Gun Incident Summary - October 2009

Gun Deaths and Injuries - There were three fatal shooting incidents reported in October. Two of them were homicides, both of which occurred in London - the victims were killed in Tottenham and Clapton, and police are investigating whether the deaths are linked by gang rivalry.
A pensioner was found shot dead in Brighouse - his death was not being treated as suspicious.
Eleven other victims were injured in shooting attacks:
- Cheshire (1) - a man had to have a finger amputated after a shooting in Runcorn
- Greater Manchester (1) - a man was shot in both legs, probably with a shotgun, in Swinton
- Kent (1) - a man was shot in the stomach during a suspected road rage incident in Alkham
- London (5) - a man was in a critical condition after being shot in Feltham, and four teenagers were victims of other incidents in which one of six teenagers targeted in a drive-by shooting in Mitcham was hit in the leg (this incident probably occurred at the end of September), a 15-year-old boy sustained serious injuries in Clapham (a man has been questioned by police), another was seriously injured in Stockwell and a 16-year-old was shot in Kilburn
- Merseyside (2) - a teenager was shot in the shoulder in Dovecot (five people have been arrested), and a man was seriously injured in a shooting outside a pub in Kirkby
- West Midlands (1) - a man was shot in an apparent targetted attack in Longford near Coventry
A man was shot by police marksmen in Holloway (north London) after police were called following reports of gunshots.
A man was attacked with a stun gun and then stabbed in the neck at a property in Tottenham (north London).
At least 15 other people, including a disproportionate number of youngsters, were injured in shootings with BB guns and airguns:
- Cheshire - a man was shot in the eye with an air rifle pellet while he was walking near Knutsford
- Cumbria - a man was shot with a ball-bearing gun in a street in Carlisle
- Derbyshire - a 12-year-old boy was shot in the face with a BB gun by a group of youths in Ilkeston
- Devon - a youth was hit in the wrist when an air rifle sniper shot at him as he was driving in Plymouth
- Hertfordshire - a 12-year-old boy who arrived at a care centre in Hemel Hempstead had been shot in the head with an air rifle at a friends' house
- Lancashire - three police officers were hit by air rifle pellets fired by a teenager from his home in Heysham, and an 8-year-old was hit with a pellet from a BB gun in Blackburn (one 14-year-old boy has been fined and another given a Youth Referral Form)
- Scotland - a woman was allegedly shot in the face with an airgun in Montrose (Angus) (a man was arrested), and a 15-year-old girl has been partially blinded after she and a friend were shot with a BB gun in Dundee (a 13-year-old boy has been charged)
- Somerset - a taxi driver in Weston-super-Mare sustained an injury to his finger when he was hit by an airgun pellet
- West Midlands - a man was shot in the arm in a one of a number of shooting incidents in Bloxwich, probably involving an air rifle - other people including an 8-year-old girl were apparently targetted but the shots missed them (see also Airguns and Imitation Guns below)
- West Sussex - a man was shot in the back of the head with an airgun whilst walking in Worthing
A BB gun was one of three weapons brandished by a man who attacked a man outside a pub in Crumpsall (Manchester).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks, Building Societies and Post Offices in Redcar (Teesside) (a man was charged with attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm), Ouston (County Durham) (a handgun was used), South Croydon (south London) (handgun), Newbury Park (east London), Sketty (Swansea) (handgun), Foleshill (Coventry) and Plymouth (probably involving an airgun), a Bookmakers in Armley (West Yorkshire) (handgun), Cafes and Restaurants in Swindon (Wiltshire) and Edinburgh (handgun), a Club in Kirkby (Merseyside) (shotgun), Petrol Stations in Oxford (plastic gun) and Leicester, Shops in Wembley (north west London), Huntingdon (Cambridgeshire), Normanton (Derby), Longfield (south London) (toy gun), Selby (North Yorkshire) (one man has been charged), Wood Green (north London) and Worthing (West Sussex).
In an incident in West Hampstead (north west London) a man attempted to steal a moped and pointed a gun at its rider but the weapon failed to fire when he pulled the trigger - the man was arrested later along with a second suspect - three guns and a quantity of diamonds were recovered.
