From: Bill Hoath, [EMAIL PROTECTED] In view of the recent murmurs about more regulation of air rifles etc I thought it might be interesting to follow up what happened after a high profile local incident. Those in England with a good memory may recall that it got two or three minutes TV coverage at the start of the BBC national news that evening. The extracts reproduced below are from the website of the local newspaper "The Gloucester Citizen" and their copyright is acknowledged. A quick scan of "Gun Law" Sixth Edition (Godfrey Sandys-Winsch - published by Shaw & Sons ISBN 0 7219 0364 9 Price UKP 19.95 published July 1999) suggests some other offences that they might also have been charged with (I can't be bothered to type them up, but anyone in the UK could do a lot worse than getting their own copy of the book which is stocked by the NSRA) Any comments on the eventual outcome? ======================================================================== 29th April 1999 Students in college shooting terror Gloucester college students fled in terror when a gun-wielding youth fired shots through the classroom window. The incident just before 11am on Thursday caused panic in a beauty therapy class containing 18 female students and a lecturer at the college in Brunswick Road. As armed police and dog handlers rushed to the scene, the police helicopter was scrambled for a huge search of the city centre. Later the college was evacuated and over 1,000 students and staff were led to safety. Police say the gunman fired three shots and the students in the BTec class, aged between 16 and 19, were "shaken but unhurt". The gunman was spotted fleeing towards Greyfriars. He was thought to be carrying a black handgun. The immediate area around the college was sealed off and scenes of crime officers moved in. At 1.13pm armed police brought a handcuffed youth out of the college building. Police spokeswoman Ruth McDonagh said: "Fortunately no-one was hurt. The college class was evacuated and armed police were brought in. "The caller from the college who raised the alarm described the man as white, about 17 years old, five feet seven inches tall, with black hair and a yellow jacket." At one point police arrested two people in Southgate Street, one of whom was wearing a yellow jacket, but they were later found to have nothing to do with the shooting. Shoppers scattered as the police helicopter hovered over the city centre while the pair were searched while spreadeagled against the window of Ladbroke's betting shop. Passer-by Guy Marsh said: "The man was objecting to being searched and he was told he was being arrested and was taken away in a police car. "I was astonished to see this happening in the middle of Gloucester on a Thursday morning." Police said later: "Though the man answered the description, we have established the pair were nothing to do with the earlier incident with the gun." Deputy principal Neil Bromley said: "All the students on the course will be talking to the police. We believe some sort of gun was fired through an open window. Nobody was injured." ======================================================================== 30th April 1999 Three youths have been jointly charged after yesterday's incident at Gloscat when shots were fired through a classroom window. Two 16-year- old juveniles and an 18-year-old have been bailed to appear in court at a later date to answer firearms and public order offences. Beauty therapy students have told of the moment when shots, later established to have been an air pistol, ripped through their classroom. Scared One said a pellet narrowly missed her. Asking only to be known as Tina, the 31-year-old said she was doing a pedicure. "It was about 10.50am and it sounded like a stone had hit the window, the pellet shot past my face very close � had I turned my face a fraction it would have hit me in the face. "Everyone heard it but it wasn't that noisy because we had the music on. The lecturer then said she had seen somebody running off and we realised what had happened. "It was scary because I was by the window and all the beds in the salon face the window � it could easily have hit someone. I went into shock in the afternoon." Another student said: "The police interviewed us but we just thought it was a bit of excitement and it didn't sink in that someone had shot at us. "Then later in the afternoon when everyone had been evacuated, we realised it could have been a lot worse." Deputy Principal Neil Bromley praised the students, aged between 16 and 35, for their reaction to the incident. "The girls were very sensible, they behaved very well in evacuating the room and with regard to the overall situation � they were a credit to themselves." Inspector Jim McCarthy of Gloucester police said: "Three youths were arrested following the shooting incident. They have been released on police bail to appear before magistrates at a later date. All three have been charged with causing criminal damage with intent to endanger life, being in possession of a loaded air pistol in a public place and causing an affray. ======================================================================== College shooting charges Two teenagers charged in