Armed burglar to be sentenced for shooting in police chase
A gunman who sent two police officers diving for safety when he opened fire following a chase will be sentenced today.
Callum Hall pulled out a pistol after being pursued by constables Colin Hutton and Vincent Turner in August last year.
CCTV footage showed the policemen running after Hall, a burglary suspect, past busy restaurant terraces packed with diners near Southwark Tube station.
As shots rang out, customers at the outdoor tables could be seen in the footage dashing inside while others looked around in confusion.
Pc Hutton feared that Pc Turner had been hit and then dived to the ground himself at the sound of a bang, the Old Bailey heard.
The two officers had approached Hall on August 5 to speak to him about an incident in which he was alleged to have threatened a mother at gunpoint and demanded money, in front of her children aged five and 10.
Philip Bennetts, prosecuting, said there were "many, many people" around in the direction in which the gun was fired and it was fortunate no-one was injured.
Hall, 21, of no fixed address, was found guilty of possessing a 9mm pistol with intent to endanger life but cleared of two counts of attempted murder after claiming he did not mean to hit the officers.
In addition, he was convicted of a charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life on the date of his arrest on August 18 last year.
He faces sentence today alongside three other defendants with whom he was also convicted of a series of other charges.
Hall was found guilty with Deniz Ozdil, 20, of Walworth, south-east London, of firearm possession, unlawful wounding, and attempted aggravated burglary with a pistol and hunting knife on July 28 last year.
Together with Anthony Babalola, 21, of Walworth, Hall was also found guilty of an aggravated burglary carried out with an imitation firearm, and false imprisonment, on July 22 last year.
Babalola was further convicted of two counts of intimidation - for threatening to shoot the victim of the July 22 attack and to stab a man who was there.
A 17-year-old youth pleaded guilty to a separate firearms charge.
