North Shields man charged over letterbox shooting; car appeal; second shooting in village

A North Shields man has been charged over the through-the-letterbox shooting at Brunswick Village on New Year's Day.
Appeal for information about this VW GolfAppeal for information about this VW Golf
Appeal for information about this VW Golf

Northumbrian Police have also released an image of a car as part an investigation into the incident.

Officers were initially called to a flat on Grey Street in Brunswick Village just in the early hours of New Year's Day to reports that the front door had been damaged.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But when they arrived they discovered a firearm had been discharged through the letterbox.

Nobody was injured during the incident, which took place between midnight and 12.30am, but the occupants of the address were left very shaken.

Five people were arrested this week in connection with the incident and four of those have been released under investigation.

But tonight, police charged Jamal Barrat, 45, of Borough Road, North Shields, with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, criminal damage, possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate, possession of a firearm while prohibited for life and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They have also released an image of a black VW Golf as part of their appeal for information. Detectives want to speak to anyone who saw it in the area around the time of the shooting or in the days before.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Cairns, the senior investigating officer on the case, said: “We are keen to trace the movements of this vehicle, and those who were using the vehicle, as we think it could assist us in our investigation. If you do think you can help then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with police as it could important piece of information for our wider investigation.

“Anyone else who saw anything suspicious in the area on New Year’s Eve, or in the days before, is also being urged to contact police so we can establish the exact circumstances around this case.”

On Friday morning (January 5), police also received a report of a firearm being discharged at a second address in Brunswick during the evening which caused damage to a window.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Enquiries into that are ongoing but DCI Cairns has reassured the public that the two are being treated as isolated incidents and nobody was injured at either address.

He said: “We know that two incidents involving firearms in the same area in a matter of days may cause concern for residents in Brunswick. Our detectives are working hard to establish the circumstances around both incidents but we do not believed they are linked in any way.

“There will be extra officers on patrol tonight and throughout the weekend so if anyone has any concerns please do not hesitate to speak to them.”

Jamal Barrat will appear before magistrates in Newcastle tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Anyone with information that may help detectives with their investigations should call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

If you have information about the VW Golf and the incident on New Year’s Day quote log. 70 01/01/18. Anyone with information about the incident in Brunswick on Wednesday evening should quote log 186 05/01/17.