Just one month of "gun activity". watch out for them air guns!
This is Croydon Today, 5 February 2010
Two boys aged 14 have both been sentenced to 30 months detention following a gunpoint raid on a shop in Shirley, south London, in July 2009. One of the boys pointed an imitation shotgun at an employee before making off with £200. Both had pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation gun.
Lancashire Telegraph, 5 February 2010
A BB gun was among a haul of weapons were found during a raid on a house in the Bank Top area of Blackburn, Lancashire. Cannabis was also discovered. Two men were given cautions as there was no evidence that the weapons had been used in the street.
This is Somerset, 4 February 2010
A man from Yeovil, Somerset, is on trial facing four charges of rape, one of kidnap, one of false imprisonment and two of assault by penetration. He has admitted possession of a prohibited firearm, a sawn-off shotgun. Another man, who denies possessing the sawn-off shotgun, is alleged to have allowed him to store the gun at the farm in West Coker where he lived.
This is Derbyshire, 4 February 2010
Two men have been charged with drugs and firearms offences following a raid at a house in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. A shotgun and quantities of suspected cannabis and ecstasy were recovered from the house during the raid in January 2010.
Sleaford Standard, 4 February 2010
A former RAF policeman and gun enthusiast had live ammunition and three illegal pistols stored at his home in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Police also found over 200 imitation weapons inside the property which had been bought from a website linked to illegal weapons. Mark Owens admitted three charges of possessing a prohibited weapon and a further charge of illegal possession of ammunition in May 2008. His shotgun certificate had been suspended. He was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs. The judge accepted that Owens had inadvertently broken the law and was surprised to discover the pistols were prohibited weapons. The ammunition had been retained from his RAF days.
Royston Crow, 4 February 2010
Trains had to be halted for more than an hour after a man was spotted pointing a rifle at a train near Odsey, Hertfordshire. Drivers raised the alert. Police officers eventually discovered a number of armed men attending a legal shooting party hunting rabbits and other game on nearby farmland. The party was spoken to and given advice of walking near railway lines with weapons and never to point weapons at trains.
Prestwich & Whitefield Guide, 4 February 2010
A robber pointed a handgun at a cashier at a service station in Prestwich, Manchester. The man grabbed £150 before sprinting off. The cashier ran after him and cornered him but the man escaped.
Liverpool Echo, 4 February 2010
A bookmaker's in the centre of Liverpool has been targeted for the second time in less than two weeks. A man threatened staff with what appeared to be a black and silver handgun and forced them to open the safe. He fled on foot with a substantial amount of money.
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 4 February 2010
Four young men went into a bank in Highgate, north London, and told staff they had a gun, but none was seen. They fled within seconds and police refused to say whether they left empty-handed.
Hemel Today, 4 February 2010
Manuel Clark has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years after handing over a shotgun in a pub car park in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, to an undercover police officer to whom he had also supplied drugs. He pleaded guilty to selling or transferring a shotgun, having a firearm and ammunition in a public place and drugs offences. George Webb who was also involved in trying to get a gun and dealt in drugs and counterfeit clothing received seven-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the transfer of a firearm and other offences, and Allan Clarke who brought the gun from his home to the car park was jailed for three years after admitting conspiracy to sell or transfer a firearm and having a firearm and ammunition in a public place.
Gainsborough Standard, 4 February 2010
A railway worker was shot with an airgun whilst working on tracks near the station in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. He had to undergo surgery after a pellet became lodged in his arm.
Dorset Echo, 4 February 2010
A farmer was shot at twice as he tried to stop three raiders at his property in Buckland Newton, Dorset. Men with torches were spotted in the yard and when he confronted them they shot at him and hit a car windscreen with a .22 rifle. It is thought that nothing was stolen.
Crain's Manchester Business, 4 February 2010
Live ammunition and an imitation firearm were among items seized during raids in Manchester and Cheshire which led to six people being arrested on suspicion of stealing more than £2m via a VAT repayment fraud.
Bolton News, 4 February 2010
A man has been charged with possession of prohibited ammunition, possession of a prohibited firearm and five other charges after a gun and ammunition were found at a house in Bolton, Greater Manchester. The handgun and 50 rounds of live ammunition were recovered by Bolton's Organised Crime Unit. Three other people were arrested and bailed.
Watford Observer, 3 February 2010
A man from Watford, Hertfordshire, charged with possession of a "rifle style gun" and criminal damage to a car will appear in court later this month. He is alleged to have carried the firearm with the intention of leading a member of the public to believe "unlawful violence" would be used against him or another person.
Wandsworth Guardian, 3 February 2010
Ian Stephens from Battersea Rise, south London, who was one of four people convicted for cocaine smuggling was also found to have a stun gun. He was jailed for 10 years.
