Gun Incident Summary - December 2009

On the basis of the media reports seen by GCN there were 44 gun homicides in Great Britain in 2009, one of which involved a bolt gun which is no longer subject to firearms legislation. The total is two greater than in 2008 but remains significantly lower than for most years during the previous two decades.
Seventeen of the gun victims died in London, 5 in Greater Manchester, 3 in each of South Yorkshire, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire and 2 in Hampshire (a domestic double shooting). Despite a number of shooting incidents in Merseyside that resulted in injury there was only one gun homicide which occurred in January. The only gun homicide in Scotland during 2009 was also in January. There was a single gun homicide in each of Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Essex, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Worcestershire.
Seven of the victims were female. Five women were shot by their partner or ex-partner and a young girl was shot by her father who also killed her mother. Four of the men killed themselves. The other woman was shot with a bolt gun by a man who had stalked her. In a seventh domestic incident a man was reportedly shot dead by his wife.
Two of the fatalities occurred during armed robberies – in Worcestershire in January and in Greater Manchester in December.
The youngest victim was a 4-year-old girl, shot by her father, and there were four victims aged between 16 and 20. Half of the victims (22 of the 44) were males in their twenties. Of the six victims aged 50 or over, four were killed in domestic shootings, three women and one man.
Two men were shot dead by armed police officers in County Durham and Sussex, both incidents occurring in May after shots were reported to have been fired with a crossbow and a handgun during the respective incidents.
Air weapons killed four more people in 2009. Three boys aged 5, 10 and 15 died after being shot in incidents described as accidents. One woman shot herself with an air rifle.

December 2009 Incidents

Three of the domestic shootings described above took place during December and resulted in the deaths of three women and a child. The one other homicide victim was a man who was shot dead during a robbery. Overall, however, there were fewer incidents reported this month that resulted in gunshot injuries, although the incidence of robberies involving guns appeared to have increased.

Gun Deaths and Injuries - There were nine shooting fatalities during December, six of them occurring in domestic incidents in which four female victims died, one of them a child. Five of the deaths were probable homicides:
- A man died after being shot during a robbery in Longsight (Manchester) - a number of men were arrested.
- Two women were shot dead in Brabourne Leas (Kent) and Rochford (Essex), apparently by their husbands who used shotguns and then apparently committed suicide, one by shooting himself and the other by drowning.
- In another murder-suicide in Aldershot (Hampshire) a woman and her 4-year-old daughter were killed by her ex-partner who was also the child's father - the man shot himself with what is believed to have been a handgun.
There were two other probable suicides involving firearms, one near Eastbourne (East Sussex) and the other in Cricklade (Wiltshire).
Inquests into the deaths earlier this year of two other men who died from shotgun wounds concluded that their injuries were self-inflicted - an open verdict was recorded for a man found dead in Dorchester (Dorset), suicide in the case of a man found in Wootton (Lincolnshire). Another inquest heard how a man had taken his own life at a farm in Whitestone (Devon) using a bolt gun.
Ten other victims were injured in shooting attacks:
- Cambridgeshire (1) - a man was injured in a shotgun attack at a nightclub in St Neots (a man has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause an offence)
- Kent (1) - a man was critically injured after a hit-and-run incident in Maidstone which left another man dead - the injured man was hit by the vehicle but also suffered gunshot wounds (a woman has been charged with murder and two other men arrested)
- London (4) - two men were shot in a shotgun attack in Ladbroke Grove, a man was badly injured when he was shot at a nightclub in Farringdon, and a man who entered hospital with a wound to the shoulder is believed to have been shot in Walthamstow
- Merseyside (1) - a man was shot in the leg after being approached by two men in a street in Huyton
- Suffolk (1) - a man was shot at a club in Ipswich, probably with a handgun
- West Midlands (2) - a man and a woman were injured in a double shooting in Wood End (Coventry)
Five people were injured in airgun shootings:
- a railway repair man was hit in the wrist when shots were fired at a group of workers in Middleton (West Yorkshire)
- a man was apparently shot in Ellacombe (Devon)
- two men were shot in Greater Manchester, one as he was collecting money for charity in a street in Cadishead and the other as he used a cash machine in Whalley Range, where a man was later arrested
- a resident was shot when he went to investigate someone firing an air weapon in a street in Workington (Cumbria)

