to find a motive for the shootings, but the early indications were that this was not a random attack.

BBC, 4 June 2006

Two men were shot, one fatally, when a gun was fired into a car in the Fir Vale area of Sheffield.  There were five people in the car at the time.  The second victim was seriously injured.  Police are searching for a second vehicle which they believe was involved in the attack.

Evening News (Norwich), 3 June 2006

Henry Barham, 18, went to a shop in Norwich armed with what is believed to be a ball-bearing gun, after getting information about how to carry out an armed robbery from a website.  He fled empty-handed but his mother was suspicious and reported the matter to the police.  Barham has been given conditional bail whilst receiving psychiatric and drug rehabilitation help.

ic South London, 2 June 2006

Five police officers were shot at at point-blank range by a man armed with a shotgun in Camberwell.  The officers escaped unharmed.  The incident occurred when the officers pulled over a suspected stolen car.  The shooting meant that at least 10 on-duty policemen have been fired upon in South London in the last five months.

Eastern Daily Press, 2 June 2006

Ashley Dowe, 18, pointed an imitation gun to the head of a student and tried to get him to hand over money.  He ran off by was traced by a drinks bottle which he left behind and had his DNA on it.  At Norwich Crown Court he admitted possessing an imitation firearm and common assault.  He was sentenced to two years' custody.

BBC, 2 June 2006

A man armed with a handgun escaped with cash from a bank in Dartford.  No one was injured.

BBC, 2 June 2006

Four people were arrested in Marton, Middlesbrough, after police raided a house.  Two were released unconditionally, another man was released on police bail.  A BB gun was recovered.

This is Bradford, 1 June 2006

Two special constables, Tony Hindle and Paul Barraclough, were given merit certificates for disarming a man in Wilsden.  The man had been armed with a 12-inch blade and a gas powered ball-bearing gun.  Their citation said their courage probably prevented a serious assault.

Comet, 1 June 2006

Armed officers swooped on a street in Biggleswade after reports of a youth with a gun.  The boy was later quizzed at home in front of his parents and the gun was found to be a toy spud gun.  A police spokesman said that they had no option but to bring in the armed response unit after a member of the public had reported a youth with what appeared to be a weapon, and that "it is just stupidity to take even a toy weapon on the street because of the consequences that might happen."  The youth was given a warning.

BBC, 1 June 2006

A man was found shot dead in Whitstable after police were called to a domestic incident involving a firearm.  It appears that the man had shot himself and the incident is not being treated as suspicious.

Northern Echo, 31 May 2006

A man was threatened with a black handgun when he tried to stop a teenage thief stealing a satellite navigation system from his van.  The van was left in Saltersgill, Middlesbrough.  The thief had an accomplice who was probably acting as a lookout.

24dash.com, 31 May 2006

British Transport Police set up metal airport-style arches at Luton railway station to stop people with weapons during the town's international carnival.  Twenty six people were arrested: at least two people were charged with possession of an offensive firearm.

BBC, 28 May 2006

Police have appealed for witnesses after shots were fired at a house in Middleton, Greater Manchester, earlier in the month.  A window was shattered by the gunshots.

BBC, 27 May 2006

A woman was shot in the leg outside a nightclub in Catford, south east London.  Four other people were found injured, but police officers said they were investigating how they became hurt.  The woman's injuries were said not to be life-threatening.

BBC, 27 May 2006

A man had his car stolen by a man brandishing a pistol at him.  The driver was threatened as he parked outside a house in Blackley, Manchester.

Richmond & Twickenham Times, 26 May 2006

Pupils at a Hampton school were kept in their classrooms after reports of a gunman in the area.  Trains were stopped outside Hampton station after a man called police saying he had been followed by gunmen.  He also said that his ex-wife and son had been shot.  Nothing untoward was found and a man was later taken to hospital suffering from mental health problems.

Mirror, 25 May 2006 *

A man was shot dead in his car on a clifftop in Marsden, south Tyneside.  It is believed that the attack was a gangland hit in a turf war over drugs.  He had been shot up to six times (South Tyneside Today, 22 June 2006).  Two men have now been jailed in connection with the murder (see April 2007 Incidents).

