Father of Plymouth mass shooter warned police his son shouldn’t own shotgun licence

The father of Plymouth gunman Jake Davison told police about concerns for his son in a bid to stop him owning a shotgun and firearms licence.

Mark Davison told senior Plymouth coroner Ian Arrow that he had contacted Devon and Cornwall police about his son’s mental health before Davison killed his mother and four others in a 12-minute attack.

The 22-year-old killed his mother Maxine, 51, and then three-year-old Sophie Martyn; her father, Lee, 43; Stephen Washington, 59; and Kate Shepherd, 66, on the evening of August 12 2021, in the Keyham area of the city.

Before officers had reached him, the apprentice crane operator turned the pump-action shotgun on himself.

The incident occurred weeks after the firearm and licence were returned to Davison by police, who had originally seized the weapon in 2020, after he assaulted two teenagers in a park.

Bridget Dolan KC, counsel to the inquest, told the hearing Mr Davison has a friend who was present when he phoned Devon and Cornwall Police with his concerns about his son.

Mr Davison told the hearing: “I would like to say that when I initially phoned the Devon and Cornwall Police and tried to stop the shotgun licence by telling them that I didn’t think Jake was stable or living in a stable home etc, like I have already said before.

“My friend was there, and he is the one who is willing to say that he witnessed me saying such things as well as being logged with the police, to confirm what I am saying.”

The court heard an investigator from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is planning on obtaining a statement from Mr Davison’s friend.

Mr Davison’s son originally applied for a shotgun certificate in July 2017. He was issued a certificate that was valid for five years in January 2018.

Davison’s mother had been struggling to get help for her son, having become concerned about his mental health, according to reports. A previous hearing heard she had reported him to the counter-terrorism Prevent programme.

Davison’s social media usage suggested an obsession with incel, or “involuntary celibate”, as well as an interest in US gun culture.

The pre-inquest hearing at Plymouth Coroner’s Court heard arrangements are being made for the inquest to resume on January 17 next year at Exeter racecourse.