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - A man was fatally injured during a robbery outside a money exchange firm in Longsight (Manchester) (see above).
This month there was a spate of armed robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns, particularly at bookmakers and shops. It seems likely that many of the weapons, especially those described as handguns, were imitations. The incidents occurred at:
- Banks, Building Societies and Post Offices in Balham (south London), Cheadle (Cheshire) (involving a sawn-off shotgun), Islington Green (north London) (the man responsible is believed to have raided a number of other banks in London and Essex since September; no weapon has been seen), Northampton (handgun; a man has been questioned about this and two other robberies in Northampton and Wellingborough), Rayleigh (Essex) and Smethwick (West Midlands) (no weapon seen)
- Bookmakers in Bothwell (South Lanarkshire), Burnham (Berkshire) (handgun), Leeds (handgun), Slough (Berkshire) (two separate premises; one involved a handgun), Sunderland (handgun), Swindon (Wiltshire) (two separate premises; after the first raid three men were charged with conspiracy to steal and possessing an imitation firearm; a handgun was seen in the second raid), Walker (Tyneside) (handgun) and Wigan (two separate premises; handgun reported in one of the raids)
- Cafés and Restaurants in the Bluewater shopping centre (Kent), Colchester (Essex) (a man who was armed with an airgun was charged) and Knott End (Lancashire) (handgun)
- Car Dealership in Dunston (Tyneside) (handgun)
- Offices in Leamington Spa (Warwickshire) (handgun) and Moortown (Leeds) (handgun)
- Petrol Stations in Eastleigh (Hampshire), Fenay Bridge (West Yorkshire), Hebburn (Tyneside) (handgun) and Worthing (West Sussex) (a shot was fired)
- Shops in Canvey (Essex) (handgun), Clydebank (West Dunbartonshire), Duston (Northampton) (handgun), Kidsgrove (Staffordshire) (shotgun, hammer) (two people have been arrested), Liverpool, Llysfaen (North Wales) (handgun, knife), Milton Keynes (a blank-firing gun was fired), Monsall (Manchester) (shotgun, pistol and machetes), Tantobie (County Durham) (handgun), Tooting (south London), Walsall (handgun, crowbar), Wigan (sawn-off shotgun), Wolverhampton and Worthing (West Sussex) (believed to have involved a BB gun). A shotgun may also have been used to break a window during a robbery at a jewellers in Birkenhead (The Wirral)
- Warehouse in Philadelphia (County Durham) (handgun, metal bar).
There were armed robberies at Homes in Bournemouth (Dorset) (two different properties), Chorlton (Greater Manchester) (there were a number of incidents in the area - a 15-year-old has been arrested), Kirby (Merseyside) (a car was stolen), Pickmere (Cheshire) (three men armed with a sawn-off shotgun and a handgun) and Portslade (East Sussex) (the weapon was a BB gun and a man was arrested)
A pensioner who was visiting a Hospital in Liverpool was attacked by a man believed to be carrying a gun who demanded money.
There was an attempted robbery during a cash delivery at a Bus Depot in Wigan (one man was hit on the head with a shotgun, two men were later arrested). A Delivery Van driver was robbed in Newcastle upon Tyne and a Bus Driver in Billingham (Teesside). A man has been accused of a firearms offence and making off without payment following an incident in which a Taxi Driver was allegedly threatened with a gun in Consett (County Durham).
A man was dragged off the street and into a car at gunpoint in West Hampstead (north west London) and forced to withdraw money from two cash machines.

Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents:
- Cheshire - the windows of a family's car were smashed by an apparent shot fired in Warrington
- Greater Manchester - shots were fired and a bullet casing found in Whalley Range.
- London - a man on a motorcycle fired at a group of people outside a club in Finsbury, and a shot was fired during an incident in Norwood in which a man had his ear bitten
- Merseyside - A shot was fired at a property in Croxteth, two cars were found damaged in Norris Green after residents reported hearing gunshots and shots were heard in a street in Belle Vale (a man was arrested)
- West Midlands - two windows were smashed at separate premises in Coventry
- West Yorkshire - shots, believed to come from a shotgun, were fired from a vehicle in Manningham (Bradford) damaging parked vehicles
- Worcestershire - A firearm was discharged in Redditch - one man has been arrested
A man from Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) has been accused of threatening to shoot his elder daughter with a shotgun.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of assault and having a shotgun and baseball bat after police found a man with the weapons at a car crash in Basildon (Essex).
After a second incident in a hospital this month (see Armed Robberies above) a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence - he was seen with a rifle at a hospital in Crumpsall (Greater Manchester).
A number of other people were charged with possession of firearms:
- Two men from south London appeared in court charged with possession of three firearms, possession of a handgun with intent to endanger life and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence
- Four teenagers have been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life after a firearm was discovered in a vehicle in Kensington (Liverpool)
- A man was charged with possessing a firearm after being arrested outside the home of ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair in central London
- Three men were arrested and a loaded revolver was seized in a police operation in Tottenham Hale (north London)
Following a number of incidents, including one in which a gun was said to have been displayed, a pub in Easton (Bristol) was shut down.
There were other incidents in which guns were reported to have been seen but no firearms were recovered:
- Police found a cannabis factory in Addiscombe (south London) after a gun was reported to have been seen there (one man was arrested).
- A man gave himself up after a siege at a property in Blackpool (Lancashire).
- Streets in Newton Abbot (Devon) and Bishopbriggs (East Dunbartonshire) were closed after reports of men being seen with a firearm.
Firefighters had to deal with exploding ammunition when a fire at a house in Carsluith (Wigtownshire) penetrated a metal gun cabinet.