Isle of Wight County Press, 25 May 2006

A man diagnosed with depression may have shot himself, an inquest was told.  He was found with a gunshot wound to his head at his home in St Lawrence.  The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Guardian, 25 May 2006 *

Detectives were hunting a gunman who shot two people within minutes of each other in Islington and Finsbury Park, north London.  The first victim, a man, was left with potentially life-threatening injuries.  In the second shooting a woman bystander was hit in the back.  Police have indicated that the male victim may simply have bumped into the gunman (BBC, 25 May 2006).  A man has been found guilty on three counts of attempted murder and faces and indeterminate jail sentence (see February 2007 Incidents).

East Anglian Daily Times, 25 May 2006

Police were hunting a robber who walked into a bank in Colchester and threatened a cashier with a gun.  He was holding what was believed to be a firearm wrapped in a plastic bag.  The cashier handed over cash, and although uninjured she was left shocked and upset.

Bury Times, 25 May 2006

Elis Rrukaj was jailed for life after being involved in a string of brutal robberies on bookmakers.  In August 2005 he was one of two men who raided a bookies in Bury and pistol-whipped his victims and repeatedly prodded one with a stun gun until he agreed to open the safe.  He had also targeted seven bookmakers and a pizzeria in Uxbridge.  He was given eight concurrent life sentences and also jailed for five year concurrent for possessing an imitation firearm and four years for grievous bodily harm.

This is Essex, 24 May 2006

A taxi driver and his passengers were lucky not to be killed after an object was fired at the windscreen of the car he was driving in the Harwich area.  It appears that something was fired with either a catapult or a ball bearing gun.

This is Bristol, 24 May 2006

Armed robbers held up a security van as it delivered money to a supermarket cashpoint in Fishponds.  One of the two men was wielding a gun as they forced a security guard to empty his cash box.  The robbers made off in a stolen car with an estimated £70,000.

News & Star, 24 May 2006

Police have issued another warning about the use of ball bearing guns after a string of shootings in Carlisle.  Officers were called out to four reports of BB guns being fired by teenagers in Botcherby and Harraby.  The weapons were fired indiscriminately in the street and at passing cars.

Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 23 May 2006

An armed robber has struck six times since April 2, and four times in the past week, during which he stole cash and tobacco from shops in Blackburn.  One store has been raided twice in a week.  In the latest raid the robber pointed a gun at the head of the store boss.

The Citizen (Blackburn), 23 May 2006

Bar staff and drinkers at a pub in Blakey Moor, Blackburn, were left shocked and scared when a man allegedly walked into the pub brandishing what appeared to be a small handgun.  He was reported to have shouted that he was going to kill someone.  The man left after being calmed down.  A man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and attempting to cause fear of violence.

BBC, 22 May 2006

A 13-year-old girl from Cosham has been charged with a firearm offence following an incident in which a member of the public reported seeing a person with a weapon.

BBC, 21 May 2006

A man was hit on the head and threatened with a handgun after two men got out of a vehicle in Hastings and attacked him.

Sunderland Today, 19 May 2006

There are fears that a 16-year-old girl may never again be able to see properly after she was hit in the face by an air rifle pellet fired by a hidden gunman.  She was walking up a lane near her school in Hylton when she was hit and felt a sharp pain in her left eye.

ic Coventry, 19 May 2006

A man claiming to have a gun threatened a member of staff at a post office in Ryton-on-Dunsmore although police said no weapon was seen.  The man ran from the store empty handed when the alarm was activated.

Cumberland News, 19 May 2006

Police have launched a crackdown on vandals who have plagued two estates in Carlisle.  Operation Minstrel is part of an ongoing campaign to crackdown on yob culture which has included attacks in which ball-bearing guns have been fired at windows.

BBC, 19 May 2006

Armed police surrounded an address in Harrogate after reports of someone being threatened with a handgun.  The incident was reported to be ongoing.

Correspondent to GCN, 18 May 2006

A correspondent wrote to ask if GCN had heard of any shooting incidents in the Derby area.  Her father's car had the rear window shot out on 10 May as he travelled home from work.  A bullet hole was found in the back seat head rest.  The matter was reported to the police but nothing was done and no officer had come to see the family.

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 18 May 2006

A double shooting took place at an illegal camp in East Howdon, near Wallsend.  Two men were injured in the leg and stomach and taken to hospital.  A car was pursued by police traffic cars after the shootings.

ic South London, 18 May 2006

A security guard wrestled a pistol from an armed robber in a street in Streatham.  The guard had been attacked outside a building society branch.  The guard was not seriously injured during the struggle.

