Gun Incident Review - August 2010

Gun Deaths and Injuries - There were two shooting incidents in August which resulted in fatalities. One man was shot in the head in a garden in Top Valley (Nottingham) and died at the scene (a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder). Another man, who was shot during a robbery at a house in Kensington (Liverpool), died of complications linked to gunshot wounds after collapsing four weeks later.
Two apparent suicides that occurred in July 2010 were also reported this month:
- A 16-year-old is believed to have shot himself in woods near Leafield (Oxfordshire)
- An opening inquest heard how a licensed shotgun owner shot himself in the head at his home in Gildersome (West Yorkshire)
Twenty-eight victims were shot, nearly half of them with airguns and imitation weapons (see below).
- County Durham (1) - a man sustained shotgun injuries in Bishop Auckland (two men have been charged with attempted murder and one faces additional charges)
- Essex (2) - two men received shotgun wounds in Basildon (Essex) (the men were arrested as was the man who drove them to hospital)
- Greater Manchester (2) - two men were shot in Wythenshawe, one in the knee the other in the shin
- London (4) - a teenager suffered several gunshot wounds in Hackney, and a man was shot on the doorstep of a house in Dagenham (two men were arrested) where two other men were hurt in a separate double shooting
- Merseyside (3) - two door staff at a pub in West Derby were shot in the legs, probably with a handgun, and a man was shot in the thigh in Page Moss (a 17-year-old has been arrested)
- Scotland (1) - a man was shot in the back in a bar in Hamilton (South Lanarkshire) (two men have been charged with attempted murder and other offences)
- Sussex (1) - a man was shot with a shotgun at the door of his home in Pound Hill (two men have been charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life)
- Tyneside (1) - a man was shot in the leg in Willington Quay where violence flared in a street (the victim was charged with a public order offence and three men have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder)
At least 13 other people, many of them children, were hit by pellets from BB guns or airguns:
- Cambridgeshire (1) - a teenage woman was apparently accidentally shot with an air rifle in a garden in Peterborough (another woman was arrested)
- Derbyshire (2) - an 11-year-old boy has been shot in the face in a park in Derby with a BB gun (a teenager was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm), and a man was shot in the bottom with an airgun pellet in Hadfield
- Lincolnshire (1) - a 2-year-old boy was shot in the neck with an air rifle at his home in Winthorpe (the boy's father was arrested and the police have said that all indications were that the shooting was an accident)
- London (1) - a PCSO was shot in the chest with a suspected airgun in Golders Green
- Oxfordshire (1) - a 13-year-old girl needed treatment after being shot in the eye with a BB gun in Barton
- Somerset (2) - two 11-year-old boys were shot with a BB pistol by a youth in Clevedon (several youths were spoken to by the police)
- Surrey (1) - a woman was shot with what was believed to be an air rifle on the balcony of her flat in Woking
- Wales (1) - a man was shot with an air rifle while he was playing golf in Penarth (South Glamorgan)
- West Midlands (1) - a bus driver was shot in the arm with a pellet gun as he was driving near Featherstone (he managed to control the vehicle and brought it to a stop) and a 12-year-old boy was injured when he was shot in the arm with an air rifle fired from a block of flats in Highgate
- Worcestershire (1) - a man was shot in the face with a BB gun by a car passenger in Redditch
A man has been arrested after an assault in Inverness believed to have involved a stun gun.

