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 (*).
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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 are on trial for his murder (Liverpool Echo,
26 June 2008).
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.
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).
