shot with air rifle after breaking into family home
Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 1:35 pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -home.html
Whining burglar locked up after HE dialled 999 to complain he had been shot with air rifle after breaking into family home
A judge has backed a teenager for dispensing ‘summary justice’ by shooting a burglar with an air rifle.
Gary Holmes, 19, said he fired twice in self-defence when intruder Lewis Patterson, 20, went for him with an iron bar.
Lawyers agreed that Mr Holmes, who feared for the safety of his girlfriend and her two-month-old baby, had acted within the law to protect himself.
Stunned: Gary Holmes, 19, shot metal bar-wielding burglar Lewis Patterson with his air rifle only for the criminal to call the police
Astonishingly, Patterson himself called the police to claim he was the victim.
But he pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to burglary and was sent to a young offenders’ institution for 18 months.
Judge Michael Mettyear said: ‘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 nevertheless it is something that will live with him for a very long time.’
Mr Holmes, a factory worker, was at his mother’s house in Hull when he heard his dog barking at around 9.30pm last October.
On his property: Mr Holmes spotted Patterson in his garden and the burglar later threw a brick at him
He looked out of his bedroom window and saw Patterson in the back garden.
Mr Holmes said: ‘He was swaying like he was drunk. I knew something was going to happen. He was not normal.’
Mr Holmes grabbed an air rifle he used for shooting rabbits on a farm and ran downstairs. ‘On the way I picked up three pellets and put two of them in the gun,’ he said.
He found Patterson in his mother’s living room. He was attempting to steal his £1,250 motorcycle, which he stored there for safe-keeping.
‘I told him to get out, not very politely,’ Mr Holmes said. ‘He just looked straight back at me. I put the rifle up to him and he stepped out on to the patio.
‘I know a bit about firearms and the law, so I warned him. I showed him the rifle and he came back into the house again.
‘That was when he raised the iron bar he was carrying. So I raised the gun back up. Then I shouted again: “Get out.” He just stared at me.
‘He kept coming at me with the bar so I shot him. He then started to come towards me again and threw a brick at me. I shot him again. If I had let him hit me, I could have been in hospital or dead.’
Mr Holmes added: ‘At the time I was in shock. Thinking back, it was just a reaction. I don’t just shoot people.’
Patterson fled on a bicycle but then contacted police to report being shot.
He claimed he was hit as he walked past the property, but was exposed as a liar. He was not seriously injured.
Mr Holmes said he acted on instinct and didn’t have time to think about the consequences.
He praised the police for how they handled the investigation, although he was initially concerned about being charged himself.
‘I never expected to have to shoot a person,’ Mr Holmes said. ‘The first officers who came seemed quite surprised when I said I had shot him. 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.’
Local councillor Nadine Fudge said of Patterson: ‘Criminals know that they can get away with so much these days and that’s why he called the police.’
Chief Superintendent Rick Proctor, Divisional Commander for Hull, said: ‘Common law states that anyone can use reasonable force to protect themselves or others, or to carry out an arrest or to prevent crime.
‘We would always encourage the public to do what is reasonable to prevent and detect crime, but obviously not put themselves or others at serious risk of harm by doing so.’
Whining burglar locked up after HE dialled 999 to complain he had been shot with air rifle after breaking into family home
A judge has backed a teenager for dispensing ‘summary justice’ by shooting a burglar with an air rifle.
Gary Holmes, 19, said he fired twice in self-defence when intruder Lewis Patterson, 20, went for him with an iron bar.
Lawyers agreed that Mr Holmes, who feared for the safety of his girlfriend and her two-month-old baby, had acted within the law to protect himself.
Stunned: Gary Holmes, 19, shot metal bar-wielding burglar Lewis Patterson with his air rifle only for the criminal to call the police
Astonishingly, Patterson himself called the police to claim he was the victim.
But he pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to burglary and was sent to a young offenders’ institution for 18 months.
Judge Michael Mettyear said: ‘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 nevertheless it is something that will live with him for a very long time.’
Mr Holmes, a factory worker, was at his mother’s house in Hull when he heard his dog barking at around 9.30pm last October.
On his property: Mr Holmes spotted Patterson in his garden and the burglar later threw a brick at him
He looked out of his bedroom window and saw Patterson in the back garden.
Mr Holmes said: ‘He was swaying like he was drunk. I knew something was going to happen. He was not normal.’
Mr Holmes grabbed an air rifle he used for shooting rabbits on a farm and ran downstairs. ‘On the way I picked up three pellets and put two of them in the gun,’ he said.
He found Patterson in his mother’s living room. He was attempting to steal his £1,250 motorcycle, which he stored there for safe-keeping.
‘I told him to get out, not very politely,’ Mr Holmes said. ‘He just looked straight back at me. I put the rifle up to him and he stepped out on to the patio.
‘I know a bit about firearms and the law, so I warned him. I showed him the rifle and he came back into the house again.
‘That was when he raised the iron bar he was carrying. So I raised the gun back up. Then I shouted again: “Get out.” He just stared at me.
‘He kept coming at me with the bar so I shot him. He then started to come towards me again and threw a brick at me. I shot him again. If I had let him hit me, I could have been in hospital or dead.’
Mr Holmes added: ‘At the time I was in shock. Thinking back, it was just a reaction. I don’t just shoot people.’
Patterson fled on a bicycle but then contacted police to report being shot.
He claimed he was hit as he walked past the property, but was exposed as a liar. He was not seriously injured.
Mr Holmes said he acted on instinct and didn’t have time to think about the consequences.
He praised the police for how they handled the investigation, although he was initially concerned about being charged himself.
‘I never expected to have to shoot a person,’ Mr Holmes said. ‘The first officers who came seemed quite surprised when I said I had shot him. 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.’
Local councillor Nadine Fudge said of Patterson: ‘Criminals know that they can get away with so much these days and that’s why he called the police.’
Chief Superintendent Rick Proctor, Divisional Commander for Hull, said: ‘Common law states that anyone can use reasonable force to protect themselves or others, or to carry out an arrest or to prevent crime.
‘We would always encourage the public to do what is reasonable to prevent and detect crime, but obviously not put themselves or others at serious risk of harm by doing so.’
the little dog seems to have pretty sharp teeth! Scary looking fellow too. 
