Gun Incident Summary - February 2010

The Monthly Lists of Gun Incidents compiled by Gun Control Network illustrate the problems being caused by guns of all types across Great Britain. Whilst confirming many of the trends seen in official statistics, for example the lower numbers of gun homicides and injuries, they also reveal other trends in gun crime that may not be immediately apparent from official statistics or are overlooked because of the limitations of the published data. We now plan to highlight these issues as exemplified by some of each month’s incidents. This month we refer to incidents from both January and February. Click here for the January Summary.

1. Shotguns

Some time ago GCN noted an apparent increase in the number of serious incidents involving shotguns and had begun to highlight all incidents involving them. Last August the Metropolitan Police reported a 57 percent increase in the use of shotguns in crime and warned shotgun owners about the theft of their weapons. We are concerned that some owners adopt a casual attitude to shotgun ownership, something reflected in a number of recent incidents. In November 2009 a licensed shotgun owner on his way to a shoot left his weapon on a wall in Streatham, south London. It was hours before he realised what he had done and in the meantime the gun had been taken.

The most recent data for England and Wales, released by the Home Office in January, showed that the misappropriation of shotguns increased dramatically. At 682, the number misappropriated in 2008/09 was more than twice that for the previous year and higher than at any time in the last ten years.

It is not only misappropriation that causes concerns. A number of recent incidents have involved apparently licensed owners themselves:

Northern Echo, 26 February 2010

Andrew Ardle twice fired a sawn-off shotgun at a man whom he wrongly suspected of trying to "chat up" his wife. The incident took place in Stanley, County Durham, in August 2009. His victim gave chase by car and the chase ended when he shunted Ardle's car in Durham City. Ardle was found near his damaged vehicle with his legally-held Beretta 12-bore shotgun which he had illegally shortened the day before. He was jailed for seven years after admitting two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to cause a fear of violence, possessing a loaded shotgun in a public place, shortening a shotgun and possessing a prohibited firearm. His victim admitted dangerous driving and was given a suspended prison sentence and was banned from driving.

Daily Record, 30 January 2010

A park manager is alleged to have brandished a shotgun at one of his workers at a country park near Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. The allegation is one of a list of complaints upheld against him. He has, however, not been fired from his job.

Devon 24, 28 January 2010

Concern has been expressed about the use of a shotgun on land in Honiton, Devon. It appears to be uncertain whether it was on private or public land.

Monmouth Today, 27 January 2010

A man was arrested following a report of a woman motorist being tailed through Monmouth by a second vehicle driven by a man with a firearm. A loaded firearm was seized and the man was charged with three offences including possession of a shotgun with intent to cause unlawful violence. In a linked incident armed police were called to a property in the Wonastow area to deal with what was described as a 'domestic incident' involving a firearm.

Watford Observer, 26 January 2010

A man has been seen carrying a shotgun on Croxley Common Moor, Hertfordshire, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest where hunting with firearms is banned. The man was approached by a local councillor but he ran off. Previously illegal deer hunters have targeted the moor.

News & Star, 19 January 2010

Allen Williams and Matthew Cook went shooting with shotguns on private farmland with the permission of the owner, but decided to move to a nearby hillside for target practice with an empty can. They were stopped by police on a road in Shap, Cumbria. Cook pleaded guilty to having a single barrel 20 bore shotgun and Williams admitted having a 12 bore over and under double barrel firearm, which he held lawfully. They must each do 80 hours of unpaid community work. The gun belonging to Williams will be destroyed, the smaller gun has been returned to its lawful owner.

Kirkintilloch Herald, 12 January 2010

A man was seen walking in woods in Stepps, North Lanarkshire, carrying a shotgun and wearing camouflaged clothing. It is thought the man may have been hunting and, following the incident in November 2009, the local Community Council are concerned for the safety of walkers in the beauty spot.

Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 9 January 2010

A landowner has appeared in court accused of threatening a hot air balloon passenger with a shotgun when the balloon landed near Towcester, Northamptonshire. She pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assaulting the victim on the same occasion.

