Teenager appears in court after shooting himself in the foot

The 17-year-old gave detectives an ‘untrue’ version of events as to how he received the gunshot injury (Picture: PA Archive/PA Images)

A teenager who accidentally shot himself in the foot has been sentenced for firearms offences.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had gone to hospital with a gunshot injury just before midnight on March 11, 2022.

He gave an ‘untrue’ version of events, police said, as to how he sustained the wound.

Witnesses and CCTV enquiries later identified that he had accidentally discharged a shotgun – that was concealed in his waistband – into his foot whilst on Lionel Road North in Middlesex.

The investigation found another teenager, 19-year-old Tyrese Campbell, was with the boy at the time of the incident and took the firearm away with him.

The 17-year-old was sentenced to a 12-month referral order at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 27 January.

He pleaded guilty at the same court on 1 December 2022 to being in possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

His co-defendant, Campbell, 19, of Chrislea Close, Hounslow, was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment.

He had pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm in a public place at the same court on December 1 2022.

Detective Constable Katie Newton, the investigating officer from the Met Police’s Specialist Crime Command, said: ‘The 17-year-old and Campbell were illegally in possession of the shotgun, and they clearly only had it with the intention to cause fear of violence – or worse.

‘We know gun crime is closely linked to gangs, drugs markets and organised crime groups and we will stop at nothing to disrupt the supply of firearms on the streets of London.

‘But we can’t do this alone. We can reduce gun crime far quicker if members of the public provide us with information about where firearms are being stored and who they are being used by.’

Anyone with information about firearms or other weapons should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

from News – Metro https://ift.tt/OyjvHr4