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MAY 2010 - REVIEW
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Click here for pdf version (includes full
list of incidents)
See the Full List of Incidents
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Gun Deaths and Injuries -
There were seven fatal shooting incidents reported
during May. All of the victims were male.
-
Five
of the fatal shootings were homicides which all occurred in
London (see above), the worst monthly death toll in the
capital for nearly three years - one victim was shot in the head in a garden in New
Cross (four teenagers have been arrested), another was
targeted in a street in Tottenham (one man has been charged
with murder), a third man died after being shot as he left a
takeaway in Paddington (two men have been arrested), the
fourth victim was one of three men who were shot outside a
club in Newham (a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder
and attempted murder), and a fifth man was shot dead in a street in
Lewisham. Five other men were injured in shooting
incidents in London (see below).
-
A man apparently shot himself
at his home in Watford (Hertfordshire) after he had held
his wife prisoner. Another man was found dead with
gunshot wounds at his home in Melbourne (Derbyshire) - there
were no suspicious circumstances.
-
A number of other victims were injured
in shootings, 2
of which may have been self-inflicted and 1 accidental.
-
Bristol (1) - a man was shot in
the arm in Easton (a man has been arrested on suspicion of
attempted murder)
-
Greater Manchester (4) - a man
was admitted to hospital after being shot in the eye while
gardening at his home in Chorlton (police were investigating
the possibility that he could have been hit by a stray
bullet), a man and a teenage woman were shot in the same
incident in Moss Side (three people have been arrested), and a
man was shot at his home in Baguley when two men burst in.
-
London (5) - a man was shot in
the stomach in Brixton, a teenager was shot in the legs in
Chingford (the victim and another teenager were arrested on
suspicion of possessing a firearm), one man caught in the
crossfire was shot in the
stomach when two groups fired at each another at a festival in Hackney (one
man has been arrested), and two men were injured in an
incident in Newham in which a third victim was killed (see
above)
-
Merseyside (1) - a teenager
suffering from gunshot wounds was found in Thornton (eight
suspects have been arrested)
-
Northumberland (1) - a man was
shot in the shoulder in a street in Stocksfield
-
Scotland (1) - a man arrived at
a Glasgow hospital with a gunshot wound
-
Suffolk (1) - a woman was shot
in the knee with a shotgun by someone with whom she was
shooting pigeons in East Soham - the shooting is reported to
have been an accident
-
Sussex (1) - a man was blasted
in the face with a licensed shotgun at his home in Eastbourne
- police are satisfied that nobody else was involved
-
Wales (1) - a man was found with
a gun shot wound in Llangollen (Denbighshire) - no one else is
being sought as part of the investigation
-
West Midlands (1) - a man was
shot in the back in Highgate (Birmingham)
-
At least 6 other people
were hit in shootings with BB guns or airguns:
-
Cambridgeshire (1) - a kebab van
owner in Trumpington was shot three times by a gang carrying airguns who
attempted to steal money
-
Greater Manchester (1) - a
15-year-old boy was shot in the face with an airgun in Worsley
Mesnes
-
Humberside (1) - an 11-year-boy
was shot after pellets were fired at children on Beverley
Westwood - police seized a variety of imitation guns from a
group of five youths.
-
Lincolnshire (1) - a woman was
shot with a BB gun as she was setting up her shop in
Horncastle - shop windows and vehicles were also targeted
-
Somerset (1) - a 10-year-old boy
was shot in the face by another boy with a BB gun in a park
in Highbridge during an altercation between two
groups of boys - the culprit has been dealt with by means of
restorative justice
-
West Midlands (1) - a man was
shot in the leg with a pellet gun in a park in Tipton
-
Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and
attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks
and Post Offices (6)
in Droylsden (Greater Manchester) (handgun), Capel St Mary
(Suffolk) (handgun), Almondsbury (West Yorkshire), Longbenton
(Tyneside) (eight people were arrested), Brightlingsea
(Essex), and Loscoe (Derbyshire) (imitation gun), Bookmakers
(8) in
Luton (Bedfordshire), Hyde Park and Hunslet (both in Leeds),
Weston Green (Surrey), Rochester (Kent), Outwood (West
Yorkshire), Tuebrook (Liverpool) (handgun), and Uddingston (North
Lanarkshire), Hotels
and Pubs
(2)
in Hyde (Greater Manchester) (shots were fired) and
Walsgrave (West Midlands), a Petrol Station (1)
in Chryston (North Lanarkshire), Shops (11) in
Lowdham (Nottingham), Hounslow (west London) (handgun), Great
Horton (Bradford) (shots were fired from a shotgun), Bury
(Greater Manchester) (shotgun), Chingford (north east London)
(handgun), Farley Hill (Bedfordshire), Knaresborough (North
Yorkshire) (long-barrelled gun), Stevenage (handgun), Longwood
and Fartown (West Yorkshire) (handgun; the same person is
believed to have been responsible), and Dewsbury (West Yorkshire)
(three boys who may also be responsible for a street robbery
were arrested) and a Travel Agents (1) in
West Wickham (south east London). A kebab van owner was
shot with an airgun during an attempted robbery in Trumpington
(Cambridgeshire) (see above).