There were Carjackings in which guns were probably involved in Luton (Bedfordshire) (a man was arrested and two firearms recovered), Reddish (Greater Manchester) and from a petrol station near Thame (Oxfordshire) (four men have been arrested).
Money was stolen from a car in Cradley Heath (Birmingham) by two men with a shotgun.
A man had a gun held to his head during a robbery at a house in Houghton-le-Spring (Country Durham) by a gang armed with a sword, stun gun and shotgun.
A teenager was robbed of his phone and wallet in a street in Chippenham (Wiltshire) (two people have been arrested and charged with robbery and possession of an imitation firearm). A man is to be charged with possession of a shotgun with intent to cause fear of violence as well as other charges including robbing one woman of a handbag in St Albans (Hertfordshire).
A man who attempted to rob a woman in Maryhill (Glasgow) threatened her with a stun gun but fled empty-handed.
A number of arrests were made following earlier robberies:
- A suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of an imitation firearm following recent armed robberies in Brent and Harrow (north west London).
- Two men were arrested in Bromley (south London) and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and the unlawful possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.
- A man was charged with attempted robbery and possession of a firearm at a bookmakers in Newton-le-Willows (Merseyside) in September.
- Police have named a man in connection with a robbery at a games store in Jarrow (Tyneside) earlier this year in which staff were threatened with a shotgun.
A woman described a gunpoint robbery at her home in Colwyn Bay (Clwyd) and CCTV images were released from a robbery at a store in Trafford (Greater Manchester) involving two men with a handgun - both robberies took place in August.

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- A policeman had a gun held to his head after he chased and cornered a youth who had shot at him in Hackney (east London)
- A weapon, believed to be a shotgun, was fired at a bus in Bradford damaging windows
- Two youths in Mitcham (south London) fired shots from motor scooters smashing car windows
- A car was shot at in Toxteth (Liverpool) and was later found abandoned
- Two men were arrested, one on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, after a pistol was used to fire a blank in South Tyneside
- A motorcyclist fired a shotgun at a house in Salford (Greater Manchester)
- Shots were fired at a house in Brent (north west London)
- Two men and a woman were arrested in Bedford following reports of a shooting
- A man was arrested after unconfirmed reports of gunfire in Sutton Coldfield (West Midlands)
- A firearm is thought to have been discharged during a burglary in Frizinghall (Bradford)
- A group of men who began firing shotguns in a field in Epping (Essex) gave concern to local residents
- Shots were heard in the vicinity of a hospital in Bordesley Green (Birmingham)
A gang with a gun who made threats to kill someone in Cambridge were arrested after a police chase to Leicestershire.
A man has been transferred into the care of mental health professionals after he was seen wielding a handgun in Trottiscliffe (Kent).
A man has been reported to the procurator fiscal after a firearms incident on farmland in Aberdeenshire. A man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at a stately home near Cannock (Staffordshire).
Armed police swooped on a street in York after a youth was reported to have been seen pointing a shotgun at a member of the public - a youth was arrested but not charged.
A man has denied possessing a pistol without a certificate after the gun, ammunition and a silencer were discovered in an abandoned car in Far Cotton (Northampton). A teenager was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition after a loaded handgun was found in a car in Gorton (Greater Manchester).
A man from Minchinhampton (Gloucestershire) has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the possession of a number of firearms. A man has been charged with illegal possession of a sawn-off shotgun found alongside licensed firearms on a boat moored in Brixham (Devon). A man has pleaded not guilty to possessing an altered firearm after he was alleged to have had a sawn-off shotgun in Chiseldon (Wiltshire).
A man from Sowerby Bridge (West Yorkshire) has been charged after a stun gun was found at his house.
A gang of young men armed with paintball guns have been taking pot-shots at prostitutes in Leicester.
A 15-year-old has been arrested in Wandsworth (south London) for storing ammunition at home.

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 apparently the case in robberies in Redcar (Teesside), Brent and Harrow (north west London), Chippenham (Wiltshire), Longfield (south London), Plymouth and Oxford. Three men appeared in court charged with robbery after carjackings in the Black Country - one of the men denied three charges of possessing an imitation firearm.
Three teenage boys have been charged with possessing an imitation firearm in connection with an incident in which a boy was thrown into a skip in Birmingham.