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Besides those incidents which resulted in injury (see above) the following also involved airguns and imitation weapons.
Shots were fired from an airgun at a vehicle in Halifax (West Yorkshire) causing damage to the windscreen.
A man faced charges after he allegedly threatened to shoot police officers with an air rifle in Castlebay (Outer Hebrides). Another man was charged after a police officer was threatened with a blank-firing pistol in Trafford (Greater Manchester).
Staff at a kebab van in Otterbourne (Hampshire) were threatened with an air rifle.
Much of the village of Abbots Bromley (Staffordshire) was brought to a halt after reports of a man waving a gun later found to be an imitation handgun - three juveniles were arrested. In another incident which caused an armed police response two teenagers pointed a BB gun out of a window in Hastings (East Sussex) - they were arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm in a public place.
Imitation guns and airguns were probably used in many of the Armed Robberies (see above) and this was so for robberies from Colchester (Essex), Portslade (East Sussex), Milton Keynes, Swindon (Wiltshire) and Worthing (West Sussex)
Windows were damaged, probably by shots fired from airguns in incidents in Minera (Clywd) (at a church), South Shields (Tyneside) (at the home of an elderly couple) and Winsford (Cheshire).
A pupil accused of shooting a fellow student with a ball-bearing gun at a school in Kerry (Powys) has had to be invited back to school after police dismissed the case for lack of evidence.

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were recovered in Swansea (an airgun), northern Scotland (a replica handgun) and Port Glasgow (Renfrewshire) (a revolver).
In other police raids guns were recovered in Gravesend (a shotgun), Leeds (an M-16 assault rifle - three people were arrested), Leicestershire (in Hinckley and Bosworth; air rifles and an imitation firearm) and Manchester (two blank-firing handguns).
A number of air weapons, including a replica AK47 rifle, were taken from a parked car in Dalkeith (Midlothian), a thief stole a pick-up truck containing shotgun cartridges and jewellery in Kirby Muxloe (Leicestershire), shotguns were among items taken from two farms in Cambridgeshire and two air rifles were among goods stolen from a farm in Kington (Worcestershire).

Incidents Involving Animals - Compared with recent months there were fewer incidents involving animals and birds reported during December. A number of cats were, however, targeted with airguns and pellet guns in London (in Newham, Putney and South Tottenham), one cat was injured in Warrington (Cheshire) and two cats were shot in an airgun attack in Kirkcaldy (Fife).
Five men were arrested and a number of guns seized during a crackdown on poaching in Sussex. Three men were arrested on suspicion of poaching when a routine police patrol in Penkridge (Staffordshire) stopped their van which was found to contain three dead deer and a modified air rifle.
A red kite was shot and injured near Braco (Perthshire). A heron was shot and badly injured by two airgun pellets in Haversham (Buckinghamshire).