-
Security men were robbed
at a service station in South Ockendon (Essex) (handgun).
-
Shots were fired during a
robbery at a Scrapyard in Rainham (east London).
-
Vehicles (4) were stolen when three
men armed with a handgun and other weapons took a van in
Dovecot (Liverpool), when a motorist was robbed of his car
when he went to the aid of a man lying in the road in Sinfin
(Derby), in a car theft in Small Heath (Birmingham) (a man was
accused of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm),
and when a van driver had his vehicle stolen in Wanstead
(north east London).
-
There were robberies at gunpoint
at Homes (5) in Clacton (Essex) (two men were later arrested
on suspicion of aggravated burglary), Oxton (The Wirral),
Milnrow (Greater Manchester) (a man was forced from his car,
driven to his home and robbed), Houghton-le-Spring (County
Durham), and Brighouse (West Yorkshire).
-
Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of
other incidents:
-
Bedfordshire - a shot was
fired at a man as he got out of a taxi in Luton
-
County Durham - two vehicles
were fired at with a shotgun in Newton Aycliffe
-
Cumbria - a car being driven
near Prizet was hit by a 'stray bullet'
-
London - shots were fired during
a robbery at a scrapyard in Rainham (see above)
-
Scotland - a gun was fired at a
house in Dalkeith (Midlothian) damaging guttering
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Tyneside - gunshots were
heard during a street brawl in Longbenton
-
West Midlands - shots were
fired through the window of a flat in Sparkhill (Birmingham)
-
West Yorkshire - a shotgun was
fired during a robbery at a jewellers in Bradford (see above)
-
A school in Formby (Merseyside)
was locked down when shots were heard - the incident was
sparked by practice sessions at an RAF rifle range.
-
A man was arrested on suspicion
of making threats to kill and two legally-held shotguns were
seized in Ford (West Sussex).
-
A motorist was threatened with a
handgun by a man in Farrington Gurney (Somerset).
-
One man was arrested after a gun
was produced during a row between two men in Southampton.
-
Five men were arrested on
suspicion of being in possession of a firearm after a man was
seen brandishing a gun after two cars crashed in Ipswich.
-
A man was arrested in a cemetery
in Moston (Manchester) on suspicion of carrying a gun and
robbery.
-
A man was arrested in Strood
(Kent) after reports of someone carrying a firearm in a
street.
-
A man was arrested in St Paul's
(Bristol) when he was carrying a deactivated shotgun in a
plastic bag - the gun was temporarily confiscated and he was
advised on how to carry the gun around the streets.
-
Armed police were called to a
house in Romford (east London) after reports suggesting a man
there had a firearm.
-
A teenager pointed a gun at a
bus driver in Huyton (Merseyside). A youth is reported
to have entered a clubhouse in Newcastle carrying what was
believed to have been a handgun. A 17-year-old was
arrested for possession of a firearm after a loaded
semi-automatic pistol was found after a gang fight in Norbury
(south London).
-
A man was being held in a
psychiatric hospital after being found in Hereford having
sparked an alert when he disappeared with a loaded shotgun.
