Coroner’s call for airgun law revision after death of boy

A CORONER has called for a review of firearms law after a teenager was accidentally shot in the neck and killed by a home-made air rifle held by his friend.

Ben Wragge (13) was fatally struck while playing with a group of boys at a friend’s house in the village of Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

One boy, referred to as youth three, was holding the weapon when it fired without the trigger being pulled, yesterday’s inquest at Suffolk Coroner’s Court heard.

Detective Inspector Kevin Hayward of Suffolk Police said youth three was “holding the sight to see how far he could see, focusing on different trees”.

Mr Hayward continued: “He then swung around to hand the weapon over, then felt a shake.

“He did not think the weapon was loaded and he did not think he fired the weapon.

“He heard Ben shout ‘ow’. He did not think anything had happened until he saw blood.”

His friends raised the alarm and Ben’s mother Claire performed CPR, but he died at the West Suffolk Hospital shortly afterwards on May 1, 2016.

Mr Hayward said that the weapon was not made by a commercial manufacturer.

It was a .22 air rifle which had a telescopic sight and si- lencer, could be loaded with up to nine pellets without them being visible, had no safety catch and could discharge without the trigger being pulled.

Two teenage boys were initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, then told they faced no further action.

Senior coroner Dr Peter Dean said there was a problem in the perception that air weapons are not as lethal as shotguns and licensed rifles.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, he asked that the Home Office review the individual circumstances and the legislation around the use of airguns.

“I hope there will be a great deal of learning from this tragedy that might prevent similar tragedies in the future,” he said.

Richard Kennett, firearms manager for Norfolk and Suffolk Police, told the inquest: “I believe there’s a more casual approach when it comes to air weapons.”

He said air weapons are subject to controls under the Firearms Act 1968, but noted Section 23 of the Act states: “It is not an offence... for a person of or over the age of 14 to have with him an air weapon or ammunition on private premises with the consent of the occupier.”

Mr Kennet said removing or amending this part of Section 23, which allows young people to have unsupervised access, could improve safety.