Barry Williams (spree killer)

A foundry worker who lived with his parents, he shot eight people in the English Midlands towns of West Bromwich and Nuneaton in little over an hour on 26 October 1978, killing five.

[3] His erratic behaviour, including shooting at dummies dressed in wigs, and modifying his bullets to make them more powerful, led to his being expelled from one club, in Telford, Shropshire.

[5] During the mid 1970s, he had been involved in a number of disputes with his neighbours, the Burkitt family, of 16 Andrew Road, alleging that the noise of their television and record player disturbed him and his parents.

[9] After discharging a total of 23 rounds,[3] Williams fled the scene by car, firing a further six shots from a second, .22-calibre pistol as he did so.

[7] Williams slept rough in some woodland,[13] and was arrested the next morning, in Spring Gardens, Buxton, after a 30 miles (48 km) car chase at high speed, starting on the Derbyshire moors.

[7] Police found 147 9mm and 770 .22 rounds in his car, along with the .22 calibre pistol which had a full magazine,[7] and several home-made bombs.

[4] Williams, who had schizophrenia,[14] was released from hospital in 1994 once doctors and a mental health tribunal decided that he was no longer a risk to the public.

[6][13] A Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said in 2014, "Harry Street was released on a conditional discharge, subject to specific conditions, in 1993 [sic] by a Mental Health Tribunal, an independent judicial body, after careful consideration of the medical evidence presented to them.

"[15] On release, he changed his name to Harry Street[8] and initially was allowed to live in a bail hostel around 6 miles (9.7 km) from Andrew Road, resulting in complaints from the MP for the latter area, Peter Snape, on behalf of several concerned constituents,[3] to the Home Secretary,[16] Michael Howard.

[13] Williams's home was searched by West Midlands Police as part of their investigation, and he was found to be in possession of an improvised bomb, 50 homemade bullets, a revolver and two pistols.

[18] At Birmingham Crown Court in October 2014, he pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing a prohibited firearm, to putting a neighbour in fear of violence, and to making an improvised explosive device.

[11][13][19] West Midlands Police announced after the trial concluded that a Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements serious case review would be held.