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks, Building Societies and Post Offices (6) in Boston Spa (West Yorkshire) (stun gun), Frodsham (Cheshire) (handgun), Coventry (handgun), Herongate (Essex) (plastic bag in shape of a gun), Lostwithiel (Cornwall) (shotgun), and Winchester (Hampshire), Bookmakers (8) in Widnes (Cheshire), Stroud (Gloucestershire), Acocks Green (Birmingham) (imitation firearm; a man has been charged), Luton (Bedfordshire) (handgun), Old Swan (Liverpool) (metal pipe made to look like a gun), Possilpark (Glasgow) (handgun), Barlanark (Glasgow) (police believe there was no actual firearm) and a third location in Glasgow, Petrol Stations (2) in Oakes (West Yorkshire) (the same man tried to rob two stores in Lockwood) and Shinfield (Berkshire) (imitation firearm; two men have been charged), Pubs (2) in Daybrook (Nottingham) (stun gun) and Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire) (handgun) and Shops (16) in Bath (handgun), Coventry, Huddersfield (two raids in Lockwood by the same gunman who also tried to rob a petrol station in Oakes), Bloxham (Oxfordshire), Blackburn (Lancashire), Darwen (Lancashire) (air rifle; a woman was arrested), Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire) (imitation firearm; four men have been charged), Radcliffe (Greater Manchester), Nether Heyford (Northamptonshire) (handguns), East Ardsley (West Yorkshire), Harringay (north London) (imitation firearm) (two teenagers have been charged), Watford (Hertfordshire) (imitation firearm; a man has been charged), Timperley (Greater Manchester) (handgun), Penkridge (Staffordshire) (a shot was fired), and Leigh (Greater Manchester) (handguns)
In raids on Houses a man was shot in the legs in Kensington (Liverpool) and died four weeks later (see above) (one man was arrested at the scene and charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition, robbery and wounding), in Dewsbury (West Yorkshire) a pensioner was threatened with a handgun and cash was stolen, two 18-year-olds have been charged with robbing a woman at her home in Grantham (Lincolnshire) where one of them produced a handgun and held the gun to the victim's head, and a man, possibly in possession of a firearm, was being sought after a robbery in Pembroke Dock (Pembrokeshire). It was reported that a woman was threatened with a gun during a robbery at her house in Streetly (West Midlands) in July 2010.
In Street robberies a man was threatened with a handgun in Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire) (imitation gun; four men were arrested) and a man tried to steal a woman's bag in a park in Solihull (West Midlands) (imitation weapon; a man has been arrested).
A Driver was robbed at gunpoint in Leeds after an accident between two cars (three men have been arrested), and a taxi driver was robbed at gunpoint in Ordsall (Greater Manchester) (pellet gun; two men have been charged)
A Security man was robbed by a man armed with a handgun in Chorleywood (Hertfordshire).

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- Bedfordshire - several shots were fired in a street in Luton and a house was hit
- Buckinghamshire - gunshots were fired outside a home in High Wycombe (a man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder)
- Cambridgeshire - a gun went off during a domestic row in Ramsey (a man was arrested), and a man fired a shotgun over the head of a 5-year-old traveller child in Swavesey (a man was arrested on firearms offences)
- Cornwall - police were called to a house in Liskeard after shots were heard (a man was later arrested near Taunton (Somerset))
- London - a gunshot was fired through a window in Stepney during a petrol bomb attack which followed an earlier argument outside the house, and a car was damaged when shots were fired in a street in Stoke Newington
- Merseyside - two men were seen firing a handgun in Kirkby
- Nottinghamshire - shots were fired in St Ann's (Nottingham) (a man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder)
- Scotland - shots were fired at a house in Govan (Glasgow) and there were reports of gunfire on an area of wasteland in Fauldhouse (West Lothian)
- South Yorkshire - a funeral service in Letwell had to be halted after shotgun pellets and fireworks were fired over the heads of mourners
- West Yorkshire - shots were fired in two incidents in Bradford which may be linked (two men have been arrested)
A police community support officer was threatened by a man with a gun in Stoke Newington (east London). A man has been accused of threatening a police officer with a gun in East Reading (Berkshire).
A woman was threatened with a firearm at a house in Westcliff (Essex) (three men were arrested after a stand-off with police)
A man was in custody after allegedly brandishing a gun in Bishopbriggs (East Dunbartonshire).
Two men were charged with possession of a firearm and other offences after they were stopped and checked by police officers on patrol in Harlow (Essex) and a shotgun seized.
A man was arrested following a siege after reports of a man with a shotgun at a house in Moulescoomb (Brighton).
It was reported that in July 2010 two teenagers had forced their way into a flat in Middleton (Greater Manchester) and demanded cannabis before leaving empty-handed.
A man from Great Bentley (Essex) has been charged with possession of a firearm without a certificate and another count of possessing ammunition without a certificate.
No firearm was found after two other incidents:
- Police stopped a vehicle in Sunderland after it had been stolen in Durham and it was believed that one man was armed with a gun
- A police search was conducted in Newport (Gwent) after reports that a man was carrying a firearm and acting suspiciously

