By james art A man has been arrested following two incidents involving firearms being fired in the Durham and Stockton areas
A man has been arrested following two incidents involving shots fired in the Durham and Stockton areas.
Jack Walker, aged 30, from west Northampton, was jailed for a total of 12 years and six months at Teesside Crown Court today (Thursday 31 October).
Earlier this year, on March 29, Walker used a stolen car to travel from Northampton to Staindrop in County Durham, where several shots were fired at a residential property with occupants, including a young child.
Fortunately, they were unharmed.
The stolen vehicle used in the incident was later found in Cleveland and a live grenade was found inside, which was safely destroyed by an explosives disposal team.
On April 12, Walker again used another stolen car to travel to Thornaby, where a property on Shetland Avenue was attacked and shots were fired at a property, missing the occupants by inches. Again, no one was physically injured.
The Audi used in the incident was found burnt out in Billingham later that day.
Working closely with Durham Police, Walker was charged in connection with the incidents later that month and pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and assisting an offender.
Acting Detective Sergeant Rob Griffiths said: “These incidents clearly required a large amount of planning with dangerous weapons and stolen vehicles, along with measures to avoid detection.
“The extensive investigation led to the identification of the suspects involved, the recovery of stolen vehicles and the recovery and destruction of prohibited weapons.
“Firearms are extremely dangerous weapons that can obviously cause serious injury or worse, death, and it was only by luck that in both cases no one was seriously injured.
“Today’s sentence is welcome and reflects the seriousness of the incidents and highlights the consequences of owning a firearm. Jack Walker will spend several years reflecting on his actions and I would encourage others who are involved in such crime to consider the consequences of participating in it.
“The impact of these incidents extends beyond the victims and the effects are felt across entire communities. I hope today’s sentence gives reassurance to these communities and sends a clear message to those who commit such serious and dangerous crimes that we will investigate thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.
Detective Constable Victoria Patrickson said: “In these two incidents, a dangerous gunman visited residential addresses in both Durham and Cleveland. In the first case, bullets went straight through the front door, with one bullet found in a vacuum cleaner and another found lodged in an interior wall.
“In the second incident, two rounds were again fired into a residential property where a bullet was recovered from the media wall in the living room.
“The investigative team successfully brought a dangerous offender to justice. Let this be a warning to others that the criminal use of firearms will not be tolerated.
Two women, aged 31 and 30, and a 31-year-old man from Northampton, along with a 17-year-old boy from Billingham, have been released on police bail.
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