Police feared invading incel gunman's PRIVACY: Officers 'did not check his social media history' before handing back shotgun ahead of Plymouth rampage that left six dead

Police did not bother searching for Plymouth incel murderer Jake Davison's warning sign rants before handing his shotgun back to him because it would 'invade his privacy', it was claimed tonight.

Within hours of his murderous rampage on Thursday night, a disturbing series of YouTube videos emerged in which the gunman, under the user name Professor Waffle, fantasised about being the 'Terminator' from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

He also spoke of his belief in the 'blackpill' philosophy of the 'incel' community, a fatalistic and misogynistic world view that your position in life cannot change.

But comments tonight from Shaun Sawyer - Devon and Cornwall Police's chief constable - that sifting through the videos would infringe on the killer's rights have sparked fresh calls from MPs for more rigorous background checks before guns are returned.

Mr Sawyer told the Sun: 'We take and return firearms on a not irregular basis when people have emotional crises or we receive reports from family members, then they can be returned.

'What we don't do, because firearms licencing is a lawful thing, is trawl the internet looking at people's lives. That's an invasion of privacy.'

Tory MP Tim Loughton said in response: 'It's a matter of public record. It's a misunderstanding of social media to suggest it would be invading their privacy.'

It comes as it was also revealed that Davison's shotgun was confiscated last year over a skatepark attack on a 16-year-old boy that allegedly saw him smack the teenager in the face, it was revealed tonight.

Pressure has grown on Devon and Cornwall Police this weekend amid questions over why the killer was granted a licence for his weapon, and why it was returned to him last month, having been taken away following an incident last September.

Details of this incident have now come to the surface, after it emerged the same force issued images of a man - now identified as Davison - that they wanted to speak to in connection with an alleged assault at a skate park in the city.

Officers have received reports that a 16-year-old boy was approached by a man in the seated area of the Central Park venue and smacked in the face on the evening of September 16.

Police appealed for information in tracking down the suspect, following an attack which is said to have caused the teenager visible injury.

Davison, who is recognisable in the images released by police last October, had his shotgun confiscated in the aftermath of the alleged assault.

Less than a year later, however, it was returned to him after he attended an anger management course, and within mere weeks, the 22-year-old would carry out his atrocity that left five victims dead.

Meanwhile, it was claimed that Davison also spat at and hit a girl who tried to break up the clash, to which he yelled: 'I f***ing hate women'.

Caroline Reilly, a friend of the mother of the 16-year-old allegedly attacked told the Sun: 'He just walked up to them and started punching one, kicking him in the head.

'A girl tried to intervene to say, 'What the hell are you doing?' and he spat in her face and said, 'You can go to hell'.

'If the girl had not intervened he would have carried on. He hit her and spat at her and said, 'I f***ing hate women'.'

Police last year issued images of a man - now identified as Davison - that they wanted to speak to in connection with an alleged assault at a skate park in the city

Davison, who is recognisable in the images released by police last October, had his shotgun confiscated in the aftermath of the alleged assault

Less than a year later, however, it was returned to him after he attended an anger management course, and within mere weeks, the 22-year-old would carry out his atrocity that left five victims dead

It comes as disturbing new footage shows the gunman crouching over one of his victim's bodies during the horror attack.

A car's dashcam picked up the grisly scenes as Davison looms over the woman while shocked residents appear to be calling the police.

Meanwhile a former top prosecutor said the shooter should have been on a police watchlist before he killed five people and himself on Thursday.

Nazir Afzal, who was previously chief crown prosecutor for the North West, said Davison was 'exactly the type of person the authorities should be keeping an eye on'.

The police chief investigating the mass shooting was confronted by an angry local on why his force had given back Davison's pump-action shotgun after taking it away.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer was challenged by 78-year-old former MoD armed security guard Stewart Parfitt who asked why the firearm was returned last month.

Davison's shooting spree left five people dead - as well as himself - and was Britain's first 'incel' mass shooting, named after a violent online subculture of 'involuntary celibates', who have an inability to find a sexual partner.

Today, his sister spoke of how she had been unable to comprehend the fact that her brother had murdered their mother Maxine, before taking four more lives, including that of a three-year-old girl.

She told a friend: 'I'm devastated, I haven't been able to take it all in, it's just too much.'

The friend told MailOnline: 'She is heartbroken, her brother has not only shot and killed their mother but then taken his own life and if that isn't bad enough is responsible for killing four innocent people, including a little three-year-old girl.

'She's lost two members of her family and needs time to grieve, which is difficult because she's had so many people knocking at her house. She's had to move away temporarily.

