Gun Incident Review - March 2010

During the year ending March 2010, the period used by the Home Office and the Scottish Government for compiling detailed gun crime statistics, there was another drop in the number of male gun homicide victims (GCN estimates there were 32 in England and Wales and 1 in Scotland). With respect to the overall total, however, this fall has been offset by the number of females who were killed.

Since the last week of March 2009 nine women and one 4-year-old girl have been shot dead.
All but one are known to have been killed in domestic incidents by a partner, ex-partner or, in one instance, father. The other fatality, one of two in March 2010, has also been linked to a domestic dispute, though the identity of the gunman is not yet known.
After seven of the deaths the perpetrator killed himself - in only one instance was the possibility of a suicide pact mentioned.
In May 2009 another woman died after being shot with a bolt gun, not classified as a firearm, by a man whom she knew and had been stalking her.
There were two further incidents involving girls, one shot in the leg in July 2009 and the other abducted at gunpoint in March 2010, and their mothers’ former partners who then killed themselves with shotguns.
GCN estimates that in the last 10 years nearly three quarters of all female shooting fatalities occurred in domestic incidents.
A recent court case in which a woman was convicted of murder after shooting her husband in January 2009 was a reminder that, whilst the vast majority of those affected are women, men can also become victims of armed domestic violence.

· There is a tendency for such incidents to be treated as tragic but rather private incidents, at odds with the pattern of gun crime usually portrayed by the media and politicians. The numbers may be small, but as the figures quoted above show they make up a significant proportion of all gun homicides in Great Britain. Concerns about gun crime should be the same regardless of whether the incidents occur on the street or within the confines of a family home, and the seriousness of the crime must not be downplayed because the perpetrator kills himself. The possibility that guns kept in the home can be and are abused should never be ignored.

Whilst not all the details have been released and there is an apparent reluctance by the police to provide information in these cases, it is clear that the weapons used are usually too easily available. In two of the three incidents which involved illegal handguns the presence of guns in the house was apparently well known. One man from Devon was a collector of antique guns, the other from Aldershot had found a pistol in a skip and had kept it. Following the triple shooting in Aldershot, Hampshire Police have announced a gun amnesty saying that “many people within the community have told us they are unaware of the laws surrounding gun ownership”. However, in a large proportion of domestic incidents the likelihood remains that the gun used will be legally-owned. Eight of the incidents mentioned above involved shotguns, with the majority of the perpetrators, if not all, licensed owners. In most domestic violence situations it is the presence of the gun in the home, not its legal status, which is critical.

A full list of Domestic Incidents involving guns is provided on the GCN website.

Since this Review was written another woman has been reported to have been shot dead by her partner in March 2010.

BBC, 1 April 2010

A woman whose body was found in a freezer at a pub in Snettisham, Norfolk, last month died from a gunshot wound to the head. The man who ran the pub with her will appear in court charged with her murder.

Incidents reported in March 2010

Daily Mirror, 31 March 2010

Helen Lawson fired both barrels of a shotgun at point-blank range at her husband after waking him up in bed at their home in Wellow, Isle of Wight, in January 2009 (see Incidents). She was found guilty of murder and will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.

BBC, 31 March 2010

A coroner has criticised police in Lincolnshire for "extraordinary" failings in the lead up to a man shooting his teenage step-daughter before killing himself. Elvis Cant was on police bail accused of assaulting and threatening to kill her at the time of the incident in Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire, where Cant had tracked her down in July 2009 (see Incidents). He had a double barrelled shotgun he had bought hours earlier and struggled with his step-daughter's natural father before shooting her in the leg and then missing her with a second shot. He was found dead an hour later in a nearby field with gunshot wounds. Officers had confiscated three shotguns from Cant but did not take his firearms certificate allowing him to buy the other gun. An open verdict was recorded on Cant because the coroner was not entirely clear how he came by his death. Lincolnshire Police offered an unreserved apology to the victim and her family.

BBC, 31 March 2010

Andrew Copland shot his ex-partner and their 4-year-old daughter at his home in Aldershot, Hampshire, in December 2009 (see Incidents) before killing himself an inquest heard. The weapon was a 1934 Beretta semi-automatic pistol. His ex-partner's new boyfriend said she had told him Copland was violent and had a gun in the loft. The coroner recorded that he had unlawfully killed the mother and child and then took his own life. Copland had found the gun in a skip whilst he was working as a builder in 1998 (BBC, 2 April 2010).

