Gun Incident Summary

Gun Deaths and Injuries - Two shooting deaths were reported in June. The only apparent homicide occurred in Fulham (west London): the man's death may be linked to an earlier fatal shooting in London in May 2009.
A man's body was found with gunshot wounds in woodland in Winkfield (Berkshire), but there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances: the body was that of a man who had earlier disappeared from home with two of his shotguns.
There were a number of other shooting incidents in which victims sustained injuries, but these were fewer than in May. The incidents occurred in:
- County Durham (1) - a man was shot with a shotgun during one of two related incidents in South Moor (two men face charges of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger lives)
- Edinburgh (1) - a man was shot with a shotgun as he returned home from walking his dog
- Greater Manchester (2) - a man was shot in the stomach in Fallowfield and another victim was shot in the leg with a shotgun in Gorton
- London (2) - two people, one a teenage boy, were injured when a gunman armed with pistols opened fire in a restaurant in St John's Wood
- Merseyside (1) - a man was shot with a shotgun in a targeted attack in Croxteth (a 15-year-old has been accused of attempted kidnapping)
- West Midlands (2) - two people were injured in an incident in Aston
- West of Scotland (3) - a man was shot twice at a bus shelter in Renfrew, and a young woman and a teenage boy were both shot during an incident in the Tollcross area of Glasgow.
A man was accidentally shot with a shotgun while hunting rabbits in Lower Lyde (Herefordshire).
Another victim was hurt when he was hit with a gun during a robbery at a shop in Preston (Lancashire) (see below).
There were other victims who were shot with pellets from airguns and BB guns (see below).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies which were alleged to have involved guns at Bookmakers in Leeds and Kingsbury (north west London) (shots were fired at police during a subsequent chase and two men were arrested), a Fast Food Outlet in Paisley (Renfrewshire), a Pub in Worcester and at Shops in Tetbury (Gloucestershire) (where the alleged gunman was disturbed), Preston (Lancashire) (two robberies, in one an assistant was hit with the butt of a gun and in the other a shopkeeper was hurt grappling with a robber armed with an air rifle), Leeds and Leicester.
Two security guards were robbed of cash outside a bank in Airdrie (North Lanarkshire).
Two men armed with a black handgun carried out two robberies in Chorlton (Greater Manchester), one at a cashpoint when a gold necklace was stolen and one on a car driver from whom they stole a mobile phone. Two men armed with a sawn-off shotgun stole a holdall of cash from another car driver in Dewsbury (West Yorkshire).
A man took a police van at gunpoint in Peterborough and later hijacked another car - a man has been charged. Two men armed with a sawn-off shotgun and a hammer threatened a woman in Hale (Cheshire) and stole her car.
A man was hit on the head after five men broke into his house in Hilton (Shropshire) - the men left empty handed but a shot, probably from a shotgun, was fired. A man was robbed of cash and a mobile phone at his home in Walthamstow (north east London) by robbers armed with what was believed to be a handgun.
Three other incidents involving imitation guns are summarised below.

Other Incidents - A member of the public was shot at during an apparent abduction of another man in High Blantyre (Lanarkshire).
There were reports of shots being fired in a street in Lozells (Birmingham). A shot was fired at an empty wedding car in Skipton (North Yorkshire). Four men and two women were arrested following reports of a gunshot in Norwich.
A man threatened to shoot a woman police officer in Werneth (Greater Manchester).
A man has been charged after allegedly brandishing a shotgun at Great Witley (Worcestershire).

