Burglar dialled 999 when shot with air rifle
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:15 am
Source : http://news1.capitalbay.com/news/burgla ... _shot.html
A whining burglar has been jailed after calling police to complain that he had been shot while breaking into a family's home.
Lewis Patterson, 20, had forced his way into the house and was wielding a metal bar when he was shot twice with an air rifle by Gary Holmes.
After firing the shots Mr Holmes, who was relaxing with his girlfriend and two-month-old daughter when Patterson struck, called the police to report the incident.
Stunned: Gary Holmes, 19, shot metal bar-wielding burglar Lewis Patterson with his air rifle only for the criminal to call the police
Stunned: Gary Holmes, 19, shot metal bar-wielding burglar Lewis Patterson with his air rifle ... only for the criminal to call the police
But he later discovered, to his amazement, that Patterson had done the same, claiming he had been shot through a window while innocently passing the house.
The incident began when unemployed Mr Holmes spotted Patterson creeping around the garden of his home in Hull, East Yorkshire on October 28 2010.
Fearing for his young family's life, he quickly ran to grab his air rifle and confronted Patterson as the intruder smashed his way into their home.
During a scuffle Patterson violently lunged for Mr Holmes with a metal bar but the homeowner managed to fire two shots and the burglar fled.
But Patterson then dialled 999 in an attempt to have Mr Holmes arrested for using the gun.
'I didn't have much time to worry about if I was going to be prosecuted because I was more concerned about whether he would be coming back and whether my girlfriend and the baby were okay,' said Mr Holmes.
On his property: Mr Holmes spotted Patterson in his garden and the burglar later threw a brick at him
On his property: Mr Holmes spotted Patterson in his garden and the burglar later threw a brick at him
'I ran upstairs to get my rifle and looked through the window and saw him hit the window with a baseball bat so hard that it snapped. Then he used a metal bar.
'I ran down the stairs loading my rifle at the same time.
'When I went into the dining room, he was trying to pull my motorbike through the window.
'I told him, not very politely, to get out, but he just stared straight at me.
'Because I have the rifle, I know a bit about the law around it so I showed him the gun and gave him chance to leave before I did anything. I knew you can't just shoot someone.
'He raised this iron bar up and started coming towards me so I just pulled my gun up and shot him.
'Even then, he started to come towards me again and threw a brick at me.
'He must have thought it was a single shot rifle, but I reloaded it and shot him again.
'If I had let him hit me, I could have been in hospital or dead.'
The police eventually arrested Patterson and the rifle, which does not require a licence, was taken from Mr Holmes by police as evidence.
'The first officers who came seemed quite surprised when I said I had shot him,' said Mr Holmes.
'I don't think they knew what to think.
'They seemed a bit confused about who they were going to be charging, so they sent officers from CID to take a statement the next day.
'They said, because he had threatened me, that I should be fine.'
Patterson was sentenced at Hull Crown Court to 18 months in a young offenders institution after pleading guilty to burglary.
The Honorary Recorder of Hull and East Riding, Judge Michael Mettyear, told Patterson: 'This was quite outrageous conduct.
'It must have been very worrying and distressing for your victim.
'It's true to say he got some summary justice but never the less it is something that will live with him for a very long time.'
A whining burglar has been jailed after calling police to complain that he had been shot while breaking into a family's home.
Lewis Patterson, 20, had forced his way into the house and was wielding a metal bar when he was shot twice with an air rifle by Gary Holmes.
After firing the shots Mr Holmes, who was relaxing with his girlfriend and two-month-old daughter when Patterson struck, called the police to report the incident.
Stunned: Gary Holmes, 19, shot metal bar-wielding burglar Lewis Patterson with his air rifle only for the criminal to call the police
Stunned: Gary Holmes, 19, shot metal bar-wielding burglar Lewis Patterson with his air rifle ... only for the criminal to call the police
But he later discovered, to his amazement, that Patterson had done the same, claiming he had been shot through a window while innocently passing the house.
The incident began when unemployed Mr Holmes spotted Patterson creeping around the garden of his home in Hull, East Yorkshire on October 28 2010.
Fearing for his young family's life, he quickly ran to grab his air rifle and confronted Patterson as the intruder smashed his way into their home.
During a scuffle Patterson violently lunged for Mr Holmes with a metal bar but the homeowner managed to fire two shots and the burglar fled.
But Patterson then dialled 999 in an attempt to have Mr Holmes arrested for using the gun.
'I didn't have much time to worry about if I was going to be prosecuted because I was more concerned about whether he would be coming back and whether my girlfriend and the baby were okay,' said Mr Holmes.
On his property: Mr Holmes spotted Patterson in his garden and the burglar later threw a brick at him
On his property: Mr Holmes spotted Patterson in his garden and the burglar later threw a brick at him
'I ran upstairs to get my rifle and looked through the window and saw him hit the window with a baseball bat so hard that it snapped. Then he used a metal bar.
'I ran down the stairs loading my rifle at the same time.
'When I went into the dining room, he was trying to pull my motorbike through the window.
'I told him, not very politely, to get out, but he just stared straight at me.
'Because I have the rifle, I know a bit about the law around it so I showed him the gun and gave him chance to leave before I did anything. I knew you can't just shoot someone.
'He raised this iron bar up and started coming towards me so I just pulled my gun up and shot him.
'Even then, he started to come towards me again and threw a brick at me.
'He must have thought it was a single shot rifle, but I reloaded it and shot him again.
'If I had let him hit me, I could have been in hospital or dead.'
The police eventually arrested Patterson and the rifle, which does not require a licence, was taken from Mr Holmes by police as evidence.
'The first officers who came seemed quite surprised when I said I had shot him,' said Mr Holmes.
'I don't think they knew what to think.
'They seemed a bit confused about who they were going to be charging, so they sent officers from CID to take a statement the next day.
'They said, because he had threatened me, that I should be fine.'
Patterson was sentenced at Hull Crown Court to 18 months in a young offenders institution after pleading guilty to burglary.
The Honorary Recorder of Hull and East Riding, Judge Michael Mettyear, told Patterson: 'This was quite outrageous conduct.
'It must have been very worrying and distressing for your victim.
'It's true to say he got some summary justice but never the less it is something that will live with him for a very long time.'
