Man in court accused of firing a gun through a letterbox in Brunswick
Police have also released an image of a car in connection with the shooting
Last updated 6th Jan 2018
A man is appearing in court today (Saturday 6th January) accused of firing a gun through someone's letterbox in Brunswick on New Year's Day.
Jamal Barrat, who's 45 and from Borough Road in North Shields, is charged with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, criminal damage, possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate, possess of a firearm while prohibited for life and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Officers were called to a flat on Grey Street in the early hours of Monday. 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.
Police have also released an image of a black VW Golf as part of their appeal for information about the incident.
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 (5/1) 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.
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.”