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents which resulted in injury (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 at least nine robberies in Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire), Ordsall (Greater Manchester), Shinfield (Berkshire), Acocks Green (Birmingham), Darwen (Lancashire), Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire), Harringay (north London), Watford (Hertfordshire), Solihull (West Midlands).
An airgun has been fired at a plotholder at allotments in Leigh (Essex). In Plymouth a man narrowly missed being shot with an air rifle (a man was arrested).
An airgun pellet missed a motorist by inches as he drove near Tiverton (Devon). A bus was apparently shot at with a BB gun in Brighton.
Two teenagers were arrested and charged after they were found with an air rifle in Greenock (Renfrewshire).
There were further incidents involving imitation weapons which caused alarm:
- A Wild West re-enactment enthusiast was one of two men arrested after an incident in Skipton (North Yorkshire) in which a man was reported to be carrying a pistol in a front garden
- Two young boys were caught with BB guns in Chippenham (Wiltshire) after police received calls from concerned neighbours
- Armed police surrounded a block of flats in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) after paramedics who spotted a gun in one of the flats had raised the alarm - the weapon turned out to be a ball-bearing gun
- A man seen with a gun on board a train was taken off at Peterborough station where the weapon was found to be a BB gun - he was cautioned
- A 13-year-old caught firing a BB gun in the street in Jarrow (Tyneside) was spoken to by police officers and the gun handed over.
- A group of youngsters including an 11-year-old were arrested following a violent brawl in Preston (Lancashire) and a toy gun resembling a pump action shotgun was discovered in the area.
- Police were called to Marland (Greater Manchester) after residents reported gunshots and men in military fatigues - a local school was being used for paintball-style military games.
- Twin brothers who brandished a ball-bearing handgun while filming an advert in East Tulos (Aberdeen) were arrested but not charged
- A boy spotted with a BB gun in Cwm (Gwent) was apprehended and the weapon confiscated and destroyed.
Bus shelters have been damaged in Plympton, Plymstock, Leigham and Estover (Devon), probably by a BB gun fired from a moving vehicle
Windows of a building were smashed with an air rifle in Templeton (Pembrokeshire).

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were recovered in Diss (Norfolk) (imitation firearm), Rectory Farm (Northampton) (gas-powered pellet gun), Bradford (stun gun), west London (BB gun), Moss Side (Manchester), Platt Bridge (Greater Manchester) (rifle, shotgun) and Belle Vale (Liverpool) (gun parts). A man received a police caution after cannabis plants and rifle bullets were found in Butterknowle (County Durham).
Police from Lambeth (south London) recovered a handgun, a shotgun and a BB gun during a raid. A man was arrested after a shotgun, silencer and ammunition were found at his home in Whiston (Merseyside).
A double-barrelled shotgun was found in a bin bag in a wood by a member of the public in Stevenage (Hertfordshire).
Police recovered a substantial amount of stolen items, including two shotguns and a rifle with ammunition, and arrested a 15-year-old from Upper Caldecote (Bedfordshire).
A 16-year-old boy was arrested after police seized three blank-firing handguns during a series of raids in Fazakerley, Croxteth and Norris Green (Liverpool).
Guns were stolen from a house in Malmesbury (Wiltshire) (an air rifle with silencer and telescopic sights), a hotel in Preston (Devon) (two shotguns), homes in Walpole (Suffolk) (air rifle) and Carterton (Oxfordshire) (rifle), a gun store in Eaglesham (Renfrewshire) (shotgun, rifle), another hotel in Gleneagles (Perthshire (nine air rifles), and a school in Edinburgh (air rifle; this was among hundreds of items stolen from Lothian schools during the last two years).
A teenager was charged with possession of weapons after he was found with a stun gun disguised as a mobile phone in Peckham (south London).

