Doubts raised over shot man's licence

Shayne Sime. Photo / Supplied

The police watchdog says not enough was done to determine if a wheelchair-bound gunman shot dead in an armed siege was fit to hold a firearms licence.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found police acted lawfully when they shot Shayne Richard Sime, 42, in June last year, after Mr Sime had fired his shotguns and rifle more than 100 times in the Christchurch cul-de-sac where he lived.

A neighbour was injured by a shotgun blast, and one police officer was struck in the face by pellets.

Police fired 18 shots at Mr Sime in defence of themselves and others, and Mr Sime was hit by five of those shots, the authority said.

"The authority believes that Mr Sime's background and medical history casts some doubt on whether he should ever have been granted a firearms licence by police," said the authority chairwoman, Justice Lowell Goddard.

"On the basis of the information that was provided in the application file, more diligent inquiries into his medical condition and background should have been made, and the decision on his suitability should have been escalated to a senior officer for final assessment."

Police have acknowledged the criticisms and say they are reviewing licensing procedures.

But Assistant Commissioner Grant Nicholls said police faced difficulties when people did not give all relevant information, such as in Mr Sime's case.

Police dealt with 16,000 licence applications a year and "we do our best in a very challenging environment". Ultimately, revoking Mr Sime's licence may not have prevented the events leading to his death, Mr Nicholls said.

The authority report into the shooting said Mr Sime spent time in prison after leaving school at age 15, and appeared to have developed a "particular dislike" of police.

He became confined to a wheelchair after suffering head trauma in an accident when he was 24.

In September 2006, he applied for a firearms licence from police, but his application contained "serious deficiencies around non-disclosure of information".

"One of the referees raised doubt as to his suitability."

A police arms officer was sufficiently concerned about Mr Sime to suggest taking his application further up the police chain, but withdrew the idea after discussions with a colleague.

After he had obtained his firearms licence, Mr Sime joined a gun club and became an active shooter.