Hastings Today, 18 May 2006

A couple who were walking their dogs along the seafront in Hastings heard a shot from an air rifle and turned to see a man reloading the gun in the window of a flat.  A pellet had hit some railings.

This is Worcestershire, 17 May 2006

During an armed robbery at a Bromsgrove shop a man threatened a lone member of staff with what appeared to be a silver handgun.  An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.

Morecambe Today, 17 May 2006

A man was shot in the back with an air rifle in Lancaster.  Doctors say he was lucky not to be paralysed after the pellet missed his spine by inches.  The victim required surgery to remove the pellet.  Three hours later a teenager in the same area was hit in the shoulder: the pellet was removed under local anaesthetic.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 17 May 2006

A man was shot in the hand with an air rifle in Batley Cemetery by one of two men who stopped him and stole his phone.

BBC, 17 May 2006

Armed police, dogs teams and negotiators went to Combe Martin after reports that a local man had gone missing, taking a rifle with him.  The man, who was wearing camouflage clothing, was found and initially fled before surrendering peacefully.  He was later released by police.

BBC, 17 May 2006

A woman was robbed at gunpoint as she picked up her son from school in Leeds.  Two or three men, one of whom was believed to be armed, robbed the woman of a ring and watch in the school car park.  Her young daughter was in the back of the car at the time.  The men made off in a car which had been stolen the day before.

BBC, 17 May 2006

An armed gang escaped with a substantial amount of money after a raid at a petrol station in Mexborough.  A security guard was threatened with a handgun.

Yorkshire Post, 16 May 2006

An army veteran faced two charges of attempted murder following an incident in Harehills, Leeds, in October 2005 (see Incidents).  He had fired at police with a Winchester rifle during a siege at his girlfriend's house.  He had kept eight guns, all licensed, at the house.  The court heard that a crowd of local residents "clapped and cheered" as the man shot at the police officers (Yorkshire Post, 18 May 2006).  James Atkinson admitted possession of a rifle with intent to endanger life, cause fear or violence and resist arrest, but was cleared by the jury of attempted murder.  He was jailed for 8 years (Mirror, 24 May 2006).

Portsmouth Today, 16 May 2006

Among the latest attacks on bus drivers in the Portsmouth area was one in which a driver was shot by a youth with a ball-bearing gun as he drove through Gosport.

Evening Star (Suffolk), 16 May 2006

An Ipswich restaurateur believes that a spate of attacks on his takeaway may be racially motivated.  In the most recent attack a front window was cracked by an airgun pellet.

BBC, 16 May 2006

Simeon Jones unleashed a volley of shots into a crowd in a barber's shop in Newtown, Birmingham, as his brother was being attacked in August 2005 (see September 2005 incidents).  The shots killed one person and wounded another.  Jones admitted manslaughter and was jailed for 11 years.

BBC, 16 May 2006 *

A holdall containing a number of semi-automatic handguns, silencers and 748 rounds of ammunition was found when armed police stopped a car in Kentish Town, London.  Two men have been charged with firearm offences.  Anthony Magee pleaded guilty to possessing prohibited weaponry (18 converted gas pistols, 18 silencers) and ammunition without a licence but was found hanged in prison before he was sentenced.  A second man, Gerald Smith, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half year imprisonment (BBC, 7 March 2007).

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 15 May 2006

Two men, one of them a teenager, robbed a petrol station cashier in Birchencliffe.  The teenager pointed a silver semi-automatic handgun at the cashier.

BBC, 15 May 2006

Abdullah Baybasin, who lived in Edgware, north London, and is thought to be responsible for much of Britain's heroin trade, has been jailed for 22 years.  His gang, known as the Bombacilar, routinely carried guns and had used them to intimidate people for years.

BBC, 15 May 2006

A man was attacked by men wearing masks outside a restaurant in Tividale, West Midlands.  One of the masked men used a handgun to shoot the victim a number of times in the leg and stomach.

This is Nottingham, 13 May 2006

A gang fired airgun pellets at a house in Aspley as a terrified mother and her two young children waited for police to arrive.  One of the pellets flew into the bedroom of one of the children as she was revising for an exam.  A group of people including a boy with an air weapon were in gardens near her home.  It took 90 minutes for the police to respond.

BBC, 13 May 2006

A pub in Folkestone was cordoned off after a teenage man was shot in the leg.  The victim was taken to hospital:  the wound was not life threatening.  A man has been arrested.

