Michael Robert Ryan

Case identification

Michael Robert Ryan was an unemployed local labourer. He lived in Hungerford, Berkshire, England.

Timeline

• 19 August 1987 — The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England. Ryan armed himself with several weapons including an AK-47 rifle and a Beretta pistol, shot and killed people including his mother, wounded others, and fatally shot himself.

Background

Ryan was described as a loner who lived in part in a world of fantasy that he weaved and his mother perpetuated. He lived in Hungerford with his mother.

The offence

Ryan carried out a shooting spree in Hungerford and surrounding areas on 19 August 1987.

He was armed with several weapons including an AK-47 rifle and a Beretta pistol. He shot and killed sixteen people, including his mother, and wounded fifteen others, before fatally shooting himself.

First incident in Savernake Forest

The first shooting occurred seven miles (11 km) to the west of Hungerford in Savernake Forest in Wiltshire at 12:30 in the afternoon of 19 August 1987. Susan Godfrey, 33, from Reading, Berkshire, was picnicking with her two young children when she was abducted at gun-point and shot fifteen times in the back.

Ryan then drove a Vauxhall Astra from the forest along the A4 towards Hungerford, stopping at a petrol station three miles (5 km) away from the town. After filling a petrol can he shot at the cashier, Mrs Kakoub Dean, and missed. He tried to shoot her at close range, but his gun was empty. Mrs Dean placed an emergency call to the police.

South View and family shooting

Around 12:45, he was seen at his home in South View, Hungerford. He shot the family dog or dogs (reports differed, one or two). He set fire to the house with the petrol bought earlier in the day, damaging three surrounding properties.

He removed three shotguns from his car, possibly because it would not start. He shot and killed husband and wife Roland and Sheila Mason in their back garden. On foot, Ryan proceeded towards the common, injuring Marjorie Jackson and Lisa Mildenhall (aged 14, shot in both legs).

Marjorie Jackson contacted George White, who contacted her husband Ivor Jackson; both were later shot, leaving White dead and Jackson injured. Ryan also killed Kenneth Clements who was walking with his family.

Returning to Southview, Ryan shot 23 rounds at PC Roger Brereton, a police officer who had just arrived at the scene, killing him while he remained sitting in his duty car.

Linda Chapman and her daughter Alison Chapman were next shot and injured. They had just driven into Southview. Ryan fired 11 bullets from his semi-automatic into their Volvo; Linda was hit in the shoulder, and Alison in the right thigh, with the bullet travelling into her lower back and severing some of the nerves, leaving her permanently disabled. Linda was able to drive out without further injury to the hospital.

Further shootings en route and ambulance

Ryan moved along Fairview Road, killing Abdur Khan, who was in his back garden, and injuring Alan Lepetit who was walking along the road. An ambulance that had arrived in the road was next shot at, injuring Hazel Haslett before it drove off.

John O’Gaunt Secondary School

By, or before, 14:30, Ryan had barricaded himself at the John O'Gaunt Secondary School, which was closed and empty at that time of year for summer holidays. Police surrounded the building. Negotiators made contact with him; at one point he waved what appeared to be an unpinned grenade at them through the window.

At 19:00, still in the school, Ryan shot himself.

A widely reported statement Ryan made towards the end was:

"I wish I had stayed in bed"

Investigation

A report on the incident was commissioned by the Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, from the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Colin Smith.

The Hungerford Report had demonstrated that Ryan's collection of weapons was legally licensed.

Factors hampered the police response: the telephone exchange could not handle the number of 999 calls made by witnesses, the Thames Valley firearms squad were training 40 miles away, the police helicopter was in for repair though was eventually deployed, and only two phone lines were in operation at the local police station which was undergoing renovation.

At 1.05, PC Roger Brereton sent out a message:

"18. 10-9. 10-9" - the code for "urgent assitance required, I have been shot"

Arrest

Ryan was not arrested; he remained at the John O'Gaunt Secondary School and then shot himself at 19:00.

Trial

No trial information was provided.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Ryan died as a result of suicide by shooting himself the same day.

The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, on August 19, 1987. Ryan killed sixteen people and wounded fifteen others.

Aftermath

The massacre led to the Firearms (Amendment) Act, 1988, which banned the ownership of semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and restricted the use of other firearms with a capacity of more than two rounds.

Media effects theory and related allegations

It was alleged, particularly by tabloid newspapers, that Ryan was inspired by the film Rambo. It was cited as an example of the hypodermic needle model of negative media effects, particularly relevant in the wake of the controversy over video nasties. It later transpired that Ryan had never seen the film, but the allegations provