Gun Incident Summary - November 2009

Gun Deaths and Injuries - There were two fatal shooting incidents during November. Both victims were male, one shot dead in a street in Kennington (south London) and the other at a nightclub in Bilston (West Midlands) (another person was shot and injured, three men have been held in connection with this murder).
Fifteen other victims were injured in shooting attacks in:
- Greater Manchester (1) - a man was shot four times in the legs in an attack at a house in Bury (four men have been arrested)
- London (3) - two people, one aged 15, were injured in separate shootings in De Beauvoir, and a man was shot when his motorbike was stolen at his home in Kingsbury
- Merseyside (3) - a man was shot in the back in Fazakerley, another victim was shot in the leg in Tuebrook, and a man was injured in a shotgun attack in Belle Vale
- Nottinghamshire (2) - a man was shot in the leg in Rise Park, and another received injuries to his legs, buttocks and lower back in a probable shotgun attack in Highbury Vale
- Scotland (1) - a man was shot in the leg in a drive-by shooting in Uplawmoor (East Renfrewshire)
- South Yorkshire (1) - a man was shot in the head in Wombwell (eight people were arrested and bailed and one man has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent)
- West Midlands (1) - a man was shot and injured in the double shooting in Bilston which resulted in one fatality (see above)
- West Yorkshire (3) - three men were shot in two separate incidents in Bradford, one at a nightclub involving a shotgun (one man has been arrested) and the other outside a curry house
A man armed with a BB gun was injured in the arm when he was shot by a police marksman in a supermarket in Canterbury (Kent) - he has since been charged with the murder of a woman who was found strangled and with possessing a gun with intent to cause fear of violence.
Two men were injured during an organised shoot near Dunning (Perthshire) when a shotgun was accidentally discharged.
At least Seven other people, including three teenagers, were injured in shootings with BB guns or airguns:
- Cambridgeshire - a man was shot with an air rifle whilst walking along a street in Easton Socon
- Gloucestershire - a 13-year-old boy was shot twice in Cheltenham with a BB gun (two other teenagers were arrested)
- Merseyside - a man was shot in the stomach with an air pistol in Southport
- Norfolk - an elderly woman was shot in the head with an airgun at a car boot sale at Costessey - two men, believed to be a stallholder and a would-be purchaser, were arrested
- Somerset - a 13-year-old boy was hit in the leg with what was believed to be a BB gun pellet in Clevedon
- South Yorkshire - a taxi driver was shot with an airgun in his cab in Highfield (Sheffield)
- Wales - an 18-year-old girl was shot with a pellet gun on a fairground ride in Llan Ffestiniog (Gwynedd)
A man from Invergowrie (Angus) has appeared in court to face allegations that he repeatedly shot his wife and two children with a BB gun over a period of three years.

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - As Gun Control Network has frequently highlighted many of the weapons used in these crimes are likely to be imitations, as is often apparent from the subsequent charges (see below). Although many weapons are described as handguns this can be solely on the basis of their appearance and many of them will be a blank-firing pistols, a BB guns or air pistols.
There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at an Amusement Arcade in Walton (Essex) (two men were armed with a shotgun); Banks and Post Offices in Southport (Merseyside) (a man has admitted this robbery, in which an imitation firearm was used, and a number of other robberies at banks from nine years ago), Tring (Hertfordshire) (toy gun), Preston (Lancashire) (handgun), Uddingston (North Lanarkshire) and Manningham (Bradford) (handgun); Bookmakers in Woodside (Glasgow), Gossops Green (Sussex) (imitation revolver), Northampton (shotgun), Bradford (handgun), Worthing (West Sussex) (pistol), Blakenhall (West Midlands) (revolver) and Slough (Berkshire); Offices in Burnage (Manchester) and Gloucester; Pubs and Restaurants in Brixton and Clapham (south London) (the raids are believed to be linked), Gravesend (Kent) (handgun), Braintree (Essex) (handgun) and Liverpool; Shops in Bishop's Cleeve (Gloucestershire), Hamilton (Lanarkshire) (one man might have been responsible for two robberies), Lockwood (West Yorkshire) (a 15-year-old has been arrested), Fairweather Green (Bradford) (handgun), Tooting and Streatham (both in south London), Lees (Greater Manchester) (handgun) and Westy (Cheshire) (handgun); a Travel Agents in Muswell Hill (north London).