'When I saw her, she looked so shocked still and really tired and withdrawn. You can see the effect this horrific incident has had on her.

'The one positive thing is that she isn't alone, she has her boyfriend Shane who has been looking after her and providing a shoulder to cry on. He's been a tower of strength.'

The sister's other brother himself left a heartfelt tribute to his mother this afternoon, by updating his Facebook profile picture to one of the two of them together.

In other developments:

'Police gave shotgun back to gunman after 'anger management class' one month before rampage'

Police are facing mounting questions about why the killer behind Britain's worst mass shooting for more than a decade was free to own a weapon - as it was revealed his licence was returned just a month ago.

Gunman Jake Davison, 22, murdered his mother Maxine, 51, in her Plymouth home with a pump-action shotgun before going out into the street and killer a further four innocent people.

The bodybuilder, who had posted rambling videos about being 'beaten down' on social media, said nothing during the 12-minute rampage through a quiet residential street before turning the gun on himself.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said they would investigate Devon and Cornwall Police over Davison's possession of a shotgun and shotgun certificate.

The legally held weapon had been taken from him in December 2020 following an allegation of assault last September.

It was returned to him in July after he attended an anger management course after which police classed him as being fit again to possess the three-shot shotgun.

Confirming a mandatory referral from Devon and Cornwall Police yesterday morning, IOPC regional director David Ford said announced an investigation into the shooting and 'police contact with Jake Davison prior to the incident'.

This includes the force's role and actions regarding firearms licensing, he said.

Mr Ford said: 'After assessment of the referral we have determined we will carry out an independent investigation focusing on Jake Davison's firearms licensing history and its impact on the tragic events of Thursday August 12.

'We will examine what police actions were taken and when, the rationale behind police decision-making, and whether relevant law, policy and procedures were followed concerning Mr Davison's possession of a shotgun.

'The investigation will also consider whether the force had any information concerning Mr Davison's mental health and if so, if this information was appropriately considered.

'It appears the force's response to reports of the shootings was very prompt and having reviewed information currently available, we are not intending to investigate the Devon and Cornwall Police response to the shootings.

'This will be kept under review as more information emerges. However, the investigation will explore whether there was any causal link between the arrival of police and Mr Davison apparently shooting himself.'

Mr Ford added: 'It has not yet been established whether the shotgun returned to Mr Davison was used in yesterday's shootings.'

According to The Telegraph, Davison had claimed that he had the shotgun for sports use and had the licence reinstated after he attended an anger management course.

Today it emerged that the gunman worked out at a special gym which helped people with their mental as well as physical health.

He used to regularly attend the Ford Community gym near his home, where trainers also give advice on self-esteem so people can 'improve how they see themselves'.

Davison used to spend 'hours' working out and would only lift weights, according to a fellow gym user, who said: 'He was quiet, didn't say much at all.

'He'd go and find the heaviest weights and lift them, he was a big strong lad.

'But if I went down for a big session at the gym, he'd always still be there when I left.

'This was about two years ago, I don't know if he still went but it's the kind of place he would go to, it's not a big commercial place.'

The gym was set up by couple Peter and Brydie Bruce.

In a 2019 interview with the Plymouth Herald, the couple said they were driven by a 'passion to help others improve their mental health, as well as their physical health.'

Brydie, who is a Mental Wellbeing Coach and MHFA Youth Mental Health First Aider, said that the gym 'isn't just about getting fit, it's also how about people see themselves.'

When approached by MailOnline today at their home, Peter said: 'I'm not going to talk about anything whatsoever. The gym is closed today and will be for a few days.'

It comes as friends of victim Lee Martyn, who died alongside his daughter Sophie, said: 'If he had issues why the hell was he allowed to have a shotgun?'

The Gun Control Network, which helped ban handguns, said: 'The important question is how did he get the gun and why was he given a licence. It is not about his motivation but what was wrong with the system that we can put right.'

Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News: 'Well it's a very good thing there's already an investigation into how the perpetrator got a gun licence given back to him very recently.

'I think the wider question is how on earth did he get a gun licence in the first place, what background checks were done. I'm glad there's the investigation already into why the licence was returned.

'I do think there are wider questions here and that could involve a review of the gun licencing laws because there are other questions here that need to be addressed.'

Today, Home Secretary Priti Patel told the community of Keyham, Plymouth: 'You're not on your own.'

The Conservative MP visited North Down Crescent park on Saturday afternoon to add a bouquet of flowers to a growing floral tribute in the peaceful park – which overlooks Biddick Drive, where the shooting happened.

Ms Patel spoke with community leaders, including chairman of the Keyham Neighbourhood Watch Kevin Sproston, to assure them that they had a 'great deal of support'.