Two men were arrested in Bilsborrow (Lancashire) after a man reported he was shot at with an air rifle. There were reports that an airgun had been fired at two men in separate incidents in Ivybridge (Devon) (an air weapon has been handed to police).
A man was arrested after firing an air rifle at a fence in a car park in Gloucester.
Five teenagers were arrested and an air rifle recovered after fears that a gunman was on the loose in Beeston (West Yorkshire).
A man was chased by armed police officers at Tottenham Court Road station (central London) after being seen with what is believed was a gas-powered pellet gun.
The following acts of vandalism involved airguns and BB guns:
- A pensioner in Leith fears a gang who have left him a prisoner in his home may have started firing airguns at his home, and a woman in Northampton has been left terrified after having the window of her living room shot at. A ball bearing gun has been fired through the window of a family home in Burbage (Leicestershire).
- A car was damaged in one of several shooting incidents in Bloxwich (West Midlands) believed to have involved an air rifle and in which at least one person was hit (see Gun Deaths and Injuries above). Parked cars were damaged by shots fired from an airgun in Leyland (Lancashire) (a man has been arrested). Four buses were damaged when an air rifle was fired at them in Basildon (Essex). Houses and cars were shot at with an air rifle in Ormsgill (Cumbria) (two teenagers were detained). Cars and businesses were damaged in Longridge (Lancashire) by youths with BB guns and catapults. A burger van window was shattered by a shot from an airgun or BB gun in Leigh Sinton (Worcestershire).
A man seen with a gun in a car park in Sittingbourne (Kent) was arrested for possession of an imitation firearm.
A woman was released without charge after police raided a house in York and found a suspected firearm, a ball-bearing gun - a man remained in custody.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating a video apparently featuring a police officer allowing himself to be shot with an air pistol.

Other Gun Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were also recovered in Dewsbury (West Yorkshire) (a stun gun), Lincoln (a high-powered airgun), South Elmsall (West Yorkshire (an air rifle), Devizes (an air rifle and an imitation handgun), Speke (Liverpool) (a handgun was found), Lowestoft (Suffolk) (a stun gun; a paintball gun), Bensham (Tyneside) (two blank-firing handguns), Surrey (stun gun).
A number of weapons were found during raids in London which targeted gang violence - two pistols were discovered in Tower Hamlets, and a shotgun, pistol and ammunition in Islington. In another find in Islington a firearm, stun gun and other weapons were recovered and a man wanted for armed robbery in Liverpool was arrested.
Another man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a section 1 firearm after a pistol was found under a patio in Hunslet (West Yorkshire).
Seven firearms and ammunition have been recovered from gardens in Old Swan and Kirkby (Merseyside) (one man has been charged and three other people were arrested). Two men and a woman were arrested after a shotgun was recovered from a house in Washington (County Durham).
An imitation gun was recovered by police investigating sex trafficking during an operation in Manor Park (east London).
Two ball-bearing guns found in a churchyard in Nafferton (West Yorkshire) were destroyed by police.
Air weapons and a BB gun were found during searches in the Swansea area and elsewhere in South Wales for a man who had escaped after being sentenced for a firearm offence.
A rifle was stolen from a house in Bedworth (Warwickshire) - armed police had surrounded the property after reports of a burglar with a gun.

Incidents Involving Animals - More animals and birds suffered as a result of shooting incidents reported during October, some of which were fatal. Cats and dogs were the victims of airgun and pellet gun attacks in Angus, Bedfordshire, Bradford, Derby, East London, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Morayshire, Norfolk, Northampton, Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire. A cat was shot with a shotgun in East Lothian.
Two stags were shot and killed with a high-powered rifle in Somerset.
Airguns were probably responsible for the death of a prize pigeon in Sandhurst (Berkshire) and a protected barn owl in Pershore (Worcestershire).
A swan rescued because of other injuries from a river in Cambridgeshire was found to have an airgun pellet in its chest.

Convictions - Three trials that followed fatal shootings were concluded in October:
- A 16-year-old was found guilty of murder after he set off a train of events which led to the death of a man in Shepherd's Bush (west London) - another man who was cleared of murder was jailed for 10 years for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life
- One man, aged 19, pleaded guilty and another was found guilty of the murder of a 15-year-old who was shot dead in a park in Derby
- A man was acquitted of manslaughter and two women of other charges relating to the fatal shooting of a woman in High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire) in 2004
One man has been jailed for 8 years for firing a gun during fights between two gangs in Sutton (south London) - police recovered a sawn-off shotgun.
