Gun Incident Summary - January 2010

Gun Deaths and Injuries - Nine men died in shooting incidents reported during January.
Four of the shootings were homicides. Two men died in London, one of two brothers who were shot in Thornton Heath and a man shot with a shotgun in Forest Gate (seven people have been arrested during the investigation). In the first gun homicide in Scotland for almost a year a man was killed in an apparent gangland execution in Robroyston (Glasgow) - the weapons used in the attack were later found in Coatbridge. A teenager died at a house in Huyton (Merseyside) (a 16-year-old has been charged with manslaughter).
Three men found in Shouldham Thorpe (Norfolk), Stapleford (Wiltshire) and Wollaston (West Midlands) apparently died of self-inflicted wounds. Two other men died from gunshot wounds, at a gun club in Kibworth (Leicestershire) and at a house in Sealand (Flintshire), but the exact circumstances surrounding their deaths have not been reported. The wife of the man found dead in Sealand had also died but the cause of her death is not known.
A number of other victims received gunshot wounds:
- Berkshire (1) - a woman was shot in the head with a shotgun in Caversham (a man, reported to be her husband, has been charged with attempted murder and criminal damage)
- London (7) - a second man was critically injured in the double shooting in Thornton Heath in which his brother died, a man was shot in the head in Wembley (a man has been accused of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life), a man was shot in the street in Paddington, a man has been left with "life-changing" injuries after being shot in Walthamstow, a youth worker was shot in the knee and a teenager was hit in the head when a bullet ricocheted during an incident in Gospel Oak, and a man suffered a minor head wound when a gun was fired during a robbery in Ponders End
- Merseyside (2) - a teenager was shot in the back by two people armed with handguns who forced their way into a house in Allerton (the police made four arrests), and a man was shot in the face in Stockbridge Village
- Shropshire (1) - a man was shot in the arm with a sawn-off shotgun in Telford (two people have been charged with attempted murder)
- West Midlands (3) - one man was shot at a bar in Brierley Hill, a 16-year-old was shot in Wolverhampton, and a man was shot in the leg in Moxley
- Wiltshire (1) - a man was shot in the shoulder in Pinehurst (two men, one aged 16, have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder)
Some other victims were hit with guns during robberies (see below) in Cheshunt, Wichelstowe, Belsize Park and Ponders End, where a gun was also fired and injured another man.
At least 6 people were shot with BB guns or airguns:
- A 15-year-old boy was shot in the eye with a ball bearing gun pellet in Langold (Nottinghamshire)
- A member of staff at a bank in Kingsbury (north west London) was injured when he was shot in the head with an airgun during a robbery
- A man was shot with an airgun fired from a passing car in Guiseley (West Yorkshire)
- A 17-year-old was hit in the back of the neck with an airgun pellet in Hartlepool.
- A man from Hawkley Hall (Lancashire) has been hit on two occasions by shots from an air rifle - following the latest incident he has a pellet lodged in his cheek
- A man was injured by an air rifle at the railway station in Llanelli (Dyfed)
A 15-year-old boy was almost blinded when he was shot in the face with a paintball gun in Rainham (east London).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks, Building Societies and Post Offices (5) in Kingsbury (north west London) (a member of staff was shot with an airgun), Sudbury (Suffolk) (imitation firearm) (a teenager has been arrested), Epping (Essex) (handgun), Cambridge (a man has been charged) and Charlton Kings (Gloucestershire), Bookmaker's (7) in Spalding (Lincolnshire), Brighton (imitation firearm), Earlsfield (north west London) (handgun), Foots Cray (south east London) (handgun), Belsize Park (north London), Shotts (North Lanarkshire) and Ballieston (Glasgow), an Office (1) in Ponders End (north London) (a gun went off and one man suffered a minor head wound), Petrol Stations (2) in Colnbrook (Berkshire) and Condorrat (North Lanarkshire), Cafés, Restaurants and Fast Food Outlets (4) in Southend (Essex) (an 18-year-old has been charged), Darwen (Lancashire) (air pistol) (a teenage boy has been charged), Belsize Park (north London) and Reading (handgun), and Shops (13) in Bamber Bridge (Lancashire) (handgun), Sandhurst (Berkshire), Northampton (stun gun, handgun), Page Hall (Sheffield), Cheshunt (Hertfordshire), Dorking (Surrey), Southwick (Sussex) (two separate robberies which may be linked), Hathershaw (Greater Manchester) (pistol) (a man was arrested), Great Yarmouth (Norfolk), Exmouth (Devon) (a man was arrested), Carluke (South Lanarkshire) and Bontnewydd (Gwynedd) (a man and a teenager have been arrested).