In two House Robberies in Greater Manchester four masked men armed with a stun gun, knife and axe stole items from a home in Blackley and another gang handcuffed and threatened a couple in Salford (eight people have been arrested).
A Security Man was robbed of a cash box at gunpoint in Stanford-le-Hope (Essex)
A gunman stole a Motorbike at the home of its owner in Kingsbury (north west London) - the victim was shot in the leg (see above).
A Van was stopped near Heathrow Airport (London) and stolen by a gang of armed robbers armed with a stun gun - the van was found abandoned and its contents taken.
In two Street Robberies, a man had his laptop stolen by a man armed with a ball-bearing gun at a bus stop in Long Eaton (Derbyshire), and a couple were robbed at gunpoint whilst walking to a dance class in Quarry Bank (West Midlands).

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- Bristol - two shots were fired from a shotgun during a raid on a building in Bishopsworth (Bristol) (a man was arrested)
- County Durham - shots were fired at a house and a car with a shotgun in Consett (two men have been arrested)
- Lincolnshire - a firearm was discharged during an armed break-in in Grimsby (four men have been charged with aggravated burglary and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life)
- Merseyside - windows of a house were shot out in West Derby, shots were fired in a street in Huyton (a man has been charged with possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition), homes were shot at in Page Moss, and a car was damaged by shots fired from another vehicle at a busy road junction
- London - shots were fired at a shop in Finsbury Park, a café in Holloway, outside a pub in Hackney, and from a car in Lower Clapton
- Shropshire - a firearm was discharged during an incident in Hollinswood (Telford) (three men were being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder)
A man has been accused of possessing a shotgun at his home in Weston-super-Mare, with intent to cause a debt collector violence.
A youth pointed a handgun at an 11-year-old boy in Southsea (Hampshire). Two men were arrested in Bideford (Devon) after police received reports that two men had been threatened with a gun.
A man has been charged with possession of an illegal firearm after a gun was thrown from a car in Scarisbrick (Merseyside).
A man from Blackwood (Gwent) has been charged with possessing an improvised muzzle-loading gun as well as explosive materials and a terrorist document.
There were also incidents in which a gun was reported but no weapon found:
- A college in Enfield (north London) was evacuated and five people arrested after a student was reported to have a gun
- A man was arrested after armed police surrounded a flat in Ross-on-Wye (Herefordshire)
- A gun is alleged to have been produced during a brawl at an amateur football match in Speke (Liverpool)
- A man who claimed to have firearms was arrested at a house in Millfield (Peterborough)
A stun gun was found at the scene of a disturbance in East Ham (east London).

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents which resulted in injury (see above) there were further incidents involving airguns and imitation weapons. As noted above they were probably used in many of the armed robberies, and this was certainly so for those reported from Southport (Merseyside), Long Eaton (Derbyshire) and Gossops Green (Sussex). Four men have been charged with conspiracy to rob, possession of an imitation firearm in a public place, possession of a prohibited weapon (a stun gun) and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence after an incident in Hadleigh (Essex). A man was charged with two counts of having an imitation firearm with intention to commit crime following robberies at a petrol station and bookmakers in Bedford in October.
Guns were fired at vehicles in the following incidents:
- a car was peppered with air weapon pellets in Ulverston (Cumbria)
- a number of vehicles were targeted around Haughley (Suffolk) with a paintball gun
- a bus was hit and three windows shattered in Lincoln when it was attacked with a gas-powered BB gun
- a taxi was shot with an air rifle as the driver dropped off a fare in Stannington (Sheffield)
The following were damaged probably by shots fired from airguns:
- a pub window in Eye (Cambridgeshire) - there has been other damage in the locality
- a window at a pensioner's house in Oldham (Lancashire)
- windows at a library in Winsford (Cheshire)
- windows and outside lights in Rastrick (West Yorkshire)
Two people were threatened with a gun, reported to have been an airgun, at their home in Hatfield (Hertfordshire) (a man has been arrested). A man from Milford Haven (Pembrokeshire) has been charged with possession of an imitation firearm - he is alleged to have assaulted a woman and caused her to believe that unlawful violence would be used against another.
It has been reported that youths have used a ball-bearing gun to fire at younger children in Wyke (West Yorkshire). A group of youths threatened to shoot an ambulance crew with BB guns whilst they were responding to a call in Bolton (Lancashire).
