Man found guilty of Pc shooting

A man has been found guilty of the attempted murder of a trainee police officer.

Trevon Thomas, 24, of Melford Road, Bilborough, shot Pc Rachael Bown, also 24, three times as she investigated a burglary in the Lenton area of Nottingham on February 14.

Pc Bown, who was nearing the end of her training period, was wearing body armour, but was hit in the stomach, below the level of the armour.

She has still not returned to work.

Pc Bown had been on patrol with her partner, Martin Foster, who was a more experienced officer.

Both officers had tried to stop Thomas as he fled from a bus shelter close to the scene of the burglary where two other officers had been searching him.

Pc Foster had sprayed CS gas at Thomas before he opened fire with a Browning 9mm pistol.

During the trial, Thomas had claimed that he was carrying the pistol for protection.

Thomas was originally from Trinidad and had entered the UK in February 2000 on a six-month visitor's visa.

He was arrested three days after the shooting as he was preparing to leave for Trinidad on a flight from Heathrow airport.

On Tuesday, the jury at Nottingham Crown Court, who were not told of his immigration status during the trial, found Thomas guilty of the attempted murder of Pc Bown, as well as possession of a firearm.

However, the jury did not return a verdict on a third charge of possession of a firearm with intent to resist arrest.

Thomas will be sentenced at a later date.

(KMcA/EF)