Getting off too lightly?

[Sudden Stop]

Teen fired gun at folk for fun

 

Breach of the peace?!

 

Breach of the flamin' peace!!!!

 

This is far more serious than a breach of the peace! He was firing at children in push chairs and in the case of the woman in the news report - it was repeatedly. I really, really don't care what behaviour problems this criminal has, I am offended that 'breach of the peace' is all that he was charged with. Surely there is something more serious that he should have been charged with? What a farce.

[khitajrah]

I'm not sure which behaviour was being referred to, from this article:

Sheriff Graeme Napier deferred sentence on Leask for reports after hearing that he suffered from various symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome and obsessive compulsive behaviour and that he had started working at a local fish factory last week.

 

I mean, I've heard that working at the fish factory is dreadful business and they should hand out a Prozac with each shift but.....

 

And what about the fellow driving him around? Did he not get into any trouble?

[PJ of Hildisvik]

A complete and utter joke, just pointing a gun at somebody, especially someone with a weak heart could prove fatal on its own.

Atempted Manslaughter?

[paulb]

is there not a law about firing an air weapon in a public place. i know i was stopped when i was a teenager because i had a air rifle. they checked if it was loaded and charged. im sure there are very large fines for this offence by itself. when you start shooting at people wether its a bb gun or not it should be treated the same as a firearms offence. its a pity that there are no armed police up here. it would after all have been a good laugh to see them eating the road with a gun stuck at there head.

[tarotangel]

I can't believe it was only breach of the peace!!! It should come under firearms offences at least *shakes head*

[Ghostrider]

There must have been a complete lack of imagination in the cop shop yun day.

 

Carrying an offensive weapon with intent to injure, assault with an an offensive/deadly weapon, reckless conduct to the endangerment of others, etc....Surely they could have made at least one stick, espcially if they can do a drunk Norski sailor for carrying an offensive weapon in the same court, when all he was doing was carrying a piece of wood in his back pocket.

[paulb]

how about gbh.

have they no brains shooting at a woman with kids. how easy would it have been to blind someone. they would have then have been shocked etc.

whats the point in a bb gun. it has no point. you cant hunt or do proper target shooting. though we should be glad we have tough gun laws. can you imagine if he had areal gun.

[MaxFusion]

airsoft is a popular sport for those that don't like paintballs hitting them....

altho I agree what's the point.

 

one of my friends was charged after he shot at a few windows with an air pistol, no damage done but he can't own or use a gun of any kind now.

breach of the peace just means he can go do it again!

[Evil Inky]

Does anybody know the maximum sentence that can be imposed for a breach of the peace ?

[khitajrah]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/5257198.stm

This fellow got jailed for 12 months in Edinburgh and he didn't even fire the gun at anyone.

[paulb]

the police seem to have been nice to these idiots.

 

Offence Penalties

Statute Law

The Penalties for breaking current UK firearms laws with Airguns are as follows:-

Carrying a loaded Air-weapon in a public place 6 months imprisonment and / or £5,000 fine.

Trespassing with an air weapon 3 months imprisonment and / or £2,500 fine.

Trespassing on private land with an air weapon 3 months imprisonment and / or £2,500 fine.

Possessing or using an air weapon if sentenced to 3 months or more in custody 3 months imprisonment and / or £2,500 fine.

In addition if original sentence up to 3 years 5 year ban on use of firearms.

Or if for 3 years or more Life ban on use of firearms.

Killing or injuring any bird or protected animal unless authorised £5,000 fine.

Firing an air weapon within 15m / 50ft of a public highway £1,000 fine.

Selling or hiring air weapon or ammunition to person under 17 6 months imprisonment and / or £5,000 fine.

Making a gift of air weapon or ammunition to person under 14 £1,000 fine.

Having air weapon or ammunition with intent to damage property 10 years imprisonment.

Having air weapon with intent to endanger life Life imprisonment and / or appropriate fine.

Using air weapon to resist or prevent arrest Life imprisonment and / or appropriate fine.

Threatening others with an air weapon (even if unloaded) to cause them to fear unlawful violence 10 years imprisonment and / or appropriate fine.

Not forgetting the chance of being shot and killed by the police should you not obey instructions when challenged by them, they cannot tell if you have just an airgun or a more lethal firearm so will treat all arms as lethal and respond accordingly.

 

so they should have got at least 6 months.

 

but they could have got

Having air weapon with intent to endanger life Life imprisonment and / or appropriate fine.

[Baron Farkoff]

Someone needs to tell those silly boys that shooting guns at people is not big, and it's not clever.

 

"Crusin' "round Lerwick, "chillin'" wit'the posse, "poppin' a cap" in the "ass" of a "babe in da crib"

=you are supercool and we will all recognise this and give you maximum

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrespect!

OR:

You will point your capgun at the wrong person one day and that will be that.

There are an awful lot of extremely large and capable menfolk here, one of whom is possibly the father of the child who has been shot at. I would not like to speculate what he may be thinking, but I know that if my child had been shot at, let alone my wife, I would be fairly vexed. Fair enough, if the guy has just got a job and is trying hard then it is right that the correct punitive measures must be applied, and I have no idea what those might be,but if he just thinks he's a man now and can act like a twit, well , that is a different story. Either way, such behaviour is sad, and it upsets me to hear about it. Guns in Shetland should be used for shooting rabbits. That is all.

[paulb]

why is just getting a job a an excuse for not getting hammered by the law. if you got drunk and were pulled for it that excuse would not work. if they lose there job tough thats life. why should they not have thought of this before they started shooting people. even if jail is to extreme how about a massive amount of community work. its worrying that they have got pasted the instictive bar on hurting people.

[ArabiaTerra]

"Sentence deferred", doesn't that mean that he hasn't been sentenced yet? And, if I'm not mistaken, "Breach of the Peace" carries a maximum sentence of life. So I wouldn't conclude that the idiot had got off lightly until you actually hear the sentence.

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm afraid to say that yet again "The Law Is An Ass".

Hanging is too damned good for the little SOB.

There have been too many cases in the UK of children blinded or killed by idiots firing air guns. If this case had resulted in a child, or adult , seriously injured, what would he be charged with then? Most likely the same pathetic charge. Instead of facing the realistic charges which would be applied in any other court in the UK.

 

The police, and the judicial system as a whole in Shetland, have just sunk to a new all time low. They're too busy harassing honest people as they get off the north boat.

 

It would be interesting to start a poll to judge the public faith in the Shetland legal system..