A man armed with an air rifle chased youths who were throwing eggs at passing cars in Stourport (Worcestershire). A man brandishing a suspected imitation firearm chased another man through streets in Stamford Hill (north London).
Two men were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an imitation firearm after they were allegedly seen with a gun in Leeds. A man was charged with possession of an imitation firearm after being seen with a handgun in Grantham (Lincolnshire).
One of two men arrested following a shotgun attack in Consett (County Durham) (see above) has been charged with two other offences after an air weapon was found at his home.

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were also recovered in Kearsley (Lancashire) (a sawn-off shotgun and a handgun) (a man and a woman were arrested), Pennywell and South Hylton (Sunderland) (two air weapons) (two women and a man were arrested), West Norfolk (a man was charged with possession of a shotgun without a licence), Warrington (Cheshire) (a stun gun), various addresses in Lancashire (imitation firearm), Halton Moor (Leeds) (a number of air weapons and shotgun cartridges), Manningham (Bradford) (a handgun), and various addresses on Merseyside (a shotgun).
Merseyside Police reported recovering 8 handguns, 5 shotguns and 1 rifle plus many rounds of ammunition during the last month in Norris Green, Croxteth and Huyton. A gun was among items confiscated by police investigating counterfeiting at a market in Hull. A decommission AK47 rifle was found by police during raids in Bradford (a man was arrested).
Customs officials found eight handguns and 200 rounds of ammunition in a lorry arriving at Dover (Kent) (a man has been charged with attempted smuggling).
A gun and ammunition were discovered by a member of the public in Knightswood (Glasgow).
There were thefts of guns reported from Annan (Dumfriesshire) (shotguns and ammunition), Hayling Island (Hampshire) (a replica assault rifle), Hadlow Down (Sussex) (2 shotguns, 2 air rifles), Streatham (south London) (a licensed shotgun was taken after its owner left it on his garden wall and was not aware of its loss for 7 hours), Penarth (South Glamorgan) (an air rifle), and Beechingstoke (Wiltshire) (a shotgun).
A man has been accused of stealing shotguns and other items from a property in Chesterfield (Derbyshire) earlier this year.

Incidents Involving Animals - More cats were the target of airgun attacks reported during November. These occurred in Bristol (two cats have been shot), Cheshire, County Durham, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, Essex, Herefordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Nottingham, Plymouth, and Surrey. Another cat from Walsall (West Midlands) was shot twice with a pellet gun.
Two swans died after being shot with airgun pellets at a country park in Sunderland and another swan was shot dead at a nature reserve at Beighton Marsh (Sheffield).
Two men could be facing jail for shooting nine protected kittiwakes with an air rifle at Marsden (Tyne & Wear) - they pleaded guilty to the intentional killing of wild birds.

Convictions - A man was given a minimum twenty year sentence after being found guilty of murdering a woman in Bury St Edmonds (Suffolk) by shooting her with a bolt gun. Bolt guns are used for the routine stunning of livestock and are no longer subject to firearms legislation. The offender worked in a slaughterhouse.
A man convicted of a fatal shooting in East Ham in 2001 will serve a minimum of 33 years.
Two men, one a teenager, whose victim was shot four times in Wolverhampton, were found guilty of attempted murder (sentencing was adjourned).
Two teenagers were sent to a young offenders' institute for 4½ and 3½ years for being part of a gang who attacked and shot a man in Croxteth (Liverpool).
A man who injured two people with a reactivated pistol in a shooting in Huddersfield (West Yorkshire) has admitted two offences of unlawful wounding and possessing a gun and ammunition with intent to cause fear of violence and has been told he will face many years behind bars.
A father and son have pleaded guilty to conspiring to kidnap after they took a woman and her child hostage for 24 hours - they were reported to have been armed with a handgun and at least two shotguns when they broke into the victims' house in Skipton (North Yorkshire).
A man has pleaded guilty to an armed robbery at a service station in St Albans (Hertfordshire) in which he used a gun. Two men who committed a string of robberies including one on a bookmakers in Gipsy Hill (south London) in which staff believed they had a gun have been jailed for 11 years and 10 years 6 months.
A gang of men have been convicted of drug and firearms offences - an arsenal of weapons had been found at a flat belonging to one of them in Highridge Green (Bristol).