2. Armed Robberies

The number of armed raids on “soft” targets such as Bookmakers and Corner Shops involving guns would appear to be on the increase, with at least 46 recorded in our lists during January and February. It is noteworthy that when the alleged perpetrators are charged it is frequently with offences involving imitation firearms. We believe that despite a recent fall in the official number of imitation firearm offences their use in crime is being underestimated in Home Office figures, probably because they are being described as handguns. Access to imitation guns remains too easy and their contribution to armed robbery must be suitably acknowledged.

3. Imitation Guns and the Cost of Armed Response

We record many instances in which an armed response unit is called to incidents which are later found to involve someone with an imitation gun. In January there was another instance of a person who assumed that because he was going to a fancy dress party there would be no problem carrying a gun. After the latest incident in Weymouth, which involved a BB gun, a neighbour blamed the police for overreacting saying the operation was a waste of public money. Can police be expected to know in advance whether or not a reported weapon is an imitation? No, the blame lies squarely with those who think that because they are aware their gun is an imitation it will be obvious to everyone else.

Dorset Echo, 2 January 2010

Armed police surrounded a house in Weymouth, Dorset, after reports that a man was brandishing a gun. He was reported to have been leaning out of the window of a car with a handgun in his hand. The man was found to be preparing for a fancy dress party and had a BB gun as part of his costume. He had been to a friend's house to borrow the gun.

The Argus, 5 January 2010

A woman has been spoken to by the police after she carried an imitation machine gun through a housing estate in Brighton. She was not formally arrested. She claimed she did not know it was a crime to carry the replica SA80 assault rifle in public. The BB gun will be destroyed.

There is a cost to the public purse of their thoughtless behaviour. It is worth repeating the comments of a Hampshire police officer who described another incident in 2008 as "a needless waste of police resources to respond to somebody who should know better. One hour of armed response equates to 27 hours of regular policing - just think what these officers could have been doing with that time".

We would urge the introduction of measures to make those whose actions spark an armed response contribute towards its cost.

4. Airguns

According to the latest Home Office statistics the number of offences involving airguns is significantly down, yet the number of people being shot at and hit every month remains significant. At least ten people were hit during February. Some were injured seriously enough to require hospital treatment, including a 3-year-old boy from Selkirk. The inquest in February into the death of 10-year-old Rhys Johnson was a reminder that these are lethal weapons. The case of a group of teenagers who shot three under-5s at a birthday party in Melton Mowbray highlights the callousness or stupidity displayed by too many with access to airguns. The only way to get these weapons away from those who abuse or misuse them and from owners who fail to keep them safe is to treat airguns like every other firearm and introduce a compulsory system of registration.

For all the airgun incidents reported in 2010 click Here

Gun Deaths and Injuries - There were two fatal shooting incidents reported during February, a homicide and an apparent suicide. A man has been charged with murder after a male victim, who had also been stabbed, died from a shotgun wound at a house in Alderley Edge (Cheshire). A young sailor is believed have shot himself onboard a vessel berthed at Faslane Naval Base (Argyll and Bute).
Twenty five other people were wounded in incidents in which guns were fired:
- Cambridgeshire (1) - a farmer was shot when he disturbed intruders on his land in Waterbeach
- Hertfordshire (1) - a man was shot at a house in Lilley (Hertfordshire) in what police believe was a targeted attack
- London (2) - a shopworker was shot in the neck with a handgun during a robbery at an off licence in Haringey, and a 16-year-old was shot in the back and arm in Bow
- Merseyside (4) - a man was shot in the leg in Belle Vale, an 18-year-old was shot in the arm and chest in Kirkdale (two men have been arrested), a man was shot in the arm in Aigburth (one man was arrested), and a fourth male victim was shot in West Derby after attending a wake
- Nottinghamshire (2) - two men were shot and wounded outside a pub in Gotham (Nottinghamshire) (one man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder)
- South Yorkshire (1) - a woman was injured in the leg at her home in Totley (Sheffield) - police were unsure if she was deliberately shot or hit by flying debris from shots fired by intruders
Fourteen, one a 3-year-old boy, were shot with airguns or other pellet guns:
- Berkshire (1) - a cyclist was shot in the back with an air rifle in Reading
- Cambridgeshire (1) - a 17-year-old was shot in the leg with an airgun whilst walking in Orton Malbourne
- Cornwall (1) - a 14-year-old boy was shot in the neck with an air rifle in Penwithick Park (Cornwall)
- Derbyshire (1) - a man was shot with an air rifle while playing golf in Barlborough
- Devon (1) - a man reported being shot in the chest with what is believe to have been an air weapon in Plymouth
- Lincolnshire (1) - a railway worker was shot with an airgun on tracks near Gainsborough (Lincolnshire)
- Merseyside (2) - two people, a man and a woman, were apparently struck outside a wine bar in Liverpool when a pellet gun was fired
- Scotland (2) - a man was hit in the elbow when an airgun was fired into a street in Ardrossan (Ayrshire) (two men, one a teenager, were arrested), and a 3-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being shot in the chest with an air rifle in Selkirk
- Wales (1) - a man apparently shot himself with an air rifle in Pontardawe (West Glamorgan) and has been left blinded in one eye, lost the use of his leg and now suffers seizures
- West Midlands (1) - a dog walker was shot in the face with an airgun in Moxley
- Worcestershire (2) - two people were both shot in the face with an air rifle in Worcester
A man was injured with a stun gun by a gang who pushed their way into a home in Tunbridge Wells (Kent).
A man was hit with a firearm after being chased by a gang in Halewood (Merseyside) (two teenage boys were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and assault).
Inquests into the deaths of three men who died from shotgun wounds in Stinchcombe (Gloucestershire) in 2008 and in Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire) and North Newton (Somerset) in 2009 found they had all taken their own lives.

