A swan is being cared for at a rescue centre after being shot twice with a BB gun in Worcester, Worcestershire. The bird suffered injuries to its side and beak and required surgery to remove pellets.

Police appealed for information after the front window of a house in Stockton, Co, Durham was damaged by pellets or a bullet. Click on media link to read full report.

Shaun Bent, aged 39, has been jailed for eight years for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and three counts of possession of a prohibited firearm. In July 2023, police officers searched Bent’s home in Lewisham, East London and discovered three pistols, each with 18 round magazines, 46 rounds of ammunition, drugs and associated paraphernalia, and £53,000 in cash. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “This case shows how drug dealing and violence go hand in hand. Thanks to the efforts of Met officers, another drug dealer is now in prison and three dangerous weapons are off the streets of London.”

After the bodies of around 60 pigeons were seen floating in a canal in Ormskirk, Lancashire, at least one witness said that “young lads with air rifles” had been responsible. A local bird rescue charity said they believed it was a human act, with some of the birds being found headless.

A man armed with a water gun allegedly robbed a betting shop in Broxburn, West Lothian. No one was injured. After being cornered by a police dog and his handler soon afterwards, the man was charged with assault, robbery and carrying an imitation firearm in a public place.

Armed police were deployed following reports of a fight at a property in Bolton, Greater Manchester. A knife and suspected gun were seized and a teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of a firearm and a bladed article. No one was injured.

Connor Wade, now aged 18, has been handed a twelve-month community order with 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days after pleading guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In April 2023, Wade brandished a realistic black BB gun in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Dressed in a balaclava and safety glasses, he was seen holding the gun with his arms outstretched as if he was aiming at something. When responding police officers pointed a Taser at him, Wade immediately cooperated. His discarded gun was found soon afterwards, with officers also seizing pellets from Wade’s home address. The court heard that Wade, who has a learning difficulty and ADHD, bought the gun for protection after being assaulted.

Two masked men allegedly pointed a gun at the occupants of a car reversing out of a pub car park in Cheadle, Staffordshire, before one woman got out and two men were dragged from the vehicle. The assailants then drove off in the car. The victims, though not physically injured, were shaken by the attack. Detectives appealed for information, particularly from anyone with relevant CCTV or dashcam footage.

Police officers safely recovered what was believed to be blank-firing ammunition found on a sofa in an alleyway in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Click on media link to read full report.

Two air rifles and pellets were found during a routine search of a contractor’s vehicle at HMP Northumberland, near Acklington. Police officers seized the items and arrested a man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.