Barry Williams (spree killer)
| Barry Kenneth Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1944 |
| Died | 24 December 2014 (aged 69 or 70) Merseyside, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Harry Street |
| Known for | Spree killings of 5 people |
| Criminal charge |
|
| Criminal penalty | Indefinite detention under mental health legislation (twice) |
| Criminal status | Detained in a high-security hospital, died while institutionalized |
Barry Kenneth Williams (1944 – 24 December 2014), known since 1994 as Harry Street, was a British 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 the space of little over an hour on 26 October 1978, killing five. Following a high-speed car chase, he was arrested and in 1979 was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was detained in high-security hospitals under mental health legislation.
After being given a conditional release in 1994, he changed his name, moved to Wales, and married. In 2014, following allegations of harassment against his neighbours, he was convicted of further firearms offences. He was again ordered to be detained in a secure hospital, with little likelihood of release, and died in December 2014.
At the time of his first offence, Williams was an unmarried foundry worker. He lived at 14 Andrew Road on the Bustleholme Mill estate in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England with his elderly parents, Hilda and Horrace, who owned and ran a metal polishing business in Birmingham.
He held a valid firearms certificate, allowing him to possess a single semi-automatic weapon. He used this weapon at approved gun clubs for sports shooting at targets. 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. His nickname there had been "The Cowboy". Members of another gun club where Williams was a member had expressed concerns that he was stealing bullets.
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