A man who fired an illegal gas gun in King's Lynn (Norfolk) has been jailed for a month.
A number of men were convicted of offences relating to armed robberies and burglaries involving guns. The majority of the cases involved imitation firearms (see below). In the other cases:
- A man pleaded guilty and his brother was found guilty of an armed robbery at a post office in Briton Ferry (West Glamorgan) in which they were armed with a pistol and a sword
- A number of men have been sentenced during the last two months for a robbery outside a bank in Bradford when what looked like a handgun was pointed at a security guard - the sentences ranged from 3½ years to 14 years (some of the men had been involved in other raids)
- Another person has been jailed for participating in the £53 million robbery at a security depot in Tonbridge (Kent) in 2006 - he admitted conspiracy to kidnap and possessing a firearm and received an 18 year sentence
- Two men arrested in Southampton have been sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in jail for aggravated burglary and possessing a stun gun and a shotgun
There were a number of other convictions for possession of firearms:
- Three men have admitted conspiracy to possess firearms and explosives and drug offences during a trial in which a fourth man has denied the same charges - various firearms are alleged to have been found at the latter's flat in Bristol.
- A man who admitted possession of a shotgun and an explosive detonator, found during searches at properties in Dalton and Crosland Moor (West Yorkshire), has been jailed for 3 years and 9 months.
- A man from Stretford (Greater Manchester) was given a 5 year jail sentence after admitting possessing a self-loading pistol and ammunition.
- Another man, from Dyfatty (Swansea), who was also given a 5 year sentence for possessing a shotgun and breaching the terms of his licence absconded minutes later.
- Four men cleared of involvement in a shooting incident in Cambridge were, however, jailed for 15, 10, 3½ and 3½ years after being found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm - the two men who received the longer sentences were also guilty of drug offences.
- Another four men were jailed for between 5 and 10 years for supplying illegal drugs - during the operation which led to their conviction police found machine guns, shotguns, rifles, handguns and ammunition during raids on properties in Glasgow, Paisley and Clydebank.
- Three men have been found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after a pistol was found in a car in Burnage (Greater Manchester).
- A girl who was 16 at the time of the offence has pleaded guilty to possessing a pistol in her handbag in Brunswick (Manchester) - she was keeping the weapon for her 19-year-old boyfriend who has also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm.
- A man who had a pistol and cartridges in his car in Southend (Essex) has been jailed for 5 years after admitting a number of offences including possession of a firearm.
- A drug dealer from Baddeley Green (Stoke-on-Trent) has been given a 5 year sentence after a rifle and ammunition were found in his van.
- A man who was caught with a handgun in Parkhead (Glasgow) has been jailed for 5 years and 2 months after admitting three firearms charges.
- Another man caught with a handgun in Hermiston Gate (Edinburgh) has been given a life sentence.
- A 17-year-old was jailed for 3 years for possession of a shotgun found hidden in his home in Southampton.
A number of men have been sentenced for offences involving stun guns in:
- Aberdeen - a 16-year-old has been sent to a young offenders' institution for 2½ years after a stun gun attack which left the victim disfigured
- Chatteris (Cambridgeshire) - a man admitted possessing a stun gun, a knife and class C drugs at his home and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work
- Derby - a man was given a suspended 17-week prison sentence
- Inverness - a man was also found with drugs and has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of community service
- Musselburgh (Midlothian) - the offender was sentenced to 200 hours' community service after being caught with a stun gun
- Oxford - a 19-year-old has been banned from going out at weekends after he brandished a stun gun he found on the ground at two men
- Pontyclun (Mid Glamorgan) - a man found with a stun gun when police were called to a pub has received a suspended 26-week prison sentence
- Portmead (Swansea) - a man admitted possession of a prohibited weapon
- Winchester (Hampshire) - the offender broke into a flat and attacked the occupant, hitting him with a stun gun and has been jailed for 3½ years
- Wincham (Cheshire) - the offender was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for a year, after also admitting cultivation and possession of cannabis

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A teenager who wounded his ex-girlfriend with an air rifle, shooting her in the leg during an attack at his home in New Haw (Surrey), has been sent to a young offenders' institution for 2 years.