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks and Post Offices (6) in Highgate (north London) (no gun seen), Coventry, Henley (Oxfordshire), Redditch (stun gun), Ashton-under-Lyne (Greater Manchester) (a security guard was threatened with a shotgun) and Glasgow, Bookmakers (10) in Liverpool (imitation firearm) (two men have been charged), Peterborough (handgun), Seven Kings (east London), Bolton (Greater Manchester), Possil and Parkhead (both in Glasgow), Uddingston, Muirhead, Ballieston and Moodiesburn (Lanarkshire) (the last three involving the same two suspects), a Fast Food Outlet (1) in Thorpe Bay (Essex), Petrol Stations (2) in Newhaven (East Sussex) (handgun) and Prestwich (Manchester) (handgun), Shops (16) in Elsenham (Essex), Pinehurst (Wiltshire) (an imitation gun), Leamington (Warwickshire), Canvey (Essex) (an air pistol was fired), Rainham (Kent) (a shop manager was kidnapped), Hurst Green (Surrey) (shotgun), Bolnore (West Sussex) (a handgun was fired twice; two men have been arrested), Hackney and Green Lanes (north London) (a shopworker was shot in the neck in Green Lanes; the two robberies are being linked), Warwick, Seaton Delaval (Northumberland) (shotgun), Greenock (Renfrewshire), Kilmaurs (Ayrshire) (two armed robberies on the same premises), Coatdyke (North Lanarkshire) and Fforestfach (Swansea), and a Travel Agency (1) in Ashford (Surrey).
In robberies on Homes a shotgun was pointed at a baby in Bramley (West Yorkshire) and a group of youths armed with a handgun stole cash and jewellery from a house in Silsoe (Bedfordshire).
In Street robberies a man was robbed outside a restaurant in Fordhouses (Wolverhampton) (men with a handgun stole a gold necklace), and a girl was robbed of her purse in Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire). Three 16-year-old boys from Surbiton and Kingston (south west London) face trial for allegedly using a fake gun to rob people of cash and mobile phones.
A Taxi driver was robbed of his takings at gun- and knifepoint in Leeds (four men have been arrested). A Truck driver was kidnapped at gunpoint and his lorry stolen when he stopped at an industrial estate in Deeside (Clwyd) - the truck was later found burnt out minus its load of sportswear. A female Car driver was stopped by a gunman in Shevington (Lancashire) who stole the vehicle (a man faces a number of charges including possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence).
Two shots were fired at a farmer (two men have been arrested) during an attempted robbery at a Farm in Buckland Newton (Dorset).

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- at a house in Preston (Lancashire) in a drive-by shooting
- at a house in Toxteth (Merseyside) where a back window was damaged
- at a flat in Shettleston (Glasgow) by two masked men
- in a street in Croydon (south London)
- at road signs in Burford, Shilton, Carterton and Brize Norton (Oxfordshire) - it has been suggested that a rifle was used
- at the site of a bus station in Slough (Berkshire) where a shotgun was discharged - a man has been arrested
Three people have complained that they were nearly hit by shots fired by police who were trying to kill a runaway cow in Kendal (Cumbria) - an investigation is underway.
A man from West Ham (east London) has been charged with the attempted murder of a work colleague at whom he is alleged to have pointed a gun and run down in a car.
A pistol was found at a college in Kingston-upon-Thames (Surrey) and a student arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of cannabis. An 18-year-old faces three charges after being found with a revolver and ammunition in Camberwell (south London).
A man is alleged to have wielded a handgun in front of customers at a pub in Blackburn (Lancashire) - a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm.
A man from Cherry Burton (East Yorkshire) has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to two charges of possession of a firearm without a certificate.
Trains had to be halted when a man was seen pointing a rifle at a train near Odsey (Hertfordshire) - a shooting party was hunting on nearby farmland.
Two men have been charged with allegedly trespassing on land in Strathdon (Aberdeenshire) while carrying a shotgun.
A passenger is alleged to have threatened to shoot a railway station worker at the station in Westbury (Wiltshire).
In two other incidents a person was seen with a gun but no one was caught: police found no evidence of a weapon following reports that a man had been spotted with a gun in Barnstaple (Devon) and police failed to trace a youth seen with a gun in Butts Copse (Isle of Wight).
Three men who were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence were all released without charge - one of the men from Crosspool (Sheffield) was told that the police had been acting on an incorrect tip-off.
A man from Crouch Hill (north London), one of three charged with robbery, has also been changed with possession of a stun gun.

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents in which a person was hit (see above) there were many other incidents involving airguns and imitation weapons. They were probably used in many of the armed robberies and this was definitely the case in incidents in Liverpool, Pinehurst (Wiltshire) and Canvey (Essex), and in robberies allegedly committed by three 16-year-olds from south west London. A man arrested for an aggravated burglary in Wichelstowe (Wiltshire) in January has been charged with a number of offences including possessing an imitation firearm.
A car driver believes his vehicle was shot at with an air weapon as he was driving in Leyland (Lancashire) last month.
Shots were allegedly fired from an air rifle in the direction of a shop in Dumbarton. Two Royal Navy Service personnel were detained after an air rifle was allegedly discharged at Faslane Naval Base, Argyll and Bute. A weapon, believed to have been an air rifle, was fired at least five times by the driver of a parked car in Renfrew.
A man from Hartlepool has been charged with possessing an airgun with intent to cause fear of violence and common assault.
Armed police were hunting for two poachers, apparently seen with an air rifle in Welwyn Garden City (Hertfordshire).
A man and a teenage boy hunting squirrels with an airgun caused an armed police alert at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood (north west London) - they were warned about their actions in future.
An air rifle was recovered from a property in Newport (Gwent) after police broke in and escorted a woman, a young child and a baby to an ambulance and took a man to a police station - no one was shot or injured.
Windows were damaged in Brockholes (West Yorkshire), apparently with an airgun.

Gun Finds, Recoveries and Thefts - The Trent Division of Staffordshire Police reported that they had seized or were handed 231 firearms during 2009.
Guns were found during searches in which drugs were recovered in the Black Country (handgun) (three arrests were made), Darwen (Lancashire) (rifle; firearms charges were later dropped), Ilkeston (Derbyshire) (a shotgun; two men have been charged), Blackburn (Lancashire) (BB gun), Gloucester (handgun), Rastrick (West Yorkshire) (air rifle), Brighton and Hove, Hendon (Sunderland), Troon (Ayrshire) (handgun) and Inch (Edinburgh).
Following other police operations:
- a man faced a number of charges after a handgun and ammunition were found at a house in Bolton (Greater Manchester)
- a man and a woman were arrested after a handgun was found at a house in Leytonstone (north east London)
- Four people were arrested after police stopped a car in Croxteth Park (Liverpool) and found a semi-automatic shotgun
- a man has faced allegations of possessing and firearm and ammunition without a certificate after a weapon was found during a search at a property in Scarborough (North Yorkshire)
- there were six arrests after a series of raids in Manchester and Cheshire during which live ammunition and an imitation firearm were found
- shotguns were recovered in major police operations in South Wales and Greater Manchester
- a stun gun was recovered by police during a raid in Clitheroe (Lancashire)
A shotgun was stolen from a farm in Harwood (Greater Manchester). A reward has been offered in the hunt for thieves who stole shotguns and other items from properties in Hadlow Down and Ditchling (East Sussex) in November 2009.

Incidents Involving Animals - More animals and birds suffered as a result of shooting incidents reported during February.
Cats were shot in airgun attacks in Bedfordshire (two different locations), Cheshire, Cumbria, Devon (two different locations), Essex (two cats shot in the same incident) and Fife.
A deer was shot and killed with a shotgun in a park in Hampton Court (south west London) and a considerable number of deer were shot with a rifle and left for dead near Landford (Wiltshire).
Concern was expressed that a ranger at a park in Langdon Hills (Essex) is using a shotgun to kill moles.
Birds were targeted in a number of incidents. Swans were killed in attacks in Stockport (Cheshire) (air rifle), Horningtoft (Norfolk) (shotgun) and Nuneaton (Warwickshire) (air rifle). Blackbirds were found with injuries consistent with airgun wounds in Norwich, and a buzzard was shot with an airgun in Upton Heath (Dorset).
A former gamekeeper has admitted shooting a buzzard with a .243 rifle in Abermyte (Perthshire) and has been ordered to appear in court for sentencing.

Convictions - Three men found guilty of conspiracy to murder a man in East Leeds, who was saved when a gun jammed on one occasion, as well as other charges relating to a robbery, were given minimum sentences of 17 years or more.
A man who shot his girlfriend in the neck with a sawn-off shotgun at a house in Peel Green (Greater Manchester) admitted possessing the shotgun and a handgun with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition and a drugs offence and was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection.
A legal shotgun owner who shortened his gun and then fired at a man he wrongly suspected of trying to "chat up" his wife in Stanley (County Durham) has been jailed for 7 years.
An offender who, amongst other offences, put a gun to the head of two people in Plymouth pleaded guilty to a total of eight charges and was jailed for 8 years.
A man involved in a robbery in which a farmer in Overseal (Derbyshire) was threatened with his own shotgun has been jailed for 9 years. A man who threatened staff at a travel agency in Muswell Hill (north London) admitted robbery and possession of a firearm and must serve a minimum of 5 years in jail. Another offender involved in an armed robbery on a post office in Ilford (east London) in which a guard was threatened with a gun has been jailed for 7 years.
A man who kidnapped two members of staff at a shop he ran in Bo'ness (West Lothian) whilst armed with a revolver has been jailed for 5 years and 3 months.
Those convicted for possessing shotguns were:
- three men involved in handing over a shotgun in a car park in Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire), jailed for 3, 7½ and 9½ years
- a man who claimed to have found a sawn-off shotgun in woods close to Barbury Castle (Wiltshire) and pleaded guilty to possessing an altered firearm without a certificate and will be sentenced later
- a man from Kendal (Cumbria) who admitted having a shortened shotgun and will be sentenced later
- a 19-year-old woman from Clifton (Nottingham) jailed for 4 years for hiding a sawn-off shotgun
- a man from Yeovil (Somerset) who was convicted of rape, kidnap and false imprisonment and also admitted possession of a sawn-off shotgun, which he said should be used to threaten his victim, and will be sentenced later
- a man from Burmantofts (Leeds) found with a sub-machine gun and a sawn-off shotgun pleaded guilty to possessing the weapons, jailed for 6 years
Others convicted of possessing shotguns together with other guns were:
- a man who had an arsenal of weapons, including a sawn-off shotgun and a pistol, at a flat in Kearsley (Lancashire) where cannabis was being grown, jailed for 7 years after pleading guilty to a number of offences
- two men each jailed for 7½ years who admitted various charges after a pump action shotgun, a sub-machine pistol and ammunition were scattered across a road in Leeds following a motorbike chase
- a man given a 2 year sentence after a 12 bore shotgun and an air rifle were found at a house in Winsford (Cheshire) - another man arrested at the same time was fined £1000
The following people were convicted for possessing prohibited handguns:
- two gun enthusiasts from Baildon and Guiseley (West Yorkshire), jailed for 3 years and 18 months for respectively selling and buying a prohibited pistol, and another gun enthusiast who had live ammunition and illegal pistols stored at his home in Sleaford (Lincolnshire) given a 12 month conditional discharge.
- an 18-year-old convicted of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life after being found with a pistol he had picked up from a pub in Greenwich (south east London).
- two teenage girls who pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition without a certificate after a revolver was found in a garden in Flixton (Greater Manchester), and the man for whom they were keeping the gun who also admitted possessing a firearm with ammunition
- a 16-year-old caught with a loaded revolver in Wood Green (north London), sentenced to four months in prison
- a man from Durham City who hid a loaded pistol among his children's toys, jailed for 5 years
- a woman from Toxteth (Liverpool) who was keeping a pistol and ammunition to pay off a drug debt, jailed for 5 years
- a man found with a revolver and ammunition in his car as he drove in Rochdale (Greater Manchester), jailed for 6 years
- a man from Anderston (Glasgow) who admitted owning a revolver and three live bullets and faces a lengthy jail term
- a man who admitted possessing a modified starting pistol at his home in Blackwood (Gwent)
A man who had illegal possession of ammunition for a handgun in Uxbridge (west London) has been ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, attend an education and train course and attend appointments with a probation order.
A man has pleaded guilty to possession of 50 live rounds of rifle ammunition when not having a firearms certificate and is charged with the theft of ammunition from the Army Cadet Corps in Altcar (Lancashire).
A man who threw his legally-owned shotgun and cartridges into a school playground in Northampton was acquitted after the prosecution accepted he had committed no offence - the judge said that he was "very, very unhappy".

Stun Guns - A man from South Oxhey (Hertfordshire) is awaiting sentence after a stun gun he purchased on the internet from America was intercepted by customs officers.
A man from Heswall (Merseyside) was given an 18 month suspended sentence and given 150 community service after a stun gun was found at his home.
One of four men convicted of cocaine smuggling was also found with a stun gun - the man, from Battersea Rise (south London), was jailed for a total of 10 years
A couple were each given a conditional discharge and the man was fined £90 after being caught with a stun gun and drugs at their home in Tonbridge (Kent).

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A coroner has ruled that the death of a 10-year-old boy who died after being shot with his father's air rifle in Swansea last September was accidental.
Two teenagers who fired an air rifle at children at a birthday party in Melton Mowbray (Leicestershire) hitting three under-5s have been given 6-month referral orders and one of them was given an 18-month community order and a 3-month curfew - two other teenagers had received police cautions.
Two men who fired an air rifle at a delivery driver in Atherton (Lancashire) hitting him behind the knee and damaging his van have both been jailed for 9 months. A man who fired an airgun at a shop assistant in Skelton (Cleveland), hitting her on the back of her head, has pleaded guilty to possession of an air weapon, breaching an Asbo and resisting arrest and been jailed for 10 months.
A youth from East Oxford who, among various acts of anti-social behaviour, shot a Police Community Support Officer with a ball-bearing gun has been given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.
A man who fired a blank-firing pistol towards a property in South Shields admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and was jailed for 4 years - the gun's owner received a 20 month sentence.
A man who fired a pellet gun from a hotel in Huntly (Aberdeenshire) has been fined £200 after admitting recklessly discharging the firearm with disregard for the safety of others. A teenage boy from Boldon Colliery (Tyne & Wear) seen firing an air weapon out of his bedroom window has been spoken to by police officers and referred to a youth surgery.
The following cases involved others who brandished airguns or imitations guns:
- a man from Witham (Essex) who pointed a replica gun at police officers and admitted assault and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to make someone believe violence would be used, given a 4 month suspended sentence
- an offender who showed an imitation pistol to men during a dispute in Lingdale (Cleveland), jailed for 18 months
- a man from Luton (Bedfordshire) who brandished a toy gun during a road rage incident, given a 16-week suspended jail sentence and 100 hours unpaid work
- a man who pointed an air rifle at two teenage girls who came to the front door of a house in Lymington (Hampshire) and pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm, given a suspended 12-month jail term, a 6 month supervision requirement and 150 hours unpaid work
- a man from Hindley (Lancashire) who threatened a friend with an imitation gun and was involved in a two-day siege, sent to a mental hospital indefinitely
- another man who threatened his elderly mother with a BB gun at her home in Salfords (Surrey) and admitted one count of possessing an imitation firearm, sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment
- a teenager caught with a pellet gun in Hartlepool who pleaded guilty to having a weapon in a public place as well as other offences, given a 12-month community order with 10 education, training and employment sessions and a 9-day alcohol programme
- a man who in 2002 who was charged after showing an air pistol to work colleagues in Neasden (north west London) and threatened to use it and then failed to show for his trial and has now admitted two counts of possessing an imitation firearm, jailed for 17 months
- a man who brandished an imitation handgun at railway staff in Canterbury (Kent), jailed for 5 years for possessing prohibited ammunition and possessing a weapon
- a man who threatened his girlfriend and pointed a loaded .22 air rifle to her friend's head in a caravan in Chale (Isle of Wight), jailed for 2 years
- two men, one aged 18 and the other an ex-prisoner, seen with a gun in Fairfield (Derbyshire) who admitted being in possession of an air rifle
- a man seen by neighbours in Fauldhouse (West Lothian) firing an air weapon who pleaded guilty to breach of the peace and a drugs offence, fined £360
- a man who admitted possessing a ball-bearing gun and air rifle in a public place after an incident in Brynmawr (Gwent), given 3 month and 4 month sentences to run concurrently with a 6 month sentence he was given for his involvement in a drunken brawl on a separate occasion
- a man who waved a gun, believed to be a ball-bearing gun, at neighbours in Newport (Gwent) when he was drunk, sentenced to 15 months in a young offenders' institute
There were a number of convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offender(s) was armed with an imitation firearm.
- At Shops in Shirley (south London) (two 14-year-old boys have been given 30 months detention), Selby (North Yorkshire) (a man who had a previous conviction for armed robbery has been warned he could spend the rest of his life behind bars), Slough and Maidenhead (Berkshire) and Hazlemere (Buckinghamshire) (three men were jailed for a total of 18 years and 9 months for three robberies), Wolverhampton (a man has been warned he faces a long jail sentence), Plymouth (a man has been jailed for 4 years and 3 months) and Winsford (a man was caught red-handed with an imitation firearm and a knife and has been jailed for 2 years).
- At a Post Office in Stanton Harcourt (Oxfordshire) (the weapon was fabricated from offcuts of metal) (a man is in jail and a woman has been found guilty of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent).
- During raids at Houses in south London, Balham (three men were given sentences of 10, 10 and 12 years for aggravated burglary) and Forest Green (two men have pleaded guilty and another three were found guilty of robbery, possessing an imitation firearm and theft of a motor vehicle; they received sentences of between 6½ and 10 years), and in Prestwich (Greater Manchester) (five men were sentenced to a total of 35 years, four after admitting two counts of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm) and Thornton (Merseyside) (a woman was been jailed for 5 years after admitting aggravated burglary in which she had an air pistol).
- At a Farm in Cudham (a teenager has pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and possession of an imitation firearm with the intent to endanger life).
- In Street robberies in Tottenham (north London) (one man pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery and seven counts of possession an imitation firearm with intent to commit a crime).
Two men must do unpaid work after various weapons were found in a car travelling through Winnersh (Berkshire) - one who admitted one count of possessing an imitation firearm, an air pistol that looked like a Beretta pistol, in a public place received 100 hours.
A drunk driver caught after a police chase ended in Mostyn (Clwyd) was found to have a deactivated Kalashnikov rifle in his car and admitted a number of charges including possessing an imitation firearm.
A drug dealer from Walderslade (Kent) who pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine also admitted possession of an air weapon and ammunition (he has been given a 32 month prison sentence). A man found with an airgun and pellets in Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire) has admitted having the weapon and pellets.