Press Association, 24 March 2010

A man has killed himself after holding a child hostage at gunpoint in Dingwall, Ross-shire, for three hours. Police had managed to negotiate the child's safe release. The gunman had abducted the 11-year-old daughter of a former girlfriend and shot himself with a shotgun (The Herald, 25 March 2010). The man had broken a series of court bans on approaching the girl's mother after previously assaulting her (Highland News, 1 April 2010).

Evening Standard, 23 March 2010

A woman has been shot on the doorstep of her home in Clapton, east London. She was found with fatal injuries and pronounced dead at the scene. It has been suggested that the murder was a domestic incident that got out of hand and that the weapon was a shotgun (Hackney Post, 25 March 2010).

BBC, 17 March 2010

A married couple have been found dead at a house in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, after a suspected shooting incident. The police are not believed to be looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. It is reported that the man took his double-barrelled shotgun from a locked cabinet and waited for his wife to return from her job. He shot her and then himself. It is alleged by one of the man's friends that he had said that "he'd had enough of his wife and was going home to shoot her. We knew he had a gun licence".

BBC, 9 March 2010

Two people have been found dead with gunshot wounds at a flat in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. A handgun was recovered from the scene. The police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. It is understood that the man shot his ex-partner before killing himself (Telegraph, 9 March 2010).