A teenager caught with a firearm and ammunition whilst dealing drugs in Stonebridge Estate (north west London) has been found guilty of firearms and drug offences. A man from Hayling Island (Hampshire) found with a gun, CS gas and cocaine has been jailed for six years for various drug offences and two counts of possession of a firearm.
A man caught with a loaded gun at a railway station in Abbey Wood (south east London) was found guilty of possessing a firearm with ammunition with intent to endanger life and jailed for 9 years.
A man from north west London who persuaded a woman to stash two loaded guns failed in his appeal to reduce his 7 year sentence for possession of a prohibited firearm and two counts of possessing ammunition without a certificate.
A man who tried to sell a loaded gun which looked like a pen in Rusholme (Greater Manchester) pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition and was jailed for 5 years. Two men seen to exchange a bag containing a gun in Small Heath (Birmingham) were jailed for 6½ and 6 years after pleading guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon, a silencer and ammunition.
A man who manufactured homemade guns and made and stockpiled nail and ball bearing bombs at his home in Batley (West Yorkshire) has admitted a number of offences including three counts of manufacturing prohibited weapons, four counts of possession of prohibited weapons and one of possession of ammunition without certificate - he is awaiting sentence.
A man was jailed for 4½ years after being found guilty of possessing an illegal gun at his home in High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire). Two men, one aged 17, who held guns for a drugs gang in Kensington (Liverpool) were given 8 and 3 year sentences. An ex-police officer from Pocklington (East Yorkshire) has admitted conspiracy to launder money and possession of a weapon (a semi-automatic pistol) and ammunition.
A man who had a rifle without a certificate at his home in Bristol and had tried to purchase a stun gun from the USA has been given an 8 month sentence and a 150 hour community work order.
A number of men have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing for offences involving shotguns:
- Two men involved with a gang who raided a bank in Wigan (Lancashire) in which the raiders were armed with shotguns have been jailed.
- A man who threatened a shopkeeper in Gateshead (Tyneside) with a sawn-off shotgun during an attempted robbery has been found guilty.
- A teenager who shot at parked vehicles in Lostwithiel (Cornwall) with a shotgun has been sent to a young offenders' institution for 16 months.
- Two men have been jailed for 15 and 12 years for a robbery at the home of a couple in Rugby and possession of a firearm.
- A man found with a shotgun hidden in a wardrobe at his parents' home in Wigan (Lancashire) has been jailed for 2 years.
- A man from Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire) who was caught in a police drugs operation has been jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to a drug offences and possessing a shotgun without a certificate.
- A man has admitted possessing a pump action, smooth bore shotgun with a short barrel found on a boat in anchored at Brixham (Devon).
- A man admitted possessing a shotgun without a licence and drugs offences after a raid in Middlesbrough.
- A man from Leeds who admitted a number of offences including selling a shotgun has been jailed for 8 years.
- A man who was jailed for 5 years after a shotgun had been found in his bedsit in Penrith (Cumbria) has failed to have his sentence cut on appeal.
- A man found with a broken down shotgun and revolver at his home in St Ann's (Nottingham) was jailed for 5 years for drug offences and storing firearms.
- An ex-soldier who found a sawn-off shotgun in a bin liner in his garden in Merstham (Surrey) and then handed it to the police was found guilty of possessing a firearm - the jury was told that his apparently honest intent was irrelevant.
- A man who stole shotguns from a house in Shefford (Bedfordshire) pleaded guilty to two burglaries and asked for 14 similar offences to be taken into consideration and was jailed for a total of 4 years and 9 months.
A man who threatened to get a shotgun and shoot people in Harleston (Norfolk) has admitted threatening behaviour and other offences including handling a stolen air rifle and been given a suspended 12 month prison sentence and a 12 month supervision order. A man who threatened to buy a gun and shoot three members of the community council in Selkirk has been jailed for 16 months for breach of the peace.
A man who twice broke into the same house in Willersley (Herefordshire) and stole ammunition and an antique gun has been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay compensation to the owner.
The following cases involved stun guns:
- A man from Torquay has pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon (a non-working stun gun in the form of a torch) and possessing drugs and was given a 12-month community order
- A man and a woman were given 5½ years in jail and a 12 month suspended sentence for drug offences and possessing a prohibited weapon at their home in Hartlepool
- A woman found with drugs and a stun gun at her home in Clayton-le-Moors (Lancashire) has been jailed for four years

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A man who admitted possessing an air rifle with intent to cause fear of violence after he pointed it at two men in Grimsby was jailed for 70 weeks.