-
There were fears that guns were
present, though none was found or confirmed, in the following incidents, some of which sparked an armed
police response:
-
in a neighbourhood dispute in
Middlewood (Sheffield) which spiralled out of control
-
during an incident at a petrol
station in Runcorn (Cheshire) when a man tapped on a window
with a metallic object
-
when a group of youths believed
a man was pointing a shotgun at them in Hayling Island
(Hampshire) - the police discovered he had been waving a
walking stick
-
after police received a report
that there was a handgun and a car was pulled over in Bootle
(Merseyside)
-
following a report of a gunman holed up in
a flat in Paisley - a man agreed to give himself up
-
Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents in which
victims were 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 certainly so in the case of a car theft in Small
Heath (Birmingham) and robberies in Trumpington (Cambridgeshire)
and Loscoe (Derbyshire).
-
The following incidents involved
airguns:
-
It is thought that one was
used in an incident inside a block of flats in Northampton
in which several shots were fired - a man was arrested.
-
A woman who was being evicted
was arrested at a house in Launceston (Cornwall) amid concerns
that she had an air rifle.
-
A man was arrested following an
incident involving an airgun at Loch Venachar (Perthshire) -
he was charged with a number of firearms offences.
-
Armed police fled to a
supermarket in Wadebridge (Cornwall) when three gunshots were
heard - it has been speculated that the weapon could have been
an air rifle.
-
Police had to respond to an
incident in which two men were seen carrying air rifles at a
supermarket in Droitwich - they were shooting pigeons.
-
A man firing an air rifle at a
disused chemical site was arrested and charged with
having an air weapon in a public place.
-
A man arrested in
Lysted (Kent) was firing at a target without the farmer's
permission - he was released with a caution.
-
A teenager seen carrying a
gun in Paisley had a ball-bearing pistol. Two youths were arrested and an
imitation gun was recovered after reports of a suspected
gunman in Barry (South Glamorgan).
-
The following were damaged by
airguns or BB guns:
-
The window of a train
smashed at Pinhoe (Devon)
-
The window of a house in
Peterborough
-
Three windows at a community
hall in Watton (Norfolk)
-
A greenhouse in Leyland
(Lancashire)
-
Alarm was caused by a BB gun seen on the front seat of a car involved
in a fatal crash in Langley Park (County Durham).
-
Guns Finds - Guns were found and a number of arrests made during
searches in which drugs were recovered in Lympstone (Devon)
(imitation firearm), Liverpool (sawn-off
shotgun), Tranmere (Merseyside) (handgun and ammunition),
Fortis Green (north London), Plymouth (stun gun), Thorney
(Cambridgeshire) (two shotguns which had been stolen in
London), Beckton (east London) (imitation gun), and Edinburgh
(a 16-year-old has been charged).
-
Other firearms were recovered by
police from a pub in Northampton (handgun, stun gun, 22 live
rounds of ammunition), in a raid by Devon and Cornwall
Constabulary (ball bearing gun, stun gun), during an operation
investigating cash machine thefts
in Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) and Evesham (Worcestershire), and during an operation to
tackle gun crime in south Manchester (shotgun, two handguns).
-
A man from South Shields
(Tyneside) appeared in court after a stun gun was found at his
home and a baton in his taxi.
-
A sawn-off shotgun was found in
undergrowth by a dog
walker in Silverknowes (Edinburgh).
-
Gun pellets were among a number
of dangerous items found during a tidying up exercise in
woodland at East Court (Sussex). Dozens of blank cartridges were
found by a rambler close to a
munitions depot in Argyll.
-
Incidents Involving Animals - More cats were shot
with airguns in attacks in Aberdeenshire, Bristol, Cornwall,
Greater Manchester, Hull, Kent, Lancashire (two cats belonging
to the same family), Somerset, West Midlands, and Wiltshire.
-
A ferret found in Guyhirn
(Cambridgeshire) after being shot with an air weapon has
recovered.
-
There were a number of
reports of birds shot with airguns, ducks in North Creake
(Norfolk), gulls in Willingdon Trees and Bexhill-on-Sea (both
in East Sussex), and a moorhen at Earlswood Lakes (Surrey).
-
Convictions - Two men were found guilty of the murder of a
man who was shot dead with a shotgun in Clayton West (West
Yorkshire) - both were jailed for a minimum of 30
years.
-
A 16-year-old has admitted
manslaughter after he fatally shot another teenager whilst
"fooling around" with a loaded revolver at a house in Huyton
(Merseyside).
-
A man who shot a rival at a
mobile home site in Crowthorne (Berkshire) was convicted of
attempted murder. Another man who shot two men at a
nightclub in Balsall Heath (Birmingham) pleaded guilty to
attempted murder and firearms offences and was given a 16 year
sentence.