Gun Deaths and Injuries - Ten people, three women and seven men, died in shooting incidents during March. At least five of the male fatalities were self-inflicted and eight of the shootings involved shotguns:
- There were two shotgun killings in London, a man who died on an estate in Gypsy Hill and a woman shot dead on the doorstep of a house in Clapton.
- Two other incidents were apparent domestic murder-suicides in Cheshunt (Hertfordshire) (involving a handgun) and Bishopbriggs (East Dunbartonshire) (a shotgun) in which the female victim was shot by her partner who then killed himself.
- A man shot himself with a shotgun in Dingwall (Ross-shire) after abducting his ex-girlfriend's daughter at gunpoint.
- In two other incidents a 14-year-old boy from Merstham (Surrey) and a man from Fawley (Hampshire) apparently killed themselves with shotguns.
- A man died from a shotgun wound at a house in Breightmet (Lancashire) - the circumstances are not known.
Nineteen other people were injured in shooting attacks, 11 of whom were hit with pellets from airguns and BB guns:
- Greater Manchester (1) - a man was shot with a shotgun in a pub in Hazel Grove
- Kent (1) - a woman was shot with a shotgun by a man who called at her house (a man has been charged with attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence)
- Lancashire (1) - a security guard was shot in the leg during a robbery in Fulwood
- London (3) - two men were shot in Stepney (one was arrested along with two other men), and a man was shot in the shoulder in Dalston
- Nottinghamshire (1) - a man was shot in the leg in Top Valley (Nottingham)
- Scotland (1) - a man was shot in the face and stabbed in a pub in Edinburgh (two men have been accused of assault with intent to murder, one of them with a breach of the Firearms Act 1968)
Airgun and BB gun shootings:
- County Durham (1) - a passer-by was hit on the side of the head when pedestrians and vehicles were targeted with an airgun in Durham
- Greater Manchester (1) - a man in a bookmakers in Middleton was shot in the chest with a ball-bearing gun during an attempted robbery (see below)
- Kent (1) - a 15-year-old was shot with a BB gun after being robbed of £2.50 by three other teenagers in Ashford (see below)
- North Yorkshire (1) - a woman was shot in the head with an airgun in York
- Scotland (2) - a woman jogger was stuck by airgun pellets near Haddington (East Lothian), and a 16-year-old was shot with an air weapon in Cardenden (Fife)
- Somerset (1) - a dog walker was shot with an airgun in Taunton
- Suffolk (1) - a shopkeeper was shot in the face with a BB gun during a robbery in Ipswich (see below)
- Wiltshire (1) - a woman was shot in the leg with a BB gun in Chippenham (Wiltshire) whilst she was putting her young child into a car seat
- Wales (2) - two pupils were hit when an airgun sniper took shots at children in a school playground in Llanrug (Gwynedd)
A 15-year-old boy was found alone in a house in Newport (Gwent) with a gunshot wound - his stepfather has been charged with possessing a prohibited weapon, perverting the course of justice and neglecting the boy.
A man was seriously hurt when he dropped a shotgun at a farm in Combe Martin (Devon).
A man was in a critical condition following an incident with a bolt gun at a butchers in Chipping (Lancashire) - the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
A victim was pistol-whipped during a robbery at a flat in Southend (Essex).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks, Post Offices and Sorting Offices (5) in Hensall (North Yorkshire) (sawn-off shotguns) and Owston Ferry (Humberside) (two men have been charged with these two robberies and another in Thorne), Droylsden (Greater Manchester) (shotgun), Peterborough (imitation gun) (a man has admitted this and an attempted car robbery in Cambridge) and Melsonby (North Yorkshire) (pistol; a woman was bludgeoned to death in the flat above the premises before the robbery), Bookmakers (4) in Stalybridge (Cheshire) (handgun), Blantyre (South Lanarkshire), Middleton (Greater Manchester) (ball-bearing gun) (a man was shot in the chest) and Thorne (South Yorkshire) (two men have been charged with this and two post office robberies), Pubs (2) in Stoneycroft (Liverpool) (shotgun) and Brixton (south London), Service Stations (5) in Southend (Essex), Lowestoft (Suffolk) (small handgun), Wakefield (West Yorkshire) (a man was later arrested), Ashton-under-Lyne (Greater Manchester) (air pistol) (three suspects, two of them teenagers, have been arrested) and Andover (Hampshire), Shops and a Cash-and-Carry (11) in Clapham Junction (south London) (reported by the public but not confirmed by police), Hartshill (Stoke-on-Trent) (handgun), Bradford, Chelmsford (Essex), Widnes (Cheshire) (shotgun), Mossley Hill (Merseyside) (shotgun), Ipswich (BB gun) (the shopkeeper was shot in the face), Ludwell (Dorset) (handgun), Westerham (Kent), Hanley (Staffordshire) (handgun) and Chilwell (Nottinghamshire) and Travel Agencies (2) in Upminster (east London) and Mossley Hill (Liverpool) (handgun).
Security men were robbed in Glasgow, Chichester (West Sussex) (two men were arrested and two decommissioned handguns seized) and Fulwood (Lancashire) (a security man was shot in the leg), and a post office van driver was held at gunpoint in Hayes (west London).
Guns were used during robberies at Homes in Oldham (Greater Manchester), Southend (Essex) (a victim was pistol-whipped), Bradshaw (Lancashire) (shotgun; a man was badly injured when he tried to fight off a gang), Bradford (sawn-off shotgun), Belsize Park and Hampstead (north London) (a man was responsible for a number of muggings), Norbury (south London) (the robbery took place in February), Caddington (Bedfordshire) (the men were armed with shotguns but also stole two shotguns from the home owners) and Croxteth (Liverpool).
In Car thefts and attempted thefts involving guns, a man had a weapon put to his head in Norbury (south London), a man was beaten with a baton in Dewsbury (West Yorkshire), a woman in Cambridge had an imitation gun pressed against her before her car was stolen (a man has already admitted this and a robbery at a bank in Peterborough), and a man was ordered to hand over car keys in Battersea (south west London).
In Street robberies a pistol was used when a woman and two young children were threatened in Chiswick (west London), an imitation gun is believed to have been used when a laptop was stolen in Hatfield (Hertfordshire) (a teenager was arrested), and a teenager was shot in a street in Ashford (Kent) (three teenagers have been arrested).