Incidents Involving Animals - There were many more shootings involving animals and birds during August. Most of the weapons were airguns and the attacks took place across the country. The majority of the reports were of cats being injured, a number of them fatally.
Cats were shot with airguns in Clwyd (two separate attacks), County Durham, Dorset (three separate incidents), Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Renfrewshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Surrey, Tyneside and West Lothian. In Norfolk one cat is recovering after being shot with a shotgun but another cat died after being targeted with a rifle.
Two swans were rescued after they were shot probably with an airgun in Worcestershire and a young swan is recovering after being shot twice in the head in Fulford (North Yorkshire). It is thought that four other cygnets found dead in Wivenhoe (Essex) were also shot with an airgun. In Lancashire up to 20 ducks have been slaughtered with air rifles in Barnoldswick and three pet ducks died when they were shot in Broughton. A woman witnessed a bird being shot and killed in her garden in Sunbury (Surrey).
A man who shot a seagull with an air rifle in Devon pleaded guilty to killing a wild bird and was given a six-month conditional discharge.

Inquests - A coroner has concluded that a man found dead at a house in Breightmet (Greater Manchester) shot himself with a sawn-off shotgun - the gun had been stolen in a burglary in Bolton.
A young man shot himself dead with a licensed gun at his home in North Benfleet (Essex) after getting a text message from his girlfriend to say that her father wanted them to split up - a verdict of suicide was recorded.
A man used a wartime revolver to shoot himself in the head in Newhall (Derbyshire) - a coroner concluded that he killed himself while the balance of his mind was disturbed.
A teenager accused of stealing a few pounds from his grandparents took a shotgun from the farm he shared with them and drove to Cornwall where he shot himself - a verdict of suicide was recorded.