Convictions - Three men were convicted of the fatal shooting of a man and the attempted murder of his father during a robbery at a post office in Fairfield (Worcestershire) - all three were sentenced to a minimum of 34 years.
A man found guilty of murdering a man who was shot dead in Newtown (Birmingham) will serve a minimum of 25 years.
Two men were each sentenced to 35 years in jail after an attack in New Cross (south London) in which a teenager was run down and then shot with a shotgun and stabbed - the victim remains in a coma.
A man has admitted a shooting at a pub in Greenwich (south east London) in which two people were injured - he pleaded guilty to a number of charges including two counts of wounding with intent. A man from Forest Gate (east London) who shot off his victim's thumb when he opened fire with a shotgun has been convicted of attempted murder, assault and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. Another man who shot a rival outside a restaurant in Wolverhampton was jailed for 12 years and his accomplice for 6 years.
A man who shot at two men in Coventry has been found guilty of their attempted murder and been jailed for 11 years.
Three men have been found guilty for their part in the torture, robbery and rape of a couple in Clapham (south London) during which a gun was held to a woman's head - two of the men have each been jailed for 9 years, the other will be sentenced later.
A man who forced two officers from their police van at gunpoint in Peterborough and then hijacked another vehicle was given a 14 year sentence after pleading guilty to eight charges.
A teenager who held a handgun to the head of a drinker outside a pub in Manchester and threatened to shoot him pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence and was jailed for a minimum of 3 years.
Seven men and one woman have been jailed for a total of more than 57 years, some for firearms offences, for their roles in a drugs gang responsible for shooting incidents in Huyton (Merseyside).
Two men who were part of a cocaine-smuggling gang have been convicted of firearms offences - they were responsible for preparing to rob a series of cash vans in Hertfordshire.
The following convictions involved offences with shotguns:
- Three men have been jailed for between 3 and 11½ years for kidnap, false imprisonment and possessing a firearm with intent after their victim was kidnapped in Birmingham and threatened with a shotgun.
- A man who terrorised his lover at her house in Rossington, South Yorkshire, whilst armed with a sawn-off shotgun was given an 18-month community order.
- A man who was armed with a shotgun has been given a 12-year jail sentence after attempting to rob a filling station in Blaydon (Tyneside).
- Three men have been jailed for between 4 years and 8 years for their part in raids on post offices and bookmakers in Wingate, Trimdon Station and Elwick (County Durham) in which one man was armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
- A man who hid a sawn-off shotgun at his home in Northampton after he found it in his brother's garden has been jailed for 5 years.
- A man who had a sawn-off shotgun and cartridges outside a Middlesbrough flat where police discovered drugs was jailed for 3 years after pleading guilty to possessing a shotgun without a certificate.
- A man whose photograph, in which he posed with a sawn-off shotgun, was found on his son's phone admitted illegal possession of the gun and was jailed for 5 years.
- A man who took a shotgun to a field in Wootton (Bedfordshire) intending to kill himself after assaulting his wife pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and having a shotgun in a public place - he was given a suspended 46 week prison sentence and 100 hours unpaid work together with a fine.
There were a number of convictions for possessing illegal firearms:
- Two gang members were convicted of possessing a Mac-10 machine pistol found by police in Aston (Birmingham).
- A man from Luton (Bedfordshire) has been given a 5 year prison sentence after admitting possessing a pistol which he had been asked to keep in return for £300 but then lost.
- A teenage woman pleaded guilty to possessing a handgun she had been asked to look after at her flat in Beckenham (south east London) and was sentenced to 3 years detention.
- Another woman was sentenced to 5 years after police found two pistols, a sawn-off shotgun, a silencer and ammunition at her home in Isleworth (west London).
- A man caught in Harrow (north west London) with a modified imitation handgun loaded with three bullets has been found guilty and jailed for 6½ years.
- A man from South Shields was jailed for 9 years after cocaine, cash and a loaded pistol were found at his home.
- A 19-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing a 9mm pistol and ammunition found at his home in Derby - he was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months, a lesser sentence because he had been a key witness in a murder trial
- A man described as a passionate gun collector was jailed for 5 years after pleading guilty to nine firearm offences - he had more than 50 guns at his cottage in Heywood (Greater Manchester) some of which were unlicensed
A man who was banned from owning a firearm as a result of a previous offence but was found with a rifle at his home in Kentish Town (north London) has been jailed for 5 years.
A man from Blyth (Northumberland) was given a conditional discharge after he told the police he had a .22 round in his pocket in a bid to get help to kick a drug habit - he was banned from having guns and ammunition as a result of a previous conviction.
The following cases involved stun guns:
- Three students caught with a Taser gun in a Swansea nightclub were each fined £50.
- A man was jailed for 12 months for a number of offences including having a prohibited stun gun which was found during a police search of his property in Althorpe (Lincolnshire).
- A man has pleaded guilty to possessing a stun gun, which was found in his car in Wellingborough (Northamptonshire), and has been given a suspended 40 week prison sentence and 120 hours community service.
- A man from Walcot (Wiltshire) has been jailed for 3 years and 10 months after a stun gun and cocaine were found in a car.