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- Greater Manchester - a bullet, probably fired from a handgun, shattered a car windscreen in Great Lever
- London - during incidents in Ilford, Seven Kings, and Stoke Newington
- Merseyside - near playing fields in Vauxhall and at a house in Croxteth
- Nottinghamshire - from cars in New Basford (Nottingham) (two men were arrested and released on bail), and a gun was discharged in Hucknall
- Somerset - a father and his stepchildren believe they were shot at after being confronted by a man with a shotgun when they were picking flowers by the side of a road in Keenthorne (a man was arrested)
- West Sussex - four teenagers were arrested in Chichester after a window was damaged
Two paramedics allegedly had a gun pulled on them at a home in Bath (Somerset) (a man and a woman were arrested and a number of weapons retrieved). A man from Barrow (Cumbria) appeared in court after allegedly threatening another man with a gun.
A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of assault, possession of a firearm without a certificate and the cultivation of cannabis after police were called to an incident in Chislet (Kent).
Two men were arrested at a hotel in Kendal (Cumbria) after a man was seen with a gun - three firearms were found at a house near the town. Another man appeared in court after allegedly being in possession of a firearm and a loaded air weapon at a hotel in Wemyss Bay (Renfrewshire).
Two men were arrested when armed police went to a house in Moss Side (Manchester) after a man had been seen with a firearm in Hulme. A man was detained after reports of a man brandishing a gun in Saltdean (East Sussex) - no weapon was found.
A man was dragged from a bus near Victoria Station (central London) after he pulled out a suspected gun.
Five men were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm after a car was stopped and searched in Weston-super-Mare (Somerset) and a handgun found.
A woman, believed to have a gun, was detained under the Mental Health Act after barricading herself inside a property in Wardington (Oxfordshire). Another woman was sectioned after she claimed she had a gun in an incident in Hatfield (Hertfordshire). A third woman was arrested after an incident outside a house in Southend (Essex) where a woman had reported she had been threatened with a gun.
A landlord of a pub in Barcombe (East Sussex) waved his shotgun from a window at two burglars who later fled the scene.

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents which resulted in injury (see above) there were others involving airguns and imitation weapons. They were probably used in many of the armed robberies and this was certainly so for those in Ashford (Kent), Ashton-under-Lyne (Greater Manchester), Cambridge, Hatfield (Hertfordshire), Ipswich, Middleton (Greater Manchester) and Peterborough (see above).
A minor fired a BB gun in Langloan (North Lanarkshire) prompting a police response and warnings, and later in the same locality an armed response reacted to a report that someone fired an air rifle at officers in Coatbridge.
In a second incident this month involving a person on a bus a man was arrested after a member of the public raised the alarm in Peacehaven (East Sussex) - a BB gun and an air rifle were recovered.
One person was charged with possession of an imitation firearm after what is thought to have been a bungled robbery at a cannabis factory in Winshill (Staffordshire).
A pupil at a school in Camden (north London) was arrested after pointing a toy gun at other pupils - he was suspended by the school. Three other boys have been expelled from their school in Birmingham after been seen with a BB gun on CCTV.
A number of vehicles on the A309 in Surrey were damaged when shots were fired from an air rifle.
Windows were damaged with airguns in Leigh-on-Sea (Essex), in Lascelles Hall (West Yorkshire), in a tower block in Rotherhithe (south east London) (77 windows were smashed), and on a train approaching Stowmarket (Suffolk)
An air rifle was apparently fired when reporters were investigating a family alleged to have tormented fellow residents in Crawley (West Sussex). Children using BB guns are part of a vandalism problem on an estate in Witham (Essex).

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were recovered in Plymouth (stun gun; one man charged), Mottingham (south London) (shotgun, rifle, air pistol; 2 people arrested), Ravensthorpe (West Yorkshire) (air rifle; 2 arrested), linked raids in Epping Forest, Harlow and Brentwood (Essex) (ball-bearing gun, air weapon; 11 people arrested), Merseyside (stun guns; 11 suspects charged), Teignmouth (Devon) (air rifle; 2 arrested), Luton (imitation shotgun; 2 arrested), Nottingham (one man arrested), Dovecot (Merseyside) (handgun; 2 arrested), Tullibody (Clackmannanshire) (handgun; 3 arrested), and Newport (Gwent) (stun gun; one man arrested).
A number of other guns were recovered during police operations:
- An air rifle was found at an address in Grangetown (Teesside) after a burglary at an industrial site in Redcar (three men were arrested).
- Firearms were seized during raids in Lancashire when a number of people were arrested, including a police officer from Walton-le-Dale who has been charged with a series of offences including three counts of possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
- Two men were arrested after a raid in Shepherd's Bush (west London) when a revolver was found.
- A security officer at Belmarsh Prison (south east London) was arrested after an automatic firearm was found at his home.
- A man and a woman were arrested after a loaded Mac 10 machine pistol was found at a home in Blakenhall (Wolverhampton).
- A shotgun and ammunition were seized in the Dewsbury area (West Yorkshire) and a loaded Uzi machine gun, bullets and cartridges were recovered from a house in Holbeck (Leeds) (a man and a woman have been arrested).
- An arsenal of weapons was found in an attic in Paisley included a shotgun, two revolvers and a ball-bearing gun
- During a 6-month operation in Edinburgh a handgun, shotgun and imitation guns have been seized
Youngsters playing near their homes in Rawthorpe (West Yorkshire) found a rusty shotgun.
A rifle was stolen from a farm near Ledbury (Herefordshire) and two shotguns were stolen during a robbery at a home in Caddington (Bedfordshire) (see above).