-
A man who fired a sawn-off
shotgun at a club in Pontefract (West Yorkshire) and hit a man
in the leg has been jailed indefinitely with a minimum of 4
years.
-
A man, who escaped from a prison
van when it was ambushed in London by armed men who shot the
driver, was found guilty of having a firearm with intent to
commit an indictable offence, possession of a firearm with
intent to cause fear or violence and wounding with intent to
resist lawful apprehension after a jury believed he was party
to the plan.
-
A man whose teenage stepson shot
himself in the head with a prohibited pistol he had been
allowed to play with at his home in Newport (Gwent) has
admitted child cruelty and possession of a prohibited firearm
- the boy recovered.
-
Three men who fired a shotgun
during a failed blackmail attempt at the home of a man in
Grimsby (Lincolnshire) have been convicted and jailed for
between 9 years and 10 years and 9 months.
-
A 17-year-old has pleaded guilty
to possessing a firearm while committing criminal damage and
possessing a prohibited weapon following an incident in Huyton
(Merseyside) in which shots were fired from a scrambler bike
and will serve a minimum of 5 years -
the gun had been used in six shootings in Merseyside.
-
An armed robber who held a gun
to a woman's head at a travel agents in Leeds and was armed
with a pistol when he was chased by police officers in a later
incident has been jailed for a minimum of nearly 9 years.
-
A man who brandished a handgun
during an altercation in a street in Abbeymead (Gloucester)
was jailed for 5 years.
-
An offender who pointed a loaded
rifle at a petrol station worker in Wakefield (West Yorkshire) pleaded guilty to attempted
robbery and possession of a firearm and has been jailed for 5
years.
-
A man involved in the gunpoint
robbery of a meat delivery van in Bradford has pleaded guilty
to being the "insider" - his two accomplices have not been
caught.
-
Two women involved with a gang
who threatened a man with a gun and robbed him at a house in
Harrow (north west London) were released from 18 months
sentences after being on remand.
-
A Lithuanian lorry driver has been
convicted of two counts of possessing firearms and one count
of possessing ammunition without a certificate after eight
handguns and ammunition were found in a lorry when it arrived
at the port of Dover (Kent) - he has been jailed for 8 years.
-
Others caught in possession of
firearms were:
-
A man involved in a drug
distribution plan who had a loaded Mac-10 sub-machine gun in his
children's bedroom in Friern Barnet (north London) and has
admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and possessing of a
firearm with intent to endanger life.
-
A man arrested at his home in
Welling (south east London) where police found a loaded
revolver and other weapons including a ball bearing gun
has been jailed for 5 years for possessing a firearm, 12
months for possessing ammunition and was also sentenced for a
drugs offence.
-
A man from Glusburn (North
Yorkshire) found in possession of a shotgun for which he had
no licence (an air rifle was also seized from his home)
who was fined £250 for possessing a shotgun without a licence.
-
A man from Castlebrae Rigg
(Edinburgh) who had a rucksack containing a sawn-off shotgun,
a pistol and four rounds of ammunition he claimed he found
while riding his motorcycle who admitted breaches of the
Firearms Act.
-
A man detained
indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after explosives and
a number of weapons including a sawn-off shotgun and a
revolver were found at his home in Blackwood (Mid Glamorgan).
-
Stun Guns - A man who threatened a homeowner
with a stun gun during one of six burglaries in north west
London has been handed an indefinite sentence and will serve
at least 5 years and 10 months. Two men who threatened
staff with a stun gun during some of eight robberies the
committed at shops in the East Midlands and the West Country
have each been jailed for 7 years.
-
A teenager from Ipswich
who pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation also
admitted possessing a stun gun and was sentenced to 90 days in
a young offenders' institute. A man found with a stun
gun and counterfeit money at his home in Foleshill (Coventry)
was jailed for 2 years.
-
Airguns and Imitation Guns
(Court Cases)
- The following cases followed incidents in which pellets were
fired at victims:
-
A student who admitted shooting three children with an air
rifle which he fired from his university accommodation in Wolverhampton
pleaded guilty to three counts of section 47 assault.
-
A man who fired an imitation gun at three men in St Ann's
(Nottingham) pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation
firearm and supplying cannabis.