Airguns and Imitation Guns - There were more victims of shootings with airguns and BB guns:
- Two teenagers were hit with airgun pellets in separate incidents on the same street in Derby.
- A member of the public claimed he had been hit by an airgun pellet whilst walking in woods in Stroud (Gloucestershire).
- An 11-year-old boy from Darwen (Lancashire) was shot at point-blank range with a ball bearing gun and may have suffered permanent eye damage - the weapon had been bought by another boy's father the day before the incident.
- Two anglers were shot with airguns, one in Fornham St Martin (Suffolk) and the other in Bellshill (Lanarkshire).
- A teenage woman was awaiting surgery after being shot at a party in Doncaster (South Yorkshire) - her injury may have been from an airgun pellet.
- One man was shot in the face with a BB gun in one of a spate of incidents in Leigh-on-Sea and Southend (Essex) - five people were arrested (see below).
- A golfer was shot in the leg with an air rifle on a course in Aberdeen.
There were further incidents in which others were targeted but not hit by airgun and BB gun snipers:
- A boy in his garden in Harnham (Wiltshire) was shot at with a BB gun by an older boy.
- Two members of a cricket team in Hucknall (Nottinghamshire) were fired at with a BB gun.
- Residents of Old Town (Swindon, Wiltshire) reported being shot at by two young men, probably armed with an imitation firearm.
- A firefighter had to duck out of the way when a gang shot at him in Chadderton (Greater Manchester).
A number of arrests were made following other incidents involving air weapons and imitation guns:
- A man was arrested after reports that shots had been fired from a window of a home in Broomlands (Ayrshire) - an air rifle was allegedly recovered from the scene.
- A man was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, having an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and making threats to kill after a police officer was threatened in Wisbech (Cambridgeshire).
- A man was arrested following an incident at a house in Riverside (Cardiff) when armed police surrounded the house and an airgun was retrieved.
- A man was charged with possession of an air weapon with intent and various other offences following an altercation in Rugby.
- A teenager was arrested and charged with possessing an imitation firearm and having a loaded air weapon in a public place after armed police were called to a street in Chippenham (Wiltshire).
After violence erupted at the horse fair in Appleby (Cumbria) police seized 127 ball bearing guns.
Imitation guns were known to have been used in three robberies and attempted robberies:
- A man was arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm, believed to be a ball-bearing gun, after an incident in Whalley Range (Greater Manchester)
- A teenager appeared in court in Fleetwood (Lancashire) accused to using an imitation firearm to stage a robbery
- In Leigh-on-Sea (Essex) a mobile phone was stolen, in one of a spate of incidents in Leigh and Southend in which members of the public were threatened with a BB gun
An 11-year-old brought two ball-bearing guns into a school in Mirfield (West Yorkshire). Another boy was reprimanded after firing pellets from a BB gun in school toilets in Enfield (north London).
A woman is living in fear after a BB gun was fired at a window of her home in Consett (County Durham). Damage was caused when an airgun pellet was shot at one of the windows of the village hall in Paganhill (Gloucestershire). A man shot out the windows of a car with an air rifle in Southport (Merseyside). Three windows were shot out at a primary school in Aberdeen, and a window has been smashed with an airgun shot at a school in Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire).
Police in Rhoose (South Glamorgan) have issued reminders of firearms laws after people were seen to be carrying airguns in the area. Similar warnings were given by police in Wiltshire after reports of shots at Wellhead Drove and of air weapons being used in the area.

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - More guns were found during police drugs raids in Healey (West Yorkshire) (a ball-bearing gun was seized), Luton (Bedfordshire) (four people were arrested after a handgun and ammunition were recovered), Hartlepool (a man has been accused of possessing a stun gun), Middlesbrough (where a shotgun was found) and Cambridgeshire (at Buckden, Eaton Socon and Histon).
A gun was recovered during raids in Leeds and 35 people charged with various offences including firearms offences. Five guns were found during a series of raids in London as part of an operation targeted at suspected youth gang members.
An AK-47 rifle and ammunition were found by police at an empty property in Whalley Range (Greater Manchester).
Guns were stolen from a car in Dunton Bassett (Leicestershire) (an air rifle was taken) and a property in Little Lever (Greater Manchester) (two rifles and two shotguns were stolen).

Incidents Involving Animals - June was a particularly bad month for gun attacks on cats: GCN is aware of at least 25 incidents. There were airgun attacks on cats in Aberdeen, Berkshire, Cornwall (three attacks), County Durham, Cumbria (two cats shot in possibly linked incidents), Dorset, Edinburgh, Hertfordshire (three separate attacks), Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (two separate incidents), Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey and West Lothian. There were also three incidents of shotgun attacks, in Norfolk, Derby and Guisborough (Teesside).
Cats are not the only victims. A dog was shot twice with an air rifle in Bradford. A fox had to be put down after being shot with an airgun in Croydon and left to die
Birds were also targeted by airgun snipers. There were reports of gulls being shot in Inverness and Exmouth (Devon). A family of swans was killed, probably as a result of an airgun attack in Gateshead. Another swan was shot with an airgun in Sutton Stop (Warwickshire) but survived. Seven pigeons and a number of ducks have been shot in Stoke-on-Trent.

