Boy Accused of Firearms Offence Flees Country

An 11-year-old boy who pointed an air pistol at two people before firing at a parked car has fled the country before he could be sentenced.

The incident happened last August, when the boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – fired the weapon on a street in Derby. At the time of the offence he was just 10 years old.

In April the individual was found guilty of possessing an imitation firearm, and of a public order offence. But he failed to appear in court.

Police believe the boy is now living in the country of his birth, the Czech Republic.

Derbyshire Police confirmed that officers were unable to locate the boy, but that it had received information about the boy's whereabouts two months ago.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Youth Court heard how the victims, a man and a woman, had met on the day of the incident to discuss the problems they had been having with the boy.

They told the court that he pointed the weapon at them, while being verbally abusive, before firing the gun at a car parked across the street. The female victim told the court she had "never felt as vulnerable" and that the boy was "blasé" after he had fired the shots.

A firearms expert confirmed the gun was a "Chinese made, 6mm, plastic pellet firing, soft air pistol" which was coloured blue and in "normal working order."

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The Johnson Partnership

Firearms Solicitors