Incidents Involving Animals - There were more reports of animals and birds being shot.
Cats were shot with airguns in Aberdeen, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Devon, Greater Manchester (two incidents), Hampshire (other cats from the same home may have been shot in earlier incidents) and West Yorkshire (two incidents), and with a shotgun in Gloucestershire.
The SSPCA highlighted a case of cruelty in which a dog was shot in the head 13 times and left for dead by her drunk owner from Glasgow.
A horse found with facial wounds in East Preston (Sussex) is thought to have been shot with an air rifle.
There were a number of reports of birds being shot with airguns, a buzzard in Essex and swans in West Yorkshire and Leicestershire. A goshawk was shot with a shotgun in North Yorkshire.
A man who shot and killed his neighbour's dog with an air rifle in Rugeley (Staffordshire) was fined £500 after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Two men shot a sheep in Prestbury (Cheshire) with a shotgun to put it out of its misery but then fed it to their ferrets - both admitted criminal damage and one has now pleaded guilty to various firearm offences.

Convictions - A number of people were convicted following fatal shootings:
- A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a man in Bensham (Tyneside) in 1999.
- A man was convicted of the murder of a teenager in St Ann's (Nottingham) in 2002 and given a life sentence, with a minimum of 22 years.
- Two contract killers have been jailed for a minimum of 30 years each for the murder of a man shot dead outside his home in Dagenham (east London) in 2004.
- Four men were convicted of the murder of a man who was shot in Kirkdale (Liverpool) in 2008 - they were given minimum sentences of between 27 and 32 years.
- Two brothers will each serve a minimum of 28 years for the murder of a man in Oldham (Greater Manchester) in 2009.
- A man has been jailed for the rest of his life for the murder and attempted murder of two men whom he shot with a shotgun in Bradford in 2009.
- A woman clay pigeon shooter will serve a minimum of 15 years after being found guilty of the murder of her husband whom she shot with a shotgun in Wellow (Isle of Wight) in 2009.
- Two teenagers were found guilty of the murder of a 16-year-old in Stretford (Greater Manchester) in 2009 - they were jailed for 23 and 21 years.
A number of people were convicted after incidents in which others were injured:
- A man was convicted of the attempted murder of a man who was shot during race riots in Handsworth (Birmingham) in 2005.
- Another offender has been convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, GBH and two counts of ABH after a shooting at a nightclub in Bradford - he was sentenced to 13 years.
- Two teenagers were found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and GBH after a shotgun shooting in Huyton (Merseyside).
After other incidents in which shotguns were fired:
- a man from Mexborough (South Yorkshire) who fired his gun over the heads of two anglers was jailed for 2½ years
- two men have been convicted of violent disorder and one of them of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence after an incident in Guisborough (Teesside) in which a shotgun was fired into a house - seven other men have admitted related offences
- three men, two of them teenagers, were each jailed for 10 years after a man was injured on his doorstep in Barton (Oxford) when a shotgun went off as he slammed the door
The following cases involved possession of a firearm or ammunition:
- A 14-year-old was given a 2-year intensive supervision and surveillance order after a loaded pistol which had been fired in six incidents in London was found at his home in Peckham (south London).
- A man from Farnworth (Greater Manchester) has pleaded guilty to possessing an 8mm self-loading handgun and various ammunition.
- A man convicted for his involvement with a chain of brothels in the North of England also pleaded guilty to owning a shotgun without a certificate.
- A drug addict who hid a shotgun and cartridges for a dealer when their car was stopped in Southampton admitted being in possession of the firearm and ammunition was jailed for 12 months.
- A man from Pembroke Dock (Dyfed) awaits sentence for possessing a shotgun with a shortened barrel.
- A man who described himself as a "gun nut" was fined a total of £2000 for unlawful possession of ammunition after police found antique pistols and rounds of ammunition at his house in Windlesham (Surrey).
- A man from Minchinhampton (Gloucestershire) has admitted three charges of possessing weaponry (.22 rifles and various ammunition) and been given a suspended 9-month jail sentence.
A number of others admitted or were found guilty of possessing converted firearms (also see Gun Factory below):
- A man found with a modified starting pistol and prohibited ammunition was found guilty of firearms offences and common assault following an incident in Nelson (Lancashire).
- A man arrested at a flat in Newport (Gwent) with a modified blank-firing weapon following a tip off was jailed for 6 years for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
- An 18-year-old from Edmonton (north London) found with stolen goods and a converted replica pistol was sentenced to 5 years.
- A man who posted a photograph of himself pointing a pistol on Facebook was jailed for 5 years after police found a converted imitation pistol at his home in Handsworth (Birmingham).
- A man who had a blank-firing gun which he had converted to fire live ammunition and bullets at his home in North Tyneside was jailed for 5 years.
The following cases related to armed robberies:
- A man who claimed to have a gun during a robbery at a bookmakers in Penge (north west London) received a 16 month jail sentence - police suspect he did not have a weapon.
- Two men have admitted a number of robberies and burglaries including one on a store in Benton (Tyneside) where staff were threatened with a shotgun and machete.
- A man who was a member of a gang of four who raided a house in Handsworth (Birmingham) was found guilty of aggravated burglary and possessing a firearm with intent.
- Two men were each jailed for sixteen years for a series of robberies in north London in which they posed as postmen - a stun gun was used on one victim in Enfield and a shotgun was left at the scene.
- Four men have been found guilty of a £1.75m robbery at Heathrow Airport in 2004 when they were armed with handguns and been jailed for between 10 and 20½ years.
A man from Banbury (Oxfordshire) who did not notify a change in address admitted failing to comply with a condition of a shotgun certificate and was given a 12-month conditional discharge. A man from Inverurie (Aberdeenshire) was fined £300 for each of two offences after he admitted failing to secure a shotgun and keep ammunition safe at home.

Gun Factory - A gang of six men have received a total of 43 years in jail for their involvement with a gun factory in a living room in South Norwood (south London) where imitation and blank-firing guns were converted into lethal weapons.

Inquests - An inquest jury recorded a verdict of unlawful killing against Greater Manchester Police officers following the death of a police officer during a training exercise in Newton Heath when he was shot with a shotgun.
A coroner has recorded that a man who shot dead his ex-partner and their daughter took his own life and that his victims were unlawfully killed - all three were shot at his home in Aldershot (Hampshire) with a Beretta semi-automatic pistol.
An open verdict has been recorded on a man found shot dead in Potterhanworth (Lincolnshire) an hour after he had shot and seriously injured his stepdaughter - the police have been criticised for not taking his shotgun certificate despite confiscating his three shotguns after he threatened to kill his victim, thus allowing him to buy the new shotgun he used on his victim and himself.
Verdicts of suicide were recorded at the inquests into the deaths of two people, a woman from Shouldham Thorpe (Norfolk) and a man from Ulverston (Cumbria) who were found with shotgun wounds last year.

Airguns and Imitation Guns - The following cases related to incidents in which a victim was shot:
- A man who shot a walker in Edinburgh with an air rifle pleaded guilty to recklessly discharging an air rifle and recklessly discharging the weapon and having an air rifle without a firearms certificate.
- A man who shot a teenager in Wakefield (West Yorkshire) with a gas-powered air rifle has been jailed for 9 months.
- A teenager who shot a love rival in the face with an air pistol in Redditch (Worcestershire) has been sentenced to 2 years detention.
- A man who shot a teenage girl in the leg with an air rifle at a campsite near Harlech (Gwynedd) was given a 50 week suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 250 hours unpaid work.
- A Liverpool man who fired a BB gun at another man was jailed for 8 months after admitting possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, common assault and a bail offence.
- A teenager who held a ball-bearing gun to the head of a schoolboy in Longton (Lancashire) and then shot a member of the public who intervened has been sent to a young offenders' institution for 18 months.
- Two 16-year-olds who shot at people and property in Lincoln and Newark (Nottinghamshire) with an air pistol have admitted a number of offences including actual bodily harm, common assault and common damage and being in possession of an imitation firearm and were given 12-month referral orders and ordered to pay compensation; a 19-year-old who drove them and later fired the gun was sent to a young offenders' institution for 3 years.
There were a number of convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offender(s) was armed with an imitation firearm. The incidents occurred:
- at Shops in Jarrow (Tyne & Wear) (a man has been jailed for five years), Lockwood (West Yorkshire) (a teenager has been detained for 3 years), Salford (another teenager was jailed for 5 years and 4 months), Bridgwater (Somerset) (a teenager has pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm), Kettering (Northamptonshire) (two men have been jailed for 7 years), and Kirkheaton (West Yorkshire) (a teenager has been given a 4½ year sentence for robbing another teenager of £5 when armed with a ball-bearing gun)
- at Bookmakers in north west London (a man with an airgun was responsible for a series of 12 raids and has been given a 10 year sentence)
- in Street robberies in west Hull (two men armed with a starting pistol who have been jailed for 5 and 4 years), Bolton (Greater Manchester) (three teenagers have been jailed for 7 years or more for violent disorder and a fourth teenager given a 12-month community order after an attack in which one man was pistol-whipped and hit twice in the face when a BB gun was fired), and Chippenham (Wiltshire) (a teenager has been jailed for 2½ years)
There were convictions for men who pointed imitation guns or airguns at others and, in one case, himself.
- A man who was shot by police after be fired a replica handgun and pointed it at police who came to his flat in Upper Holloway (north London) has admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
- A man who pointed a ball-bearing gun at an 11-year-old in Chichester (West Sussex) has been sentenced to 3 years in jail.
- A teenager who pointed a replica handgun at a couple in Bishop Auckland (Country Durham) has been sent to a young offenders' institution for 8 months.
- A man who threatened a teenager with an imitation gun in Benfleet (Essex) believing that the boy owed him money was jailed for 12 months for possession of an imitation gun.
- A man who pointed a de-activated bolt-action rifle at a police officer who had gone to his home in Thurlow (Suffolk) was given a suspended 12-month prison sentence and ordered to pay £750 compensation.
- A man who threatened a taxi driver with a blank-firing gun outside his house in Oldbury (West Midlands) has been sent to prison for 16 months.
- A man who held an imitation handgun used for bird scaring to his girlfriend's head at their home in Mauchline (Ayrshire) was fined £300 after admitting a number of offences.
- A man who threatened to shoot himself with an air pistol at his partner's mother's home in Havant (Hampshire) admitted possession of a firearm and was fined £100.
A drunken man who sparked an armed police operation after waving an air rifle in Broomhill (Sheffield) has been ordered to serve a 12-month community sentence with 120 hours of unpaid work.
A teenager who walked around Ulverston (Cumbria) with an air rifle pleaded guilty to possessing the weapon in public and buying ammunition - he must carry out six sessions of a youth rehabilitation order. A man spotted carrying an air weapon in South Shields (Tyne and Wear) was cautioned for being in possession of the weapon in a public place.
A man has been jailed for 3½ years after an imitation pistol and drugs were found at his home in Ilford (east London). A man found in a car in Enfield (north London) with a prohibited air weapon has been given a 3-year sentence.
A teenager from Grimsby (Lincolnshire) has been handed a 2-year ASBO after a string of convictions including trespassing with an imitation firearm.
A man who stole items including an air rifle from a house in Waterfoot (Lancashire) was jailed for 39 months.

Stun Guns - A man who used a stun gun on another at a nightclub in Inverness has been jailed for 16 months.
There were more cases involving men caught in possession of stun guns, a number linked to drugs offences:
- A man found with a stun gun and drugs at his home in Evesham (Worcestershire) pleaded guilty to possessing the weapon and the drugs and was fined £125 and given a 12-month community order with 150 hours unpaid work.
- A teenager will serve a minimum of 9 months for possessing drugs with intent to supply, possessing a stun gun and assaulting a police officer in Bullbrook (Berkshire).
- A man from Kenilworth (Warwickshire), one of a number convicted of drug offences, admitted possession of a stun gun and was jailed for 4 years.
- A Hartlepool man who armed himself with a stun gun was given a suspended 9 month prison sentence, 12 months probation supervision and 140 hours of unpaid work.
- A man from Winthorpe (Lincolnshire) has admitted possession of prohibited weapons including a stun gun and pornography offences.
There were two cases involving men caught trying to import stun guns. A man found with two stun guns and nine pepper sprays at Edinburgh Airport has been ordered to carry out 220 hours of community service. Another caught with two stun guns at Aberdeen Airport has admitted breaching the Customs and Excise Management Act and been ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service.