A man who admitted firing a BB gun at a 15-year-old girl in Milnathort (Kinross-shire), injuring her leg, has been ordered to pay compensation and to attend a 3-month rehabilitation course.
A man from Linlithgow (West Lothian) who threatened his ex-wife's husband with an imitation gun has pleaded guilty to breach of the peace and to breaching the Firearms Act and been jailed for nearly 3 years.
A man has admitted causing a 13-year-old to believe that an imitation firearm would be used against him in Aberdeen.
There were a number of convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offender was armed with an imitation firearm. The incidents occurred:
- at shops and post offices in the West Midlands - four men, including two teenagers, were given custodial sentences of between 4½ years and 6 years and 3 months
- during a mugging in Redditch (Worcestershire) when cash, drugs and a mobile phone were taken - a man was jailed for 2½ years
- during a robbery at a house - the offender from Welham Green (Hertfordshire) had his sentence reduced to 5 years on appeal
- during a street robbery in Haverhill (Suffolk) - the victim was aged 13, the gunman was an older teenager and was sent to a young offenders' institution for 2½ years, his accomplice was jailed for 3 years and 4 months
- during a string of robberies across Yorkshire including one on a taxi driver in Scarborough - the offender has had his sentence reduced to 8½ years but must remain on an "extended licence" for 5 years on release
- at a shop in South Shields - the robber has been jailed indefinitely and will serve a minimum of 5 years
- at a pharmacy in Ayr - the robber used his son's toy gun and has been jailed for 6 years
- at a shop in Portswood (Southampton) - two men were jailed for 3 and 4 years after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm with intent
- on a bus in Erdington (Birmingham) where three of four robberies and attempted robberies on teenagers were perpetrated by a man with an imitation firearm who was been jailed for 5½ years - the other robbery took place in Sutton Coldfield
- at bookmakers in north west London - two men were caught after an attempted robbery in Kingsbury and have been given 6 and 3 year sentences
- carjackings in the Black Country - one person has admitted his involvement in one of three robberies, two other men are still on trial
- during a hold-up near Silk Mills (Somerset) - a woman has been given a 24-month supervision order and required to undergo drug rehabilitation
A man who pointed an air rifle at door staff at a pub in Ealing (west London) was given a suspended 8-month jail sentence and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
A man who committed a burglary was found to have a spring-loaded air weapon in his caravan in Mile Cross (Norfolk) - he was jailed for two years and nine months.
A man who had an air rifle at his home in Sunderland whilst prohibited was given a suspended 36 week prison sentence with supervision and programme requirements.
A man from Neath who admitted drug offences pleaded guilty to unrelated firearms offences involving the unlawful possession of three airguns. A man caught with an airgun, cannabis and drug paraphernalia in a car in Sible Hedingham (Essex) has been given a suspended 16-week prison sentence for each of two offences.
A man caught with an air pistol in his van in Turnford (Hertfordshire) has been given a 12-month community order. A man from Lymm (Cheshire) who had an air pistol in his pocket as he stood outside another man's home with a chainsaw running was given 80 hours community service. Another man who pleaded guilty to having a loaded air weapon in a public place in Sprowston (Norfolk) was given a 12 months community order.
A man who showed off an air pistol at a party in Colchester (Essex) pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm in a public place and was given a suspended 28-week prison sentence and a supervision order.
A woman who disposed of an air rifle for her boyfriend after he brandished it in the street in Trowbridge (Wiltshire) was given a two year conditional discharge after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice - firearms charges against her boyfriend were dropped.
A man who walked into a police station in Southend (Essex) with a toy gun has been ordered to seek mental health treatment after pleading guilty to possession of an imitation weapon with intent. Another man who took a toy gun into a hospital in Whitehaven (Cumbria) admitted threatening behaviour and was conditionally discharged for 6 months.
A 14-year-old was cautioned after being caught with a replica gun in Ordsall (Greater Manchester). Another 14-year-old caught waving a BB gun in a street in Preston (Lancashire) has pleaded guilty.
A man has admitted possession of a BB gun in a public place and possession of an air rifle in Brynmawr (Gwent).