Uxbridge Gazette, 3 February 2010
Armed police went to Permanent Joint Headquarters, which houses NATO personnel, in Northwood, west London, after reports that men with guns were lurking in the grounds. A man and a teenage boy, who were armed with an airgun, had been hunting squirrels. They were not arrested as they were in a public place and had not committed a crime but were warned about their actions in future.
Times, 3 February 2010
A handgun, a Baikal 9mm pistol, has been recovered at a further education college in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, during a police search of a student. A silencer was found at his home. A youth was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Saffron Walden Weekly News, 3 February 2010
Armed robbers, one brandishing a gun, burst into a convenience store in Elsenham, Essex. It is not know how much money they got away with.
Haringey Independent, 3 February 2010
Michael Michaelides threatened staff at a travel agent's in Muswell Hill, north London, with a pistol in November 2009 (see Incidents). He grabbed fistfuls of cash but was caught red-handed. He admitted robbery and possession of a firearm and was given an indeterminate jail sentence and must serve at least five years.
Evening Gazette, 3 February 2010
Duncan Quinn showed a black pistol to men in black hoods in Lingdale, Cleveland, in June 2009. The incident was the culmination of a feud with his partner's ex who believed Quinn had damaged his car. Quinn was on bail at the time. He has admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and dangerous driving. His previous convictions included an affray when he had fired an air rifle, narrowly missing someone's eye. He was jailed for eighteen months.
Evening Chronicle, 3 February 2010
Two men armed with suspected ammonia and a handgun targeted a bank in Gateshead, Tyneside. They escaped with a large sum of cash after spraying the cashier with a noxious liquid. Detectives say it is not know whether the handgun was real or a replica. The raid took place last month.
Lancashire Telegraph, 2 February 2010
Police found cannabis plants and a rifle at a pub in Darwen, Lancashire. A firearm charge against the landlady and her partner was later dropped after it was found to be a souvenir.
Herald (Plymouth), 2 February 2010
Police were called to an incident in Stonehouse, Plymouth, by a man who claimed that he had been shot. A man had to undergo surgery for two chest wounds believed to have been caused by an air weapon.
Haringey Independent, 2 February 2010
A man from Crouch Hill (north London), one of three charged with a string of robbery-related offences has also been charged with possession of a stun gun.
Express & Star, 2 February 2010
A loaded handgun, cash and drugs were among items recovered in a number of co-ordinated searches of homes and shops in the Black Country. At least three arrests have been made.
Chester First, 2 February 2010
Christopher Jackson has pleaded guilty to owning a stun gun which was found during a police raid at his home in Heswall, Merseyside. He was given an 18 month suspended sentence and must complete 150 hours community service. The weapon will be forfeited.
BBC, 2 February 2010
Georghita Iordache has been jailed for nine years after admitting robbery. He and two other men threatened a farmer in Overseal, Derbyshire, with a knife and his own shotgun during the attack in February 2009. The men stole £10,000. The victim suffered a number of injuries and spent six days in hospital.
Watford Observer, 1 February 2010
Lloyd Franklin purchased a stun gun on the internet from America. He claimed to have bought the weapon, which was disguised as a mobile phone, to protect himself because he feared moving to South Oxhey, Hertfordshire. The package, which was marked 'self defense' was intercepted by customs officers. Franklin pleaded guilty to purchasing or acquiring a prohibited weapon and sentence was committed to the crown court.
This is North Devon, 1 February 2010
Armed police were called to a street in Barnstaple, Devon, following reports that a man had been spotted with a gun and made contact with a man inside a property. A police spokesman said there was no evidence to suggest there was a firearm in the property.
Sussex Express, 1 February 2010
A teenager walked into the shop at a garage in Newhaven, East Sussex, holding a handgun. He demanded cash from a member of staff who put it inside a bag. Another youth was seen waiting outside during the robbery.
South London Press, 1 February 2010
An 18-year-old is on trial facing four charges including possessing a 9mm pistol with intent to endanger life. The loaded pistol was found in a taxi in which he was sitting and which had picked him up from a pub in Greenwich, south east London, in August 2009. He was arrested after being shot with a police taser. Rosca Onya had bragged on YouTube how he would shoot rivals in revenge for stabbing him. The Glock 26 was later discovered to have been used in two previous gang-related shootings. He was convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life (News Shopper, 2 February 2010).
Express & Star, 1 February 2010
A motorist who was climbing into his car at a restaurant in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, has been robbed. A number of men armed with a handgun stole his gold necklace.
Evening Standard, 1 February 2010
Police in London have warned about a new wave of chaotic young armed robbers who are targeting shops, pubs and restaurants. The weapons they use range from imitation firearms to genuine handguns. The robberies represent a shift from attacks on cash-in-transit vans but the are harder to predict.
