Officer who gave gun licence to mass killer was untrained
A FIREARMS licence officer who recommended the Plymouth mass shooter for a shotgun certificate had not received any formal training, an inquest heard yesterday.
Jake Davison killed his mother with a legally owned firearm before shooting four others, and then himself, in the Keyham area of Plymouth in Aug 2021.
The 22-year-old had been granted a shotgun certificate in Jan 2018, but it was seized, along with his weapon, in Dec 2020 after he assaulted two teenagers.
Just weeks before the massacre, the certificate and shotgun had been returned to Davison by the police.
At the inquest into the deaths of the victims – Maxine Davison, 51, Lee Martyn, 43, his three-year-old daughter Sophie, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66 – the firearms licence officer who processed Davison’s original application admitted he had “no specific training” to perform his duties.
David Rees reviewed the apprentice crane operator’s application in July 2017 and made a formal recommendation accompanied by a report that he sent to a supervisor for approval.
The former armed police officer and Royal Marine also sought information from Davison’s GP and a former teacher, Plymouth Coroner’s Court was told.
He also interviewed both Davison, his mother, and his uncle, who was himself a licensed shotgun holder. Mr Rees worked at Devon and Cornwall Police’s firearms licensing unit from May 2016 until Nov 2021.
Bridget Dolan KC, counsel to the inquest, suggested to Mr Rees there was a “default” position in the department that licences would not be revoked unless there was a “extreme concern”. “Yes,” Mr Rees replied.
The inquest continues.