A gang stole a mini-digger from cemetery workers at gunpoint before robbing a Cash Exchange Centre in Handsworth (West Midlands) - a shotgun and ammunition were later found.
Security men were robbed at a service station in Awsworth (Nottingham).
There were gunpoint robberies at Homes in Prescot (Merseyside) (a man was held hostage as his car and computer were stolen by an armed gang), Woodley (Berkshire) (handgun), Barnsley (South Yorkshire) (sawn-off shotgun), Longsight (Greater Manchester), Derby (where a handgun may have been brandished) and Wichelstowe (Wiltshire).
There were Street robberies in Standens Barn (Northampton), where a man escaped from three men thought to be armed with a stun gun and knife, in Highfields (Leicester) where a couple who believed they would be buying a second-hand car were robbed of the cash and a handbag, and in Lea Green (Merseyside) where two teenagers were robbed of a mobile phone and a silver chain at the railway station (two men have been arrested).
A woman in a Car drove away when a man armed with a gun demanded money from her in Cheshunt (Hertfordshire).
As a result of robberies which took place in December 2009:
- An 11-year-old girl is among a number of youngsters arrested after a woman was robbed in Stockwell (south London) - the gang was armed with a replica handgun
- A reward has been offered for information relating to a robbery at a pub in Lichfield (Staffordshire) in which a man was hit on the head with a gun and had a stun gun fired at him.

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- A car window was smashed by a shotgun in Caversham (Berkshire) - a man who has been charged with criminal damage has also been charged with attempted murder (see above)
- A gunshot is alleged to have been fired in Norton (Teesside) damaging a car - a man has been charged.
- On Merseyside a house was attacked in Walton by a gang who opened fire with a shotgun, in St Helens four men forced their way into a house and fired a shotgun (three teenagers have been arrested and one has been charged), and shots were fired at a garage in Stoneycroft and a door was damaged.
- A man has been arrested after a faulty burglar alarm at a property in St John's Wood (north west London) was shot with a shotgun
- A shotgun was fired at a flat above a shop in Filton (Bristol) - four teenagers were arrested.
- A shot was fired through the window of a house in Airdrie (North Lanarkshire).
A man was arrested in Brighton after he waved a gun at police officers - he was also being questioned about a robbery at a local bookmaker's. A man was arrested for possession of a prohibited weapon after a man was seen with a gun in Canterbury (Kent).
A woman pleaded not guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assaulting a victim after allegedly threatening a hot air balloon passenger near Towcester (Northampton).
A man was charged with possession of a firearm, a cartridge and two counts of common assault after being arrested at a pub in Coventry. A man with a loaded shotgun was arrested after a woman motorist was tailed through Monmouth - the incident is being linked to a 'domestic incident' involving a firearm in the Wonastow area.
A man was charged with possessing a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon after he allegedly pulled out a cosh and handgun during a taxi ride on Tyneside.
A man was arrested after a search revealed he was carrying a gun in Herne Hill (south London).
The manager of a park near Cumbernauld (North Lanarkshire) is alleged to have brandished a shotgun at one of his workers.
A man has been seen with a shotgun on common land in Croxley (Hertfordshire) where hunting is banned, and concern was expressed about the use of a shotgun on land in Honiton (Devon). A man was seen with a shotgun in woods in Stepps (North Lanarkshire) which has raised concerned about the safety of walkers.
There were other incidents in which a firearm was seen but no gun was recovered by police:
- A man seen pointing a pistol at a car driving on the Worcestershire-Herefordshire border was not located.
- Three occurred in the Bristol area: in Keynsham where a school was sealed off after reports that a teenage boy was heading for the site with a gun, in Nailsea where a road was closed but no one was found, and in Pensford where a man was arrested on suspicion of theft, assault and criminal damage
In Rushden (Northamptonshire) a man who claimed to have a firearm was arrested for threatening behaviour but no gun was recovered.

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents in which people were shot (see above) there were other incidents involving airguns and imitation weapons. They were probably used in many of the Armed Robberies, and this was certainly so in Stockwell (south London), Brighton and Darwen (Lancashire). A suspected armed robber responsible for a number of robberies, including one at a building society in Northampton, has been charged with possessing an imitation handgun and firing it at police officers.
Raiders who attacked and injured a man in Edgworth (Lancashire) with a crowbar were also armed with a air rifle and knife.
A number of people were arrested and/or charged for possessing imitation guns with intent:
- A man has been accused following an alleged firearm incident in Stockton (Teesside)
- A man was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence after an incident in the centre of Nottingham.
- Two men have been charged with possessing an imitation handgun with intent following an incident in Clitheroe (Lancashire).
- A teenager has been charged with possession of an imitation firearm (a blank firing gun) and assaulting a police officer in a street in Burnt Oak (north London).
An airgun was recovered after a man was arrested in Walton (Essex) in connection with a domestic assault.
A man with an imitation firearm, who was threatening to harm himself in Preston (Lancashire), was arrested on suspicion of affray.
One of two youths arrested in Deptford (south east London) threw away a gun, discovered to be an air pistol, during a police chase. Two men were arrested after reports of a gun fight at a property in Raynes Park (south London) - the gun was an air pistol.
A man was arrested after he waved an imitation gun around on a bus in Brighton.
Armed police surrounded a house in Weymouth (Dorset) where a man was seen brandishing a gun - he was preparing for a fancy dress party and had a BB gun. A woman who carried a replica SA80 assault rifle in public through a housing estate in Brighton was not formally arrested - the gun will be destroyed.
A police community support officer has been suspended from duty after posing with guns on a social networking website - a cache of imitation guns was found at his home in Otley (West Yorkshire).
The following acts of vandalism were carried out with airguns:
- A shot was fired, probably from an air rifle, at the window of a home in Trowbridge (Wiltshire).
- A number of reports of damage to windows caused by an air rifle have been made in the Martock area (Somerset).
- A youth was arrested after a window in Whitby (North Yorkshire) was smashed - he was brandishing an air rifle.
- Windows were damaged, probably by air weapons, in three incidents in the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire.

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were recovered in Southall (west London) (stun gun), Tyneside and Sunderland (air rifles, starting pistol, air pistol), Manningham (West Yorkshire) (imitation firearm), Huddersfield (West Yorkshire) (sawn-off shotgun), Ripley (Derbyshire) and Darlington (County Durham) (an air rifle).
Other guns were found:
- A student has been charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition without a certificate after a loaded firearm and a BB gun were found at his home in Muswell Hill (north London)
- A couple have been charged after a shotgun was found in the loft of a pub in Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire)
- A man was arrested when a gun was found at a property in Reading (Berkshire)
- Two guns (a shotgun and rifle) were seized by police during raids in Bootle (Merseyside) - there were a number of arrests in connection with this and a shooting at a house in Walton (see above)
- A handgun was found during a raid on a house in Bushbury (Wolverhampton) and a man and woman were arrested
- A cache of firearms was found in Coatbridge (North Lanarkshire) and has been linked to the fatal shooting in Robroyston (see above)
Three handguns and one shotgun have been handed to police in Bristol following intelligence led activity.
The stock and trigger mechanism of a shotgun were found in a litter bin in Windermere (Cumbria). A gun found by a member of the public in a park in Chippenham (Wiltshire) turned out to be real and has been sent for destruction.
An air pistol was stolen from a house in Long Sutton (Cambridgeshire). Bullets were stolen during a burglary at Llangernyw (Conwy).

Incidents Involving Animals - As in December the number of reported incidents involving animals was significantly less than in recent months. Nevertheless another four were shot and injured with air weapons in Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, Kent and west London.
One rescue pony died and another was seriously injured in a gun attack in Dulverton (Somerset).
An urban fox was shot and left to die in a back garden in Paisley.
A swan rescued in Milton (Cambridge) was found to have fishing-related injuries and an air rifle pellet in his jaw.

Convictions - A man was found guilty of attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life - he shot a man in Hoxton (east London). Another man was found guilty of attempted murder, robbery and firearms charges after a racist attack in which he fired a shotgun at a man in Mitcham (south London) - he has been jailed for at least 12 years. Four men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder and attempted murder of a man who was shot outside a casino in Edinburgh with a converted starting pistol.
A man who fired a sawn-off shotgun in South Moor (County Durham) and injured a friend has been jailed for 9½ years after admitting possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and intending to cause grievous bodily harm.
One man has pleaded guilty to kidnap, intimidation and possessing a firearm in the trial of a number of men who held a man hostage in Burngreave (Sheffield) and drove him to Middlesbrough where he escaped. Two members of a five-man gang who kidnapped and pistol-whipped a man who was taken off the street in Harlesden (north west London) have been jailed for 8 and 10 years.
A teenager who pointed a loaded firearm at a couple during an aggravated burglary in Bobbers Mill (Nottinghamshire) has been jailed for 13 years.
A man who assaulted his partner and showed her his sawn-off shotgun has admitted harassment. A man who pointed a sawn-off shotgun at a pedestrian in north Manchester has been jailed for 6 years after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence and to possessing a prohibited weapon.
Two men who sent two others to threaten a victim in Ilkeston (Derbyshire) with a gun have both been jailed for 9 years for blackmail.
There were other convictions of men found in possession of firearms:
- A man from Walsall (West Midlands) who said he bought a revolver found at his home at a car boot sale in Cannock (Staffordshire) admitted firearms and drugs charges.
- A 19-year-old who had been jailed for shooting dead his younger sister was found with a loaded handgun in Gorton (Manchester) and has pleaded guilty to a number of firearms offences and will face a mandatory 5 year sentence
- A man was found with cocaine, a sawn-off shotgun and cartridges at his home in Westcliffe (Essex) and has been jailed for 5 years
- A 15-year-old received an 18-moth detention and training order after a small handgun was found in his bedroom in Old Trafford (Manchester)
- A man who kept a pump-action shotgun in a rabbit hutch at his home in Bestwood (Nottinghamshire) pleaded guilty to possession of drugs and possession of a shotgun and was jailed for 5 years
- A man who had a sawn-off shotgun and revolver at his home in Huyton (Merseyside) has been jailed for 6 years after admitting four charges of possessing a prohibited weapon, an adapted weapon, ammunition and class A drugs
- A man found with a revolver under a bed in Hayes (west London) has been sentenced to 5 years in prison
- A man has been jailed for 7½ years after a pistol, silencer and ammunition were found in a car in Far Cotton (Northampton)
- A man has been jailed for 5 years after being found with a pistol on a train in Exeter (Devon) - ammunition was found at his home in Bristol
- A man who stashed a sawn-off shotgun at a house in Castlemilk (Glasgow) has been jailed for 5½ years
Two Durham police officers have pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office after guns were handed into the police were sold to members of the public.
Two men who went shooting with shotguns on land near Shap (Cumbria) without permission were each given 80 hours of unpaid community work.
Two men from Bridgwater (Somerset) were each fined £2000 for failing to comply with the conditions of shotgun certificates.
A man from Crieff (Perthshire) who admitted failing to keep a shotgun, rifle and cartridges in a secure place has been fined £2000 and had his shotgun and firearm certificates revoked.
A man from Trebanog (Mid Glamorgan) who picked up illegal rifle ammunition on a hillside and took it home where it was found by police pleaded guilty to possessing explosive ammunition.
There were also convictions for possession of stun guns:
- One of two men jailed for blackmailing a man in Ilkeston (Derbyshire) (see above) admitted possessing a stun gun and received an additional 6 months sentence, to run concurrently
- A man caught with a stun gun and tear gas canisters at his home in Hartlepool received a £50 fine
- A man from Stonehouse (Plymouth) was jailed for possessing cocaine with intent to supply and possession of a powerful stun gun
- A teenager has pleaded guilty to possession of a stun gun at his home in Amble (Northumberland) and given an 18-month community order

Gun Factories - A man from Batley (West Yorkshire) who manufactured improvised explosive devices, firearms and ammunition has been jailed for 11 years.
A man from Blackwood (Gwent) has admitted using his home to make explosives and possessing an improvised firearm.
A number of men have been convicted for their part in an operation in which blank-firing guns were imported from Germany and converted to lethal weapons at a factory in Ancoats (Manchester) - the mastermind has been jailed for 30 years.

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A 13-year-old boy from Wonford (Devon) admitted shooting a 15-year-old girl in the face with an air rifle and his friend, aged 15, pleaded guilty to shooting the girl in the chest, arm and leg. A man who fired an air rifle from a window of his home in Middleton (Leeds) and hit a man has been jailed for 2 years.
There were convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offender(s) was armed with an imitation firearm. The incidents occurred at:
- at Bookmaker's in Stirchley (Birmingham) (a man has been jailed for 9 years after admitting robbery) possessing an imitation firearm and possessing cocaine) and in Swindon (Wiltshire) during which an employee pretended to have been held up by an armed accomplice
- a Post Office in Coventry (two men have been found guilty)
- a Shop in Preston (Lancashire) (a man has been jailed for 7 years)
The following cases involved people who used airguns and imitation guns to threaten or cause fear of violence:
- A teenager from Landport (Portsmouth) admitted a racist assault in which he used an air rifle
- A schoolboy who burst into a classroom at a school in Bolton (Greater Manchester) with an imitation firearm has lost his appeal against a 12-month supervision order
- A man who threatened a gang in Cheadle (Staffordshire) with a replica gun has been jailed for 8 months - police found replica handguns and air rifles at his home and he did not have a certificate to hold one of the air rifles
- A man who pointed a .22 air rifle through the window of his home in Barrow (Cumbria) has been given a 2-year sentence - he was banned from having firearms because of a previous offence
- A man who threatened staff at his mother's place of work in Kirkby (Nottinghamshire) with an imitation gun has been jailed for 9 months
- A woman who pointed an air pistol at her ex-boyfriend during an attack with her partner in Lincoln has been jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence
- A man who pointed a loaded air rifle at a man in Morecambe (Lancashire) was given a suspended 36-week jail term and 120 hours of unpaid work - he has been banned from carrying any form of air weapon in public for 10 years
- A drunken man who terrified his ex-partner and her daughter with a BB gun in Newcastle (Staffordshire) has been jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and harassment
- A man who was drunk when he confronted a group of men in Wigston (Leicestershire) has been convicted of possessing an imitation firearm and threatening behaviour and given a suspended 9-month jail sentence
- Another man who threatened a police officer with a plastic toy gun in Northampton pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent and has been jailed for 21 months
- A man who armed himself with an airgun to confront a suspected 'love rival' in New Pitsligo (Aberdeenshire) has admitted being in possession of a firearm with intent to cause a man to believe that unlawful violence would be used against another man
A man who was armed with an airgun and a knife when he caused a disturbance in York has been jailed for 50 weeks - part of this includes a previous suspended sentence.
A man who brandished an air rifle in Torquay (Devon) when he was out drinking was sentenced to a 12-month community order and 30-month curfew with tagging.
A man who shot at three cars parked in a police car park in Bo'ness (West Lothian) with an air rifle has been ordered to complete 80 hours of community service.
An air rifle was among an arsenal of weapons found at a house in Edinburgh after a man had been beaten up - a man has pleaded guilty to assault to danger of life.
The case against a youth from Barwell (Leicestershire) who was accused of harassment, including firing an airgun at his victim's guinea pigs, was dropped after the victim collapsed whilst giving evidence.