Plymouth gunman beat boy after being called ‘fat’ - year before killing five people

Police briefly confiscated legally-held shotgun from 22-year-old before handing it back to him – ahead of fatal shooting spree which saw him kill his own mother

Newly released footage shows the moment that Plymouth gunman Jake Davison unleashed a volley of punches on an innocent 16-year-old boy after he was called a “fat c***” by another teenager.

But Davison was not charged with the September 2020 assaults – and although his shotgun was confiscated, it was later handed back to him by police before he went on his killing spree in August 2021.

The details of the violent incident nearly a year earlier emerged at the inquest into Davison’s five victims, as those who assessed his suitability to hold a shotgun licence were giving evidence.

Jake Davison attacked an innocent teenager after another called him ‘fat' (South West Police Forensics/SWNS)

The boy who insulted Davison ran off after shouting at Davison near a skate park in Plymouth’s Central Park, and the 22-year-old responded with a burst of violence so extreme his blameless victim suffered injuries to his eyebrow, nose and lip, the inquest heard.

CCTV of the incident in a Plymouth park showed him approaching the boy, who was sat on a wall, and then dragging him off to begin the attack – giving him no chance to defend himself.

Davison punches the boy at least five times but he could have unleashed between seven and nine blows during the assault.

As the teenager goes limp Davison continues the punching before the footage shows him picking him up and throwing him to the ground.

Davison then swings a punch at another boy and misses, and appears to either stumble over the teenager or kick him as he was on the floor.

Davison would go on to kill five people (Jake Davison/PA Wire)

When a 15-year-old girl goes to her friend’s aid she was slapped by Davison and he then leaves the scene.

Davison was not charged with the assaults, with a detective sergeant instead referring him to a deferred charging scheme as an alternative to prosecution.

His legally held pump-action shotgun and certificate were seized by Devon and Cornwall Police following the incident but were later returned.

The component parts of the ‘trap’ shotgun cartridge shown in the inquest (Plymouth HM Coroner/PA Wire)

Less than 12 months later, Davison shot dead five people, including his mother Maxine, with a firearm he legally held.

Bridget Dolan KC, counsel to the inquest, said: “The CCTV shows more than five punches to the young man, maybe between seven and nine.

“The CCTV appears to show him [the boy] on the floor having lost consciousness – or at least not moving or resisting – and the punches continued at that stage.

Stephen Washington was among those who died in Keyham, Devon (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA Wire)

“CCTV showed the young woman approaching them and Davison putting his arm out to her. The boy was hit so hard there was a two-inch cut above his eyebrow, and bleeding to his nose, eyebrow and lip.”

The boy required superficial stitches to his eyebrow but the girl was left with no visible injuries.

Davison later handed himself in to the police after a public appeal was made featuring CCTV images of a suspect.

The parents of the boy wanted Davison charged but he was instead enrolled on the Pathfinder scheme.

After being alerted by staff from the scheme, Davison’s certificate and weapon were seized by firearms enquiry officer David Rees but were later returned.

Biddick Drive, where five people were killed by gunman Davison (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

The inquest has previously heard Davison was so angry following the incident he wanted to kill the teenagers and went home to get his shotgun.

Darren Wood, the partner of Ms Davison, said her son was “raging angry” and had begun loading the weapon until his mother calmed him down.

“He came back and ran upstairs. Maxine went upstairs and I could hear him saying, ‘I’m going down there and kill them’,” he said.

“He said he was going to go back to the park and he went to his room to get his gun out the cupboard. I could hear something being loaded.”

Additional reporting by PA