Two men who wielded an imitation firearm to help kidnap a student in Loughborough (Leicestershire) has failed to have their sentences of 11 and 11½ years reduced on appeal.
A man who brandished a blank-firing revolver in a nightclub in Southport (Merseyside) was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment after pleading guilty. Another offender who brandished a replica gun at a fast food outlet in St Budeaux (Plymouth) has been banned from every takeaway in the city and put under curfew.
A man has admitted affray and possession of a firearm without a certificate after an incident in Blyth (Nottinghamshire) following which the police found four air weapons which needed certificates at the man's home in Harworth - he was given a suspended 6 month prison sentence.
A man seen with an air rifle when he barricaded himself inside his home in Blackpool (Lancashire) has admitted affray and given a suspended 8 month prison sentence and 18 months supervision.
A man who confronted two youths with an airsoft replica rifle in a street in Blackhall (Edinburgh) has admitted having a firearm in his possession and been fined £367. A teenager was found guilty of two counts of ABH following incidents at a camp near Strangways (Wiltshire) in which a replica assault rifle was fired and two other teenagers were shot, although the jury failed to reach a verdict on a firearms charge - he was jailed for 2½ years.
A teenager from Scarborough (North Yorkshire) who sold an imitation firearm to undercover police and explained how to modify it to fire live ammunition has been sent to a young offenders' institution for 8 months.
A man jailed for 10 years and 8 months for blackmail, possession of an imitation firearm and possession of a heroin with intent to supply who went to his victim's home in Whitehaven (Cumbria) with a gun has failed to have his sentence reduced.
There were a number of convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offenders were armed with imitation firearms, including airguns:
- A man was jailed for 9 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm with intent after carrying out a string of robberies in Dorset and Surrey
- Banks - a man was jailed for 7 years and 9 months after attempting to rob a bank in Redcar (Teesside) whilst armed with a toy handgun; another man who carried out a robbery at a bank in Southport (Merseyside) armed with an imitation firearm has also admitted a number of previous robberies and attempted robberies at banks
- Bookmakers - a man found to have an air pistol and a gas-powered ball bearing gun has admitted robbery at a bookies in Leeds and possessing an imitation handgun and been jailed for 4 years; a man was jailed for 6 years after holding up a bookmakers in Cambridge with an imitation pistol
- Shops and Post Offices - a man who was armed with a BB gun has been jailed for 2 years for a robbery in Inverness; two men who forced another man to carry out a robbery with an imitation pistol in Meir Heath (Staffordshire) had their sentences increased on appeal, the robber's sentence was unchanged at 18 months.
- Music Festival - an 18-year-old has admitted robbery and possessing a firearm with intent to cause violence after threatening a woman with an airgun and stealing her handbag near Silloth (Cumbria)
- Streets - a 13-year-old boy who pointed a ball-bearing gun in the face of a man in Derby has been given an 8-month detention and training order after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of theft, witness intimidation and possession of an imitation firearm with intent; a 15-year-old from Whyteleafe (Surrey) who shoved an air pistol in his victim's face during a robbery has been given a 12 month detention and training order; a man who used a ball-bearing gun when he attempted to rob a man in Chapel St Leonards (Lincolnshire) has admitted attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm and been jailed for 5 years; an 18-year-old armed with a BB gun who held up a taxi driver in Hartlepool has admitted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm and been sent to a young offenders' institution for 3 years
Two men who fired an air rifle in a garden in Clitheroe (Lancashire) and damaged neighbouring property have been fined £50 each and one was ordered to pay compensation.
A man who took a loaded air rifle into woods in Weston-super-Mare (Somerset) has been given a 12 months community order and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
A man who was banned from possessing a firearm as a result of a previous conviction but was found with an air rifle at his home in Hemlington (Teesside) was given a 52 week suspended jail sentence with supervision and a Thinking Skills programme.
A man who tried to take an air pistol on a plane at Edinburgh Airport has been fined £1,000.
Two men who simulated a drive-by shooting by driving around Burgess Hill (West Sussex) with part of a pressure washer sticking out of the window like a rifle have admitted a charge of affray - they now face a jail sentence.