A Milestone Year But The Campaign For Crossbow Law Reform Continues

For Laura Sugden, when January 12^th passes each year, nothing gets any easier.

That was the date in 2018 when she and her partner, Shane Gilmer, were attacked in their own home at Southburn nr Driffield, East Yorkshire, by an intruder, their next-door neighbour Anthony Lawrence. 30-year-old Shane was shot by a crossbow in the attack and later died from his injuries, while Laura, also aged 30, survived the attack but suffered physical and mental scars which she still suffers from today. Lawrence was found dead two days later which meant there would be no criminal trial and no closure for Laura, or Shane’s family. Eight years on the fight for adequate crossbow law reform continues.

The Inquest into Shane’s death took place at Hull Coroner’s Court in April 2021. HM Senior Coroner Professor Paul Marks announced that the jury had returned a conclusion of ‘unlawful killing’ after a five day Inquest. This was just the start of the fight for justice for Laura, who was pregnant at the time of the attack and had subsequently given birth to her and Shane’s child. The Coroner also announced that he would be producing a Prevention of Future Deaths Report which would raise concerns about the danger of crossbows, which at the time were unregulated. Laura, with help from Ison Harrison, who represented Shane’s family in the Inquest, also announced she would be launching a campaign to call for the sale of crossbows to be brought into line with firearms laws. As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Inquest in April this year, although the sale of crossbows is still unregulated Laura is still hopeful for change.

Campaign launch in May 2021

Following the 2021 Inquest conclusion, Laura talked about Shane in a statement, saying: “Shane was a loving partner and a wonderful dad and stepdad; he is missed every day by me and the rest of his family. It was clear from his final words how much he loved us all and I hope he knew how much we all loved him.” Ison Harrison joined forces with Laura to launch her campaign for a change in crossbow legislation as we find it unimaginable that, in modern society, it is still possible to buy a lethal weapon such as the one that killed Shane Gilmer. The Crossbows Act 1987 simply makes it an offence for crossbows to be bought by or sold to people under the age of 18.

Our specialist Inquest solicitor Gemma Vine took up the fight on behalf of Ison Harrison and has formed a lasting and profound relationship with Laura. The Prevention of Future Deaths Report was released, as promised, in May 2021 and sent to the then Secretary of State for the Home Department, Priti Patel, and Kit Malthouse, Minister of State for Crime and Policing. However, the first setback came on 20^th May 2021, when the Government responded to our petition stating that they had no intention to legislate on this matter as they believed that the incidents where crossbows have been misused are very rare.

Crossbow attacks are not rare in the UK

At the time, Ison Harrison reported there had been 42 incidents in the UK where someone had died or been injured by a crossbow attack, with a further 43 incidents reported where a crossbow was involved in an incident in a threatening manner. In 2024, many people will recall, Kyle Clifford murdered his ex-girlfriend, her sister and her mother – the family of TV racing commentator John Hunt – in a crossbow attack at their home in Hertfordshire. Later in 2024, armed police shot a man dead after he was seen threatening people with a crossbow in London.

In the meantime, the Ison Harrison campaign had continued with attempts to educate the public on the dangers of crossbows and why the law had to be changed on how they were sold. We sent an open letter to the Home Secretary in May 2021 explaining how crossbow incidents in the UK were no longer rare. Even two weeks prior, there had been a sighting of a man wielding a crossbow in public in Barnsley. We presented more evidence that the UK legislation on crossbows was inadequate. We also felt compelled to respond publicly when crossbows were used in TV programmes such as ‘Sherwood’ and, in March 2023, for a tasteless stunt on ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ in which Bruno Tonioli was tricked into thinking he had shot Simon Cowell with a crossbow. The campaign also saw Gemma Vine interviewed on BBC Radio Leeds, and Gemma appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live alongside Laura Sugden, while the duo have also joined forces to highlight the campaign on BBC Radio 4, and on TV, with appearances on ITV’s Calendar and This Morning.

A welcome legislative breakthrough

In 2022, Gemma and Laura were invited to attend the Home Office to provide their evidence gathered as part of the campaign. The Home Office subsequently commenced their review into crossbows, and as a result of that review, in February 2024, the Home Office launched a call for information and evidence about the introduction of the licensing of crossbows on public safety grounds. As part of that call for evidence, we resubmitted our evidence to the Home Office.

In May 2025, just weeks after a 38-year-old man had killed himself with a gunshot to the head after being suspected of attacking two young women with a crossbow in Headingley, Leeds – right on Ison Harrison’s doorstep – the Government announced a small amendment to the current law regarding the verification of online sales. The proposals, announced as part of the Government’s wider Crime and Policing Bill, include stronger age verification for online sales and delivery of crossbows. However, the campaigners say these measures are not sufficient to prevent further attacks like the various incidents seen in recent years. Ison Harrison’s position stated that: “the new legislation marks progress but fails to address the root of the problem: the unregulated ownership of a weapon capable of inflicting lethal harm.”

The UK is still dangerously exposed to crossbow attacks

Throughout the campaign, Ison Harrison’s Gemma Vine has emphasised that the campaign is not a call for an outright ban on crossbows, recognising there are legitimate uses such as for sport and historical re-enactment. Laura Sugden also supports this view, and Gemma added: “It is outrageous that such powerful weapons can be bought and owned without any oversight. It’s time to end the free-for-all.”

With the eighth anniversary of Shane’s death having passed this year, it will soon be five years since the Inquest into his unlawful killing was concluded in April 2021. As it is now approaching five years since the crossbow law reform campaign was launched in May 2021, Ison Harrison would like to take this opportunity to state that the campaign for crossbows to be brought in line with shotgun legislation continues. We believe this should include mandatory licensing, registration and police background checks. Until those reforms are enacted, and regardless of the regulatory reforms announced in 2025, we believe the UK still remains dangerously exposed to further crossbow attacks.