She said: 'I can imagine how shattering this was for everybody, seeing the scale of what was going on, and the volume and response of the emergency services.

'But it is important to recognise that these things, thankfully, very, very rarely happen. This will not define Keyham.

'Seeing the way the support has helped bring people together and look after each other has been, and will continue to be, so important.'

Addressing the Home Secretary, Mr Sproston likened the incident to 'Keyham's September 11', and said: 'Every single person in Keyham knows exactly where they were when this happened.

'The hurt is deep, and we need some help in order to look after the people in our community.'

Ms Patel responded: 'That's absolutely understandable. The implications, the impact of this will be long-standing.

'It's a very sad time, very tragic. I think in the aftermath, so many people will be affected.

'People will have seen things that, quite frankly, in all our lifetime we would never, ever want anybody to witness or experience. It's very hard.

'But you are not on your own, there is a great deal of support.'

The Home Secretary declined to answer any questions put to her around gun control.

Davison first murdered his own mother, Maxine, at her home nearby, before going outside and randomly killing schoolgirl Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, and dog walker Stephen Washington. He then crossed a road to a hair salon where he shot and fatally injured Kate Shepherd, 66

A woman lays flowers with tributes in Plymouth, Devon, where five people were killed by gunman Jake Davison in a shooting on Thursday

Members of the public place flowers at Royal Navy Avenue on Saturday afternoon in Plymouth two days after the horror shooting spree

Kev Sproston, a member of the local neighbourhood watch team, told her the mass shooting was 'our September 11'. Pictured: The public laying flowers today

During Ms Patel's visit, Chief Constable Sawyer was challenged by 78-year-old former MoD armed security guard Stewart Parfitt who asked why the firearm was returned to Davison last month. Pictured: The public laying flowers today

But Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton, and Shadow Secretary of State for DEFRA, said that the people of Plymouth deserve 'clear answers' as to how the gunman got a firearms licence.

Mr Pollard said: 'I want to see answers to two very simple questions – why did this happen, and how did this happen?

'I want to see a proper, thorough investigation as to how the shooter got a firearms licence, and why he was given back that gun. That's the question that the people in this community have.

'When I heard what had happened, I was a bit broken anyway – but when I saw the news that the gun had been returned to him, I was even more so.

'We have been through an enormously difficult few days, and those difficult days are going to continue well into the future.

'That's why we need to make sure we're getting clear answers to those questions. This community deserves the truth.

'If there are problems with the system, I want to see those problems being improved and repaired.

'But more than that, I don't want to see any other community, anywhere in Britain, going through what we have over the last couple of days.

'We've got an entire community grieving here, we've got families grieving. We've got a three-year-old killed. We need to have proper answers here.'

Meanwhile, the people of Keyham have been left reeling in the aftermath of the shooting – with even those who didn't know the victims turning out to lay flowers and candles in North Down Crescent park.

Debbie Ackland, 55, a mental health support worker for the NHS, said she has had a 'constant headache' since the shooting happened.

She said: 'I just haven't been able to get rid of my headache since it happened.

'I work for NHS social services, and as soon as I heard the names of the little girl and her dad, I knew who the mum was and that she worked for the NHS.

'I haven't had any dealings with the family personally, but it's just terrible. It's devastating.'

Debbie, who grew up in Keyham, added: 'I was in the park here when the emergency services arrived.

'I was just about to put my three grandchildren in the playground when all the helicopters came in.

'There were police walking around with dogs, it was so surreal. I've never seen anything like it in my life.'

When asked what she thought of Mr Davison having a firearms licence, Debbie said: 'I deal with people with mental health problems every day, it's one of the things we deal with in adult social care.

'It's very sad, they need help. We do what we can, we refer them to the immediate crisis team – it's pretty much all we can do.

'I do know that if people have got a mental health background, they wouldn't be issued that firearms licence anyway. So I don't know whether that's something they're looking into.

'You just don't know who you're living next to, what people are thinking, what they're doing.'

But Debbie said: 'The support has just been brilliant. I went into work on Friday and they had counselling set up for all the staff that had been involved. Everyone has really come together.'

And Hayley Locke, 37, who also works for the NHS in an admin role, was another woman who came down to the park to pay her respects.

She said: 'I don't know any of the victims, but when I heard that the little girl's mum also worked for the NHS, it really hit me hard.

'We're obviously a massive staff, but we all care for each other, we look after each other in the NHS, and somebody in our Trust is going through hell now.

'I just think it's a really tragic thing that's happened, and I wanted to pay my respects.'