-
A man who fired a ball bearing
gun in Peterlee (County Durham) and hit a couple admitted two
counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and was given an
18-month community order.
-
A 16-year-old who shot a
man at the railway station in Llanelli (Dyfed) with an air
rifle was given a
conditional discharge.
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A man who fired a BB gun and hit
two members of staff at a fast food restaurant in Broughton
(Flintshire) has admitted possessing an imitation firearm and
assault.
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A teenager who put a ball
bearing gun to the head of another teenager in Crayford (south
east London) has been convicted of causing GBH with intent,
affray and possession of a firearm or imitation firearm in a
public place, and another youth was found guilty of GBH and
affray.
-
There were a number of other
convictions for possession of an imitation gun:
-
A man armed who himself with a
gas-powered ball-bearing gun after he was attacked by a gang
in Levenshulme (Greater Manchester) has been jailed for a year
and his girlfriend, who hid the weapon, was given a 6-month
suspended sentence for assisting an offender.
-
A man who pointed an imitation
gun at another man in Redditch (Worcestershire) was jailed for 5
years.
-
A stand-in warden at a mobile
home site in Holbury (Hampshire) pointed a ball-bearing gun at
a visitor - he admitted the offence and was ordered to carry
out 40 hours unpaid work.
-
A man who produced a gun at a
hotel in Kendal (Cumbria) has pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation
gun in a public place.
-
A man who showed two women a
handgun-shaped cigarette lighter in Blackpool (Lancashire) has
been given 180 hours of unpaid community work after pleading
guilty to possession of an imitation firearm in public.
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A man from Hakin (Pembrokeshire) threatened to "sort out" his ex-wife and her new partner
whilst loading an imitation revolver in front of his mother -
a restraining order was made banning him from possessing a gun
of any description or ammunition of any type.
-
A man who held a ball-bearing
gun to the heads of a man and his daughter during an incident
at a house in Glyncoch (Mid Glamorgan) pleaded guilty to false
imprisonment and possessing an imitation firearm and a firearm
(air rifle) - he has been jailed for 6 years.
-
There were a number of
convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the
offender(s) was armed with an imitation firearm or air pistol. The
incidents occurred:
-
at Shops and Post
Offices in Blackburn (Lancashire) (a man was jailed for 5 years and
4 months after firing pellets from an imitation firearm),
Cowes (Isle of Wight) (two men pleaded guilty to robbery and
one of them to possessing an imitation firearm), and Carluke (South Lanarkshire) (a man who was armed with an air
pistol pleaded guilty to robbery and assault)
-
at Bookmakers in Liverpool (a
man has pleaded guilty to two robberies and admitted one
charge of possessing an imitation handgun during the second
raid), and Leeds (a man who was caught with an air pistol
admitted three charges of robbery and one of attempted robbery was
sentenced to 6 years in a young offenders' institution)
-
in a Street Robbery in Birmingham
(one of five youths who admitted robbery also admitted
possessing two imitation firearms; they were sentenced to
detention of between 2 and 4 years)
-
at a House in Catford (south east
London) (three men have been sentenced to 9 years and one to
12 years after a burglary in which they were armed with an
imitation firearm)
-
at a Petrol Station in
Nottingham (a man received an 8-year sentence for robbery and
firearms offences and two others received shorter custodial
sentences)
-
Three men caught with a powerful
air rifle whilst poaching in Lymington (Hampshire) have been
convicted - two of them who admitted affray both received
10-month suspended sentences and must complete 150 hours
unpaid work, and a third man will be sentenced later.
-
There are frequent instances of men
being caught in possession of air weapons when prohibited from owning firearms because of previous
offences. This
month they were:
-
a man from Grimsby
(Lincolnshire) who admitted possessing an air rifle
-
two men who stole an air rifle
in North Kelsey Moor (Lincolnshire) and were both banned from
possessing it who admitted theft from a vehicle and possessing
of the firearm and were ordered to complete 110 hours and 50
hours unpaid community work.
-
a man from Oakhurst (Swindon)
who was caught with an air rifle after being sentenced to
custody at a young offenders' institution.
-
a man from Galashiels who
pleaded guilty to being in possession of an air pistol
-
A man has been jailed for 14
months for stealing paintball equipment, including 160 guns,
from a firm in Kirkintilloch (East Dunbartonshire).
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