Pendle Today, 12 May 2006

A security guard in Nelson is recuperating after being shot in the arm with an air rifle.  He was patrolling a car park at the time he was hit.

Newbury Today, 12 May 2006

A woman has been charged with possession of a firearm following a police pursuit on the M4 in Berkshire.  A man remains in custody following his arrest in the same incident.

Whitehaven News, 11 May 2006

A 17-year-old from Whitehaven has been sent to a young offenders institution for four months are admitting beating another teenager and being found guilty of possessing an air rifle in a public place.  He had the weapon near a park area where children were playing.

Berwick Today, 11 May 2006

Two masked men threatened the manageress of Beadnell Post Office at gunpoint before fleeing with cash possibly around £2500.

South Tyneside Today, 10 May 2006

A teenager was arrested for brandishing an airgun outside his bedroom window in South Shields.  A passer-by alerted police after seeing him firing shots.  He was later released without charge.

Peterborough Today, 10 May 2006

A 13-year-old boy has been banned from travelling on his school bus to Oundle after firing a replica pistol, loaded with plastic pellets, as he travelled home on the bus.  The boy claimed he was unaware that the gun was loaded at the time.

Trinidad Express, 9 May 2006

Rick Gomes from Trinidad has been remanded in custody on charges of drug trafficking and illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition after being arrested on arrival at Heathrow Airport.  Moves are afoot to have him extradited to Trinidad and Tobago to face trial on a charge of trafficking more than $13 million in cocaine.

Somerset County Gazette, 9 May 2006

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of armed robbery after two men brandishing a firearm robbed a service station in Taunton.

Mirror, 9 May 2006 *

Mark Foley pleaded guilty to robbery and having a firearm after an armed raid on an off licence in Surbiton in April 2005.  He stole £181 and over £1000 of alcohol and cigarettes.  He was given an indefinite prison sentence (BBC, 9 June 2006).

Wigan Today, 8 May 2006

Police officers negotiated with a man armed with a gun alone in a car in Skelmersdale.  The police had pursued the man following reports of a domestic dispute in Wigan.  Eighteen hours later the man turned the gun, reported to be a handgun, on himself and shot himself in the head (Bolton Evening News, 9 May 2006).  He later died in hospital (Bolton Evening News, 11 May 2006).

BBC, 8 May 2006

Two men have been charged in connection with a shooting in which gunmen opened fire on a people carrier from a motorbike in Liverpool.

BBC, 7 May 2006 *

A man was killed when he was shot in the chest in Rawmarsh, South Yorkshire.  A man has been charged with murder and his two brothers have been charged with affray.

Isle of Wight County Press, 5 May 2006

A man was found dead from a gunshot wound to his head at his home in Chale.  He was reported to have suffered from depression as well as arthritis, which prevented him from enjoying his lifelong love of shooting.

ic South London, 5 May 2006

Three men were shot during an incident that spilled from a packed club in Peckham into the street.  The three victims were hit in the legs and taken to hospital.  Two men have been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, violent disorder, and possession of ammunition.

Whitehaven News, 4 May 2006

George Young of Cleator Moor, jailed for 120 days after breaching sex offender registration rules, was also ordered to serve 30 days, concurrently, after admitting possessing a firearm, namely an air rifle, when banned for five years.

This is Lancashire, 4 May 2006

Viston Samuels was found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.  He had fired a 9 mm semi-automatic gun at a group of men in a street in Preston last year.  He was jailed for 10 years (This is Lancashire, 26 May 2006).

Rugby Today, 4 May 2006

Youths armed with guns, baseball bats and iron bars brought mayhem to Rugby.  The gang attacked a car and had to be dispersed by police.  Airgun pellets were fired, and police are investigating reports of drive-by shootings.

Reading Evening Post, 4 May 2006 *

Ahjad Hussain of Emmer Green has admitted trying to smuggle handguns and a Mac 10 submachine gun into Britain.  He admitted possessing a handgun, another weapon believed to be a stun gun and eight round of 9 mm ammunition.  He has been given a seven-and-a-half year jail sentence (Get Reading, 16 August 2006).

East London and West Essex Guardian, 4 May 2006 *

A man was left fighting for his life after he was shot in the stomach in a pub in Walthamstow.  The victim is in a controlled coma.  A man has been jailed for life for attempted murder and his partner was jailed for three years for assault, affray and assisting an offender (see November 2007 Incidents).