Speaking about Mr Davison's firearms licence, Hayley added: 'You don't know the circumstances around it, but they must have thought it was okay to give him his licence back – although whether he convinced them of that, I don't know.

'But it sounds to me like he shouldn't have had one. Having read about some of his social media posts, it sounds like he had a few problems.

'I don't really want to talk too much about him, to be honest. It's the people who have lost their lives, and their families, that I feel most for.'

Meanwhile, a mother who visited the park with her eight-year-old son, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It's just horrifying. I just don't understand it.

'There's not enough mental health support out there anyway, but I think that somehow some boxes have been missed here.

'I think if he had had the gun taken off him in the first place, I don't understand how he's been given it back.

'He must have had some sort of mental health issue, because you don't just do that for no reason. But if he did, then why has he got a gun licence?'

And another woman, who also did not wish to be named, agreed that Mr Davison should not have had the gun.

She said: 'He shouldn't have had it in the first place. This is Britain we're talking about, not America.

'I'm not for guns at all. Why did he need to have it?

'I think we're all in shock. It's just one of those ones where I can't find the right words to say – I think I just need to be here to pay my respects.'

Davison was stripped of his gun in December following an alleged assault in September but it was returned to him last month after he attended an anger management course.

This is despite his toxic social media posts and videos and please from his mother to keep it away from him.

An investigation was yesterday launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into his possession of a shotgun and a firearms licence.

Mr Afzal, who was chief crown prosecutor for the North West said Davison was 'exactly the type of person the authorities should be keeping an eye on'.

When asked on BBC Breakfast on Saturday if Davison should have been on a watchlist, he said: 'Yes, absolutely, particularly given that he had a firearms licence and given that we now learn in December it was taken off him temporarily because of allegations he was facing and returned to him.

'He was exactly the kind of person that you would be keeping an eye on or the authorities should be keeping an eye on.'

Mr Afzal said none of Davison's social media posts seemed to have been taken into account when restoring his gun licence.

When asked on BBC Breakfast if a year seemed like a short period of time for the licence to be revoked, he said: '100 per cent I agree with you.

'It's not just about the fact that the gun was returned to him, his licence was restored.

'In the interim there were all these social media posts talking about the violence he believed in or felt was necessary, how he felt about women. None of that seems to have been taken into account.'

He added: 'If they (the police) were aware (of his social media posts) then they have got even more questions to be asked.'

Davison's social media use suggested he was involved in the 'incel' culture, a following in which people describe themselves as 'involuntary celibates' and feel they are being oppressed by women due to a perceived lack of sexual interest.

Mr Afzal said Davison's social media posts painted a picture of a man who thought women were 'lesser beings'.

He added: 'We have now seen posts on various social media sites which paint a picture of somebody that has a very low opinion or had a very low opinion of women, who seemed to have a belief he was entitled to do whatever he wanted to, a real expectation that women were some kind of lesser being.

'That kind of extreme misogyny of the type we have seen here and in terms of the incel community is a threat to all women and, ultimately, to all our communities.'

Priti Patel paid her respects to the victims of the mass shooting in Keyham by placing a floral tribute near to the scene this afternoon.

She laid a large bouquet of cream flowers among other tributes at North Down Crescent Park, where a vigil was held on Friday evening.

Ms Patel was joined by the chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police Shaun Sawyer, who also laid a large bouquet of white flowers.

The Home Secretary, joined by local Labour MP Mr Pollard, then spoke with members of the local neighbourhood watch team at the park.

Ms Patel told members of the local neighbourhood watch team that Thursday's mass shooting was 'tragic beyond words'.

A message on one of the flowers is pictured to three-year-old Sophie, who was killed despite her hero father's best efforts to save her

Flowers are placed at Biddick Drive in Plymouth as police officers talk to locals paying their respects on Saturday afternoon

Speaking at a park near to the scene, she said: 'It's tragic beyond words, really, really tragic, for a range of reasons, and obviously for those involved.

'I'm sure everyone will have known each other and this really will have touched so many people's lives. But quite an important moment as well where people are coming together from across the community to support one another.'

Kev Sproston, a member of the local neighbourhood watch team, told her the mass shooting was 'our September 11'.

Mr Sproston told reporters: 'How I define that is the fact that every single kid, every single adult, knows exactly where they were, similar to 9/11.

'To the point that I speak to people, and they will tell me exactly where their brother was, where their sister was, where their mother was.

'That's the impact that it's had on people, it's going to be something that is in their own minds and thoughts for a long period of time.'

The chilling parallels between the shooting in Plymouth and the Sandy Hook and Hungerford massacres

In December 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza gunned down 27 people, including his mother, before turning his weapon himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut.