Convictions - Two men have been convicted of the murder of a pub landlord who was shot outside his bar in Bilton (West Midlands). A man who shot dead a student during a robbery in Longsight (Manchester) has admitted murder, robbery and possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition and will serve a minimum of 27 years.
A man who shot another man who had deliberately run down and killed his friend outside nightclub in Southwark (south London) has been convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Two men involved in an attack in a pub in Edinburgh during which a man was shot in the leg with a small handgun have admitted various offences.
A man who tried to kill himself with a sawn-off rifle in Llangollen (Denbighshire) has admitted perverting the course of justice by falsely claiming that he was shot by a stranger and possessing a prohibited weapon.
A man who opened fire on police officers in Southwark (south London) was found guilty of possessing a pistol with intent to endanger life: along with two other men he was also convicted of various other firearms offences involving a pistol and an imitation firearm and a 17-year-old youth admitted a related firearms charge.
A man who threatened his ex-partner and chased her in a car whilst armed with a shotgun until he was caught in Monmouth has been jailed for 4½ years after admitting possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Another man who waved a loaded converted blank-firing pistol in his girlfriend's face and threatened her at his flat in Bristol pleaded guilty of possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a certificate and false imprisonment and was jailed for 6 years.
Two men who were armed with decommissioned handguns when they carried out a robbery at a supermarket in Chichester (West Sussex) have admitted robbery and possessing a prohibited weapon and will serve a minimum of 4 years and 5½ years. A man has pleaded guilty to five counts of false imprisonment and one of attempted robbery after a family were tied up and robbed in their home in South Tottenham (north London). A man has been convicted of an aggravated burglary in Oakley (Bedfordshire) in which a couple were threatened with a gun while the house was searched - he must serve a minimum of 9 years.
Two men were found guilty and another pleaded guilty to various offences after they were caught in a van in Coventry with a robber's kit including a deactivated AK-47 and an illegally converted pistol.
The following were convicted for possessing firearms:
- A man who kept a semi-automatic pistol with a silencer and ammunition at his home in Pitsmoor (Sheffield) has been given a 5-year sentence.
- A man from Worksop (Nottingham) who admitted possession of a sawn-off shotgun has been jailed for 5 years.
- At a court in Luton (Bedfordshire) a woman who hid a gun for her ex-boyfriend has also been jailed for 5 years.
- A teenager who had a double-barrelled shotgun and ammunition at his home in Rawthorpe (West Yorkshire) has pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon and given a 2-year custodial sentence.
- Two 19-year-olds have pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a certificate after a pistol was found in a car in Wyken (West Midlands) - both were jailed for 5 years.
- A man who bought a pistol and 19 bullets from a man who came into his store in Darlington (County Durham) admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition without a licence as well as pleading guilty to having two stun guns and a pepper spray.
- A man found with a pump action rifle in his van after police were called to a domestic incident in Avonmouth (Bristol) has been jailed for 7½ years after pleading guilty to weapons and drug charges
A man who removed a gun and bullets from a crime scene in Rayleigh (Essex) where a man had been shot admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for 8 months.
A man has admitted a number of offences after he stole weapons from a gun shop in Christchurch (Dorset) and has been jailed for six years.
A man caught with a gun silencer in a hospital in Bradford admitted two offences of having an offensive weapon (he also had a knife) and has been jailed for 16 months.
A teenage shotgun certificate holder from Longtown (Cumbria) has been banned from possessing, using or carrying a firearm after he admitted assaulting another teenager.

Gun Factories - Two men have been found guilty of running a gun factory in Leyton (north east London) where the police found Olympic 38 starting pistols in the process of being converted and various other weapons - they were given 9- and 14-year sentences.

Stun Guns - Three men were sentenced to 4½ years for aggravated burglary at a home in Edmonton (north London) - one of them attacked a man with a stun gun.
A man who attacked a takeaway owner with a stun gun in Burslem (Staffordshire) has pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a prohibited weapon and been sentenced to two years in prison.
A man admitted drug charges and possessing a prohibited stun gun found in his bedroom in Bradley Stoke (Bristol) and was ordered to carry out 150 yours of unpaid work, a taxi driver from Tenby (Pembrokeshire) who kept a stun gun in his cab admitted possessing the weapon and was given a 12-month low level community order, and a man who had a stun gun at his flat in Carterton (Oxfordshire) admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and has been ordered to do 80 hours' unpaid work.

