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Search forTeenager found with BB airgun
Friday, November 14, 2008, 07:00
The witness said the boy was with a group of other schoolchildren going towards the restaurant at around lunchtime on July 15.
Police believed there was an "organised fight" planned at the family restaurant between pupils from two city schools.
When they got there they found the place packed with up to 120 youths, with some admitting at the time they had come to watch an arranged fight between students from two city schools.
They found a 16-year-old youth with the reported gun, which turned out to be a BB airgun, which he had tucked into the waistband of his trousers.
They also arrested a 17-year-old youth who was carrying two knives – a kitchen knife and a craft knife, the court heard.
When the 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in the youth court, he pleaded guilty to possession of an air weapon in a public place.
The teenager, who had never been in trouble with the police before, was in tears as his solicitor told the court the boy didn't own the gun – it belonged to the youth who was carrying the knives.
Mr Anthony Daniel said: "It was the end of term and pupils from Sir John Hunt Community College had arranged to meet and celebrate with a meal at McDonald's.
"Rumours circulated that students from another school might be going to the same venue and that it might provoke some trouble."
The court heard the other school allegedly involved was Eggbuckland Community College .
Mr Daniel said the older boy, who owned the airgun, was showing it to his client as they walked towarsd the restaurant which, he said, was probably when it was seen by the witness, who called police.
Of the 16-year-old, Mr Daniel said: "He wasn't looking for violence. They went there, had a meal and nothing untoward happened."
He said when police arrived the older boy handed over the airgun to the 16-year-old, who put it in the waistband of his trousers.
He said his client might have felt intimidated by the older boy into doing this. When police approached him he immediately handed over the weapon.
Mr Daniel said: "They found two knives on the other boy, a kitchen knife and a craft knife. He was also arrested but police took no further action over him."
The airgun, designed with a spring action to fire ball bearings or lead pellets, was not loaded, the court heard.
Mr Daniel said the airgun also turned out to be damaged to the extent it would have been unable able to fire pellets.
He said the boy had been foolish to get involved and had been distressed by the whole incident, as had his "close knit family".
Magistrates told the boy although he might have been naive it was a serious matter, as any weapon in a public place could attract disaster.
They gave him a six month referral order, which means he and his parents will attend regular meetings with a Youth Offender Panel.
They also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the BB airgun.
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WEAPONS: The air pistol and two knives found on teenagers in McDonald's
It would be much more appropriate to have an outsized bronze or even brightly coloured acryllic statue of one of Beryl Cook's Janner women.
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