Convictions - Four men face life sentences for murder after fatal shootings, two for an attack in Streatham (south London), one for murdering a man in Wythenshawe (Greater Manchester) and one after being found guilty of fatally shooting a man in Limehouse (east London).
Four men were found guilty of various offences in relation to an incident in South Kirkby (West Yorkshire) in which a man was shot with a shotgun though they were found not guilty of attempted murder.
A man who fired shot from a revolver in a street in Normanton (Derby) has been jailed for seven years.
An army colour sergeant who threatened another soldier with a loaded AK-47 assault rifle in barracks in Camberley (Surrey) has been jailed for six years.
A man believed to be a collector of antique firearms is awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing firearms and ammunition without a licence after he shot up his own house in Walsall (West Midlands) whilst he was drunk.
Offenders have been found guilty or admitted possession of firearms during robberies:
- A man was sentenced to 10 years after a robbery at a bookmakers in Bletchley (Buckinghamshire).
- A man admitted 15 charges including robberies at a bookmakers in Hoole (Cheshire) and an off licence in Ormskirk (Lancashire).
- A teenager has admitted his involvement, with others, in an armed robbery in Shawlands (Glasgow).
A number of men from Greater Manchester, Leeds, Huddersfield and London were given lengthy sentences for possessing firearms and ammunition for their roles in the attempted trade in illegal guns. A man who ran an illegal ammunition factory in his house in Rochdale (Greater Manchester) has been jailed for three years.
A man who had a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition, as well as stolen goods, at his home in Cambridge has been given a two year jail sentence. A man from Sandyhills (Glasgow) who armed himself with a handgun and 28 rounds of ammunition has been jailed for five years and three months. A man caught with a sawn-off shotgun and cartridges at his workshop in Halifax (West Yorkshire) has admitted possessing a firearm and been jailed for five years.
There were convictions for a number of men for possession of stun guns:
- A drug dealer from Edgbaston who had one at home was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
- A shopkeeper from Willington (County Durham) who kept one in his shop was given a one-year suspended jail sentence and a curfew order.
- A man from Norwich who bought one on an online auction site admitted possessing the weapon and other offences was given a suspended 80-day jail sentence.
- A man from Duns (Berwickshire) who ordered a stun gun and pepper spray from Germany admitted contravening the firearms act.
- Another man from Edinburgh who ordered three stun guns from the US pleaded guilty to buying prohibited weapons and was ordered to server 150 days of an unexpired sentence and had another 32 months added.

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A man whose 18-month-old son was fatally injured by a shot from his airgun fired by another child in his garden in Washwood Heath (Birmingham) has pleaded guilty to causing the death of his son and been given a conditional discharge.
A teenager who shot and injured a boy on a moped in Colchester (Essex) has admitted charges of actual bodily harm and possessing a firearm with the threat to cause violence and criminal damage has been sent to a young offenders' institution for nine months.
A man from Sutton (Nottinghamshire) has pleaded guilty to having an air rifle with intent to cause another to believe violence would be used against a third person at his workplace - sentencing was deferred. Another man who threatened two teenagers with a loaded air pistol in Huntingdon (Cambridgeshire) has admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to endanger and was given an Asbo and a suspended custodial sentence.
There was further evidence that imitation guns are being used during robberies. Convictions followed robberies and attempted robberies in:
- Birmingham - a man, one of three who robbed a jewellers, has been sentenced to six years for robbery and nine years for possessing an imitation firearm.
- Tyneside - a man who pointed a ball-bearing gun at the head of a man during a raid on a bookmakers in Wrekenton has been jailed for five years.
- Oxfordshire - a man who carried out raids on a home in Beckley, a petrol station in Marston and a store in Wheatley and threatened his victims with an imitation firearm has received a six-and-a-half year jail sentence.
- Wiltshire - a teenager who was drunk (see below) when he tried to rob a store in Staverton whilst armed with an air pistol has admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
- Cardiff - a man has been jailed for five years for a robbery in which he said he had used a replica weapon
A teenager from Earlswood (Surrey) who fired an air rifle out of his window could face custody - he was found guilty of breaching his ASBO.
An ex-prison officer from Ripley Castle (North Yorkshire) carried out a number of offences against a woman he met whilst she was a prisoner, including holding an air rifle to her face and threatening to shoot her, and has been given a suspended 16-month prison sentence.
A man caught with a ball-bearing gun and a knife after he had been seen abusing a newsvendor in Newcastle upon Tyne has been given a suspended 8-week prison sentence and an electronic curfew.
A man who kept a banned firearm (a converted air rifle) hidden in an outbuilding at his home in Spalding (Lincolnshire) was given a suspended 51 week prison sentence and given a community punishment.
The ease of availability of airguns increases the likelihood of their misuse, especially by those who have been drinking. A number of those convicted of airgun offences in June were drunk at the time of the offence and included:
- a man caught wearing camouflage clothing and aiming an unloaded air rifle at a pub in Merry Hill (Wolverhampton) and has been given a six month suspended jail sentence
- a man from Sheffield who carried out a racist attack at a friend's house and was jailed for three years and eight months
- a man who fired air rifle pellets into the wall, floor and sofa of the home he shares with his girlfriend and daughter in Darlington - he was given a 9-month suspended sentence)
- a man who pointed an air rifle in a car park in Haverhill (Suffolk) - he has been warned he could face a jail sentence
- a teenager who pointed an air rifle at a police officer in Caerphilly pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and was given an 18 months sentence in a young offenders' institution
A man who waved a BB gun around a filling station in Minster (Kent) accepted a caution for possessing an imitation firearm in a public place following an armed police hunt.
A man from Pinner (north west London) accused of threatening an escort with a plastic handgun was found not guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear still faces a charge of affray.