BBC, 4 May 2006

A woman was threatened at gunpoint by two hooded men in Warwick.  They forced her to hand over her keys before driving away in her car.  The car was later used in an armed robbery at a supermarket in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.  A security guard was shot in the legs and is recovering in hospital (BBC, 5 May 2006).

BBC, 4 May 2006

Police found replica and decommissioned firearms in a car that they had stopped in the Honicknowle area of Plymouth.  Three men were arrested on suspicion of burglary and a woman was taken into custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.

BBC, 4 May 2006

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has said that a police officer, shot during a 17-hour siege in Rawtenstall in July 2005, would probably be dead if he had not been wearing body armour.  The gunman, Stephen Hensby, shot the officer with a shotgun and then hurled petrol bombs out of an upstairs window.  Hensby was judged to have committed suicide by a coroners court (see September 2006 Incidents).

ic South London, 3 May 2006

Vincent Stickings, 18, who pistol-whipped a storekeeper in Abbey Wood, has been jailed for 9 years.  He was armed with a gun when he and an unidentified accomplice who brandished a sword robbed the shop.  He was convicted of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent.

Eastern Daily Press, 3 May 2006

A shopkeeper in Norwich refused to hand over cash from the till when confronted by a masked raider armed with a gun.  She shouted at the man to go away and he left.

Eastern Daily Press, 3 May 2006

Andrew Oliver, who had been out drinking, argued after arriving at home in Norwich, and left with an air rifle.  He was seen lying in a field at Neatishead and when police challenged him he wielded an axe.  Police shot him with a plastic bullet.  Green later told them he hoped they would shoot him.  In court he admitted affray.

BBC, 3 May 2006

A man returning from a stag party abroad was shot in the leg after arguing with two men in a car near Liverpool Airport.  Police believe that the intention of the men was to shoot another member of the victim's group.

BBC, 3 May 2006 *

A man was shot dead whilst standing by his car in Hornchurch.  His 6-year-old daughter was with him and his 2-year-old son was in the car.  The shots were fired from another car which drove past.  A man has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after he was extradited from Spain (BBC, 15 September 2010).  He is on trial accused of murder and denies the charge (Daily Mail, 21 March 2011).

BBC, 2 May 2006

A man is seriously ill in hospital after being shot in a street in Atherton, Wigan.  The victim had been shot in the ankle.

BBC, 2 May 2006

A man threatened a woman with a gun on her own doorstep in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, before firing the weapon into the air and running off.

BBC, 2 May 2006

A pub on the outskirts of Coventry was held up by three masked men armed with a shotgun.  The men threatened staff and customers before stealing cash and escaping in a car.

BBC, 2 May 2006

A court has heard how a 14-year-old boy killed his 12-year-old friend when he shot him in the head with an air rifle.  The boy, now aged 15, was showing off his father's new gun in his bedroom in Conisbrough (see May 2005 Incidents) when it went off, firing a pellet through the victim's eye and into his brain.  No treatment was possible.  The boy denies manslaughter by gross negligence.  Prosecuting counsel told the court that leaving such a weapon stored under a bed, as his father had done, was "very dangerous".  The boy was discharged after the jury failed to reach a verdict in July 2006 (see Incidents).

BBC, 2 May 2006

A man was seriously injured when he was shot in the stomach at a nightclub in the centre of Leeds.  Police who attended the scene were attacked with stones and bottles.  Despite surgery the victim died in hospital later in the month.  It is believed that he was targeted because he had accidentally spilt the gunman's drink (Leeds Today, 26 May 2006).

ic South London, 28 April 2006 *

A lorry driver was shot in the leg by two robbers who were fleeing a bungled raid on a security van in Portland Square, central London, in May 2005.  Two men have now appeared in court in connection with the incident.  One of them, Lanre Hameed, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob.  Marcus Onayiga, who denied a number of charges including carrying a firearm with criminal intent and possession of a firearm or imitation firearm, was found guilty of a number of offences.  Sentencing has been deferred until June (ic South London, 5 May 2006).

ic South London, 28 April 2006 *

Two men appeared in court charged with shooting a policeman after a plain-clothes officer was shot in the leg while on patrol in Brixton.  The victim sustained minor injuries.  A man has been sentenced to a minimum of nearly six years in jail (see April 2007 Incidents).

Hexham C