Lanza murdered 20 elementary school children, six adults and shot his own mother, Nancy, 52, four times in the head with a rifle while she slept in bed.

A 2014 report found Lanza was a deeply troubled young man who obsessed over mass killings as he fell deeper into a pit of mental illness while his mother ignored his struggles.

FBI files revealed he had an 'obsession' with historic mass shootings and a 'paedophilia-like' interest in children before he committed the fourth deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States.

Documents also showed Lanza had meticulously created a spreadsheet documenting previous mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.

He had acquired National Rifle Association safety permits after attending shooting ranges with his mother, Nancy Lanza.

Details on the pair's relationship remain unclear, but one a medical professional said Nancy was never allowed into Adam's room.

It was on August 19, 1987 that loner and gun fanatic Michael Ryan went on a shooting rampage in Hungerford, a market town in Berkshire.

Armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and at least one hand grenade he shot 16 people dead, including his mother, before killing himself.

His victims included a police officer who tried to tackle him. At least another 15 people were also injured.

His first victim was a woman who was picnicking with her two children in Savernake Forest, 10 miles from the Berkshire town.

Less than 10 minutes later, firefighters were called to a house in Hungerford where they found the body of Ryan's mother.

Ryan, dressed in combat gear, then made his way, shooting at people as he went on foot, to the town's main shopping area where he indiscriminately shot and killed 12 people.

He then managed to evade a massive manhunt by armed police and helicopters until he was tracked down to the empty John O'Gaunt Community Technology College where he barricaded himself in.

Negotiators made contact with Ryan after he had fired at circling helicopters.

At one point Ryan waved an unpinned grenade at police through a window.

He is reported to have told negotiators: 'Hungerford must be a bit of a mess. I wish I had stayed in bed.'

The body of the 27-year-old, who had shot himself, was later found inside.

Ryan was described by the press as a gun fanatic who had an 'unhealthy' relationship with his mother.

The incident led to tighter restrictions on gun ownership with the introduction of the Firearms Act of 1988 but critics said the legislation did not go far enough.

On March 13 1996, former Scout leader Thomas Hamilton entered the gymnasium at Dunblane Primary School and opened fire on a class of five and six-year-olds, killing 16 children and their teacher.

In a shooting spree which lasted less than three minutes, Hamilton, who was armed with two pistols and two revolvers, fired a total of 109 rounds.

A public inquiry into the Dunblane massacre found that Hamilton, a former shopkeeper, had been investigated by police following complaints about his behaviour towards young boys.

The incident led to further tightening of gun controls with a ban on owning handguns.

During Ms Patel's visit, Chief Constable Sawyer was challenged by 78-year-old former MoD armed security guard Stewart Parfitt who asked why the firearm was returned to Davison last month.

Mr Sawyer had laid flowers in a park close to the killings in tribute to those that died in Thursday afternoon's horror.

But he was approached by Mr Parfitt, who got his attention by raising his walking stick in the air before asking: 'Why did you give that bloke his gun back when he's been a bloody lunatic for years?'

Mr Sawyer told him that the matter was being looked into but he was unable to comment as it was now part of an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Parfitt said: 'People around here are angry that the gun that man used to kill five people before himself was given back to him just weeks ago by the police.

'He's always been odd, I'd see him walking about and when you'd pass him he'd grunt like a gorilla. My grandsons said he used to wear odd shoes and hardly talked to anyone face to face, preferring to unleash all his feelings to a camera by himself.

'He'd had the gun and his licence taken off him at the end of 2020 when he was accused of assault but I wanted to know who decided to give it back to him and so when I saw the chief constable I tried to get some answers.

'But he just gave me a reply that it was all being looked into but there wasn't an awful lot he could tell me now because it was being investigated by the IOPC.

'He said he'd get more answers for me and the community soon - but I'll probably be dead by the time they get round to it. He then said he had to go and walked off to meet the Home Secretary.

'I'm a former member of armed security who worked for the MoD guarding the docks and the only people who should be allowed to keep guns are police and the army - certainly not 23-year-olds who live in the middle of a city.'

Ms Patel responded: 'That's absolutely understandable. The implications, the impact of this will be long-standing. It's a very sad time, very tragic. I think in the aftermath, so many people will be affected.

'People will have seen things that, quite frankly, in all our lifetime we would never, ever want anybody to witness or experience. It's very hard.

'But you are not on your own, there is a great deal of support.' The Home Secretary declined to answer any questions put to her around gun control.

But Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton, and Shadow Secretary of State for DEFRA, said the people of Plymouth deserve 'clear answers' as to how the gunman got a firearms licence.