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A man who shot his partner in the leg with an air rifle at their home in Tamworth (Staffordshire) admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, criminal damage and a drug offence and has been jailed for 2 years.
A man who shot a 3-year-old boy in the chest with an air rifle at his home in Selkirk (Scottish Borders) has admitted culpable and reckless conduct and possessing a loaded weapon.
The following cases involved the use of airguns and imitation guns to threaten:
- A man convicted of murdering his girlfriend in Canterbury also admitted possessing a BB gun with intent to cause fear of violence - he had threatened people in a supermarket.
- A man who threatened to kill his mother when he was armed with an imitation handgun at their home in Mickleover (Derbyshire) has been jailed for 13 months.
- A man from Merefield (Nottingham) who threatened his ex-girlfriend with an imitation pistol has pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear and been sentenced to 4½ years.
- A teenager who was drunk when he rang 999 while brandishing a replica handgun outside his home in Sunderland and threatened to shoot police officers has admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent and been given a 12-month youth supervision order and 12 days of community work and a 3-month curfew.
- A teenager who threatened a police officer with an imitation handgun in Dewsbury (West Yorkshire) pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm and was sentenced to 4 years in a detention centre - two other boys pleaded guilty to related offences.
- A man who pointed an imitation sawn-off shotgun at a police officer in Kirkliston (Edinburgh) has been jailed for 8 months after admitting assaulting the officer by presenting an imitation firearm at him.
- A man who pointed a sawn-off shotgun at a girl in a road rage incident in Preston (Lancashire) pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm and has been given a suspended 12-month prison sentence and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work.
- A man who fired an air pistol in the air during a disturbance in a street in Darlington (County Durham) has pleaded guilty to affray and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
- A teenager who pulled out an air pistol on a man in Billingham (Teesside) admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and having an imitation firearm in public and was jailed for 16 months.
- A man who was seen brandishing an imitation gun in the street in Prenton (Merseyside) was jailed for 14 months for possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
- A man who made threats to kill himself outside his home in Scissett (West Yorkshire) has admitted possessing an imitation firearm in a public place.
A teenager from Portsmouth who conducted a 17-day crime spree was convicted of a number of offences including possession of an imitation firearm - he was sent to a young offenders' institute for 13 months.
A man found with an unloaded air rifle in a street in Wisbech (Cambridgeshire) has pleaded guilty to possessing the weapon with ammunition.
A man pleaded guilty to possessing drugs, several illegal air weapons and ammunition, as well as a stun gun, which were found at his home in Slough (Berkshire).
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 Leeds where an air rifle was fired during a robbery (a man has been jailed indefinitely and must serve a minimum of 2 years and 81 days), Tottenham (north London) where one of three teenagers was armed with an imitation revolver (one of the offenders has received a 3-year prison sentence), and Thornton Heath (south London) where a 14-year-old used a ball-bearing gun (he was found guilty of armed robbery and possession of an imitation firearm
- at a Bookmakers in Ayr where a toy gun was used (a man has been jailed for five years and eight months)
- at a Building Society in Cambridge (a hospital order was imposed on a man who threatened staff with an imitation firearm)
- at Homes in Old Trafford (Greater Manchester) with a blank-firing handgun (a man was jailed for 3 years after being found hiding in a back garden after a burglary), and in Sharples (Lancashire) where an imitation gun was left in the house (two men including the nephew of the victim have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 5 years and 4 months and 6 years and 8 months)
- at a Brothel in Wolverhampton where three men, one aged 16, threatened to shoot a woman whilst armed with an imitation firearm (two men were given 5 year custodial sentences and the other 4 years)
- in a Street robbery in Jesmond Dene (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) in which four teenagers robbed a man (three of them admitted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm and a fourth teenager was found guilty of the same charges)
- at a Railway Station in Lea Green (Merseyside) with a BB gun and knife (two 16-year-olds have been given a 12-month detention order and a third teenager an 18-month rehabilitation order)
- during a Vehicle theft in Anerley (south London) where a minicab driver was dragged from his car at gunpoint (a man was found guilty of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent and been jailed for 13 years)
- on a Bus in Bradford where a driver was threatened with an imitation weapon (a man has pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and having an imitation weapon and been jailed for 2½ years)
- on a Security Guard in Blackpool (Lancashire) where the victim was pushed to the floor (the man was jailed for this and another robbery for a total of 16 years)
A man with 78 convictions asked a friend in Charford (Worcestershire) to look after a package containing an imitation pistol and blank cartridges - he was given a suspended 26-week jail term and 12-months supervision. Another man who was banned from possessing firearms for life was caught with an air rifle and ammunition at his home in Headley Park (Bristol) - the magistrates agreed it was a technical breach and gave him a 6-month conditional discharge. A man from Dagenham (east London) found with an air rifle has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm against the conditions of his licence following his release from jail.
A teenager pleaded guilty to a number of offences including the theft of an air rifle which was stolen from an allotment shed in Chatburn (Lancashire).
An interim closure order has been granted on a property in Haverhill (Suffolk) which has been used as a crack house and where neighbours heard air rifle shots.