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A teenager who has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend at their flat in Arbroath (Angus) was also found guilty of pointing an airgun at two men and pulling the trigger.
A 16-year-old youth who shot and injured a woman on a night out in Mansfield (Nottinghamshire) claimed he was aiming at flower pots with an air rifle he had been given as a gift - he was given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay compensation to the victim who has suffered long-term injuries.
A man who fired an air rifle at a teenager while he was high on drink and drugs in Lye (West Midlands) has been jailed for 5 years - the victim may lose sight of one eye.
A man from Lye (West Midlands) who attacked his love rival and his mother whilst armed with an imitation handgun has been jailed for 8 years - his brother and another man who were involved in the attack and were armed with a hammer and a baseball bat were jailed for 6 and 5½ years.
A man who was waving an airgun outside a home in Middlesbrough where he threatened to kill his ex-partner has been jailed for 3 years after admitting affray and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate (police had also found 68 rounds of .22 ammunition)
There were other incidents in which airguns and imitation guns were used to cause fear:
- A man pleaded guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear during an incident at Gatwick Airport - the weapon was reported to be an imitation.
- A man who brandished a loaded air pistol at a police officer in Sunderland admitted possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear and has been given a suspended 36 week jail sentence and 150 hours of unpaid work.
- A man who armed himself with a ball bearing pistol for a meeting with two people in Swindon (Wiltshire) has been given a suspended 51 week sentence and 150 hours community service, and his teenage friend who owned the gun admitted a firearms offence and was given a suspended 40 weeks sentences and 130 hours community service.
- A woman was given a 12-month supervision order after threatening two other women with her husband's air rifle in Bretton (Peterborough).
- A man who pointed an air pistol at his step-son in East Ham (east London) and threatened to kill him has been jailed for 15 months.
- A teenager who fired shots from an air rifle in Inverurie (Aberdeenshire) put people in danger and has admitted a charge of culpably and recklessly discharging an airgun.
- Two teenagers have admitted repeatedly firing a ball-bearing gun in a play park in Oldmeldrum (Aberdeen).
- A man pleaded guilty to committing a breach of the peace by discharging an air pistol causing fear and alarm in Edinburgh - he was sentenced to 200 hours community service.
- A teenager who fired a ball-bearing gun at a fellow motorist in Peterlee (County Durham) pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a firearm with intent to cause a fear of violence.
A man mugged two homeless people in Leicester whilst armed with an airgun and awaits sentence.
There were a number of convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offender(s) was armed with an imitation firearm or airgun. The incidents occurred:
- at shops, banks and post offices in Bilton (Warwickshire) (a man pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm and was jailed for 10 year), Castle Bromwich (West Midlands) (one man was found guilty of attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm, and another man pleaded to guilty to both charges), Johnstone (Renfrewshire) (a teenager was armed with a BB gun and a hatchet), Rochdale (Greater Manchester) (a 17-year-old has been sentenced to an 8-month detention and training order) and Southampton (a teenage woman has been jailed for 5 years after a number of incidents involving an air pistol)
- at a bookmakers in Hull (a man was been jailed for 5 years)
- at bars or restaurants in Paisley (a man committed two robberies using a replica revolver and has been jailed for 4 years) and West Didsbury (Greater Manchester) (a man who admitted possessing an imitation firearm has been jailed for 7½ years)
- at a service station in Southampton (a man was jailed for 6 years and received a 2 year extended licence)
- on security guards in two robberies in Shawlands (Glasgow) (a man has been jailed for 6 years and 5 months) and one in Newmains (Lanarkshire) (an airgun was used - the getaway driver has admitted his involvement)
- in a street robbery in Portsmouth (two men have been jailed for 6 years and 5 years after they attempted to rob a man whilst armed with an imitation firearm)
- on a taxi driver in Winson Green (Birmingham) (the offender has pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery and one of possessing an imitation firearm)
A 17-year-old who aimed a "toy" AK47 gun at passers-by in Paignton (Devon) has been given "suitable advice" about his conduct and given an £80 fine.
A man who had been drinking when he was seen with an air rifle on a playing field in Newmarket (Suffolk) pleaded guilty to having an unloaded air weapon in a public place and has been given a 12-month community order including 40 hours unpaid work.
A father and his son have been jailed for 7½ and 8 years after being found with drugs and an air rifle at their home in Gateshead (Tyneside).
One man was jailed for 10 months and another fined £250 after air rifles, including two which would have needed firearms certificates, were found by police at a house in Eaton Socon (Cambridgeshire).
A man has admitted possessing an air rifle in Pershore (Worcestershire) when prohibited because of a previous jail sentence.
Two men who robbed a teenager of his air rifle in Eston (Teesside) were jailed for 3 years and 2½ years and a 14-year-old was given a 12-month referral order.
A physiotherapist from Sunderland was given a caution by the Health Professional Council after he encouraged a road accident victim to fire an air pistol.