connection with a shooting incident at Gloscat last month have appeared before Gloucester magistrates. Two 16-year-olds boys, from I#######h and A########, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and S#### A##### P#######, 18, of H######## R###, C#######, were arrested after an incident on April 30. Shots from an air pistol were fired at the window of a classroom at Gloscat's Brunswick Road campus. One of the 16-year-olds did not appear in court. The three are jointly charged with affray, possessing a loaded air weapon, and committing criminal damage and being reckless as to whether life was endangered as a result. The case was adjourned until June 24. All three were granted bail on conditions they do not contact each other or prosecution witnesses and do not enter the Gloscat premises apart from as and when required to sit exams, which the court said Gloscat had agreed to. ======================================================================== 25th Jun 1999 Three teenagers arrested after shots were fired into a classroom of terrified beauty therapy students at a Gloscat college have walked free from Gloucester magistrates. They accepted cautions for possessing a loaded air rifle in a public place and other charges against them were dropped. The trio were arrested and charged with affray, possessing a loaded air rifle and criminal damage which could have endangered life after 18 female students, aged between 16-19, were terrified by the shooting incident on April 29. It happened in the ground floor beauty salon classroom at the Gloucestershire College of Art and Technology in Gloucester, when a gun was thrust in through an open window from outside. Three shots were allegedly fired at the Park Campus but none of the students were injured and no damage had been found to the room. Police flooded the area with armed and unarmed officers and tracker dogs and the Gloucestershire force helicopter hovered over the city. They then sealed off the college building and the surrounding grounds and began an intensive search for the weapon. Later, three youths, S#### P#######, 18, of H######## R###, C#######, and two 16 year olds, who cannot be named because of their ages, were arrested. Yesterday the trio, each accompanied by a solicitor, arrived at the city magistrates court and spoke to Peter Ashby of the Crown Prosecution Service. Later, the youths and their lawyers left the building and shortly afterwards Mr Ashby announced that all the charges had been dropped. He told the magistrates: "The youths have now been formally cautioned by a senior police officer for possessing a loaded air rifle in a public place." All three youths had admitted the offence of possessing a loaded air rifle and the other charges against them of affray and criminal damage were withdrawn, he said. Gloscat bosses are to step up security in response to the firearms incident. Senior management are considering installing closed circuit television cameras and student identification cards at its Park Campus in Cheltenham and Brunswick Road, Gloucester. College spokesman Peter White said the estates and premises group, student services and student union have made a series of recommendations to principal Greg Smith which are now being considered by senior management members. Mr White said: "There are some major changes to security to be decided upon." ======================================================================== Gloscat gun case: caution �too soft� A trainee beautician who witnessed shots being fired into a Gloscat classroom thinks three youths should have received harsher punishments. Two 16-year-olds from A######## and I######## and 18-year-old S#### A#####, of C#######, accepted a police caution for possessing a loaded airweapon in public. Peter Ashby, prosecuting, told Gloucester magistrates last week that charges of criminal damage and affray had been withdrawn. Ten students were in the health and beauty salon at the Brunswick Road campus in Gloucester when the incident happened. They were shaken but unhurt. Armed police moved in and 1,500 students were evacuated from the building during the drama. The Gloucester woman involved in the drama, who did not want to be named, said: "I'm a bit cheesed off. The law seems to be too soft and people seem to get away with more. They should have at least got a fine after all the trouble it caused." Principal Greg Smith said the incident had been the "living nightmare" all teachers or principals dreaded. Security at the college is to be tightened up with closed circuit TV and identification passes. Mr Smith did not want to comment on the court case. -- Bill Hoath -- The penalties in the Firearms Act 1968 for airgun offences are largely anemic, I think the maximum penalty for possession of a loaded airgun in a public place is something like a L50 fine, although I think the 1994 Act raised that by a few quid. However, there are a pretty large range of public order offences they could have been charged with, I mean imagine for example they had used a crossbow which are largely unregulated and actually hit someone. Attempted murder, aggravated assault that sort of thing. Steve. 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