THE most serious of three air rifle attacks in Bury last week left a four-month-old baby showered in glass.
The incident took place at about 1.45pm on August 21 when a pellet struck a window in the back door of a house in Myrtle Gardens.
Mrs Sylvia Rogers, pictured with daughter Lorraine and grandson Oliver, was standing at the door when the pellet smashed against the glass.
A few inches to the left and Mrs Rogers would have been struck in the neck. As it was ,splinters of glass flew into the living room, falling on her grandson.
She said: "Oliver is a miracle baby. He was born prematurely and has an enlarged kidney. He is very delicate and could have been killed or maimed.
"I don't know what the world is coming to when parents allow their children to have air rifles."
The three attacks all took place on the same afternoon. The first saw Bury Motors on Rochdale Road targeted with one shot through a window at about 1pm.
Bury Market Hall was the scene of the final incident at about 4.20pm.
Four shots were fired high into the glass exterior which encloses the market.
Darren Durham, (21), of Walmersley Road in Bury, was in the market near the Lawless hardware store when the shots were fired.
He said: "The glass shattered and came down on a woman with two children. I think the shots came from across the dual carriageway."
Lawless staff thought a light bulb had blown but came out of the store and realised that shots were being fired. Bury North MP David Chaytor is demanding stricter controls on air guns after the triple attack in Bury.
Mr Chaytor has already raised the issue in the House of Commons, but will be writing to Home Secretary Jack Straw after the incidents.
Mr Chaytor said: "When I first raised the issue the Government said they were concentrating on the ban on handguns.
"Now that is out of the way, I want them to bring forward action on air rifles, especially after last week's terrible attacks."
Mr Chaytor, who grew up in Myrtle Street, next street to Myrtle Gardens, said he knew only too well how much damage air rifles could cause.
"I was hit in the head with an airgun pellet when I was six years old," he revealed. "The pellet hit about a quarter of an inch above my eye, so I have known for some time just what damage they can do."
He explained that there is no licensing system for airguns, and he wants Government action now.
"There were other attacks elsewhere in Greater Manchester last week," said Mr Chaytor, "and there had been when I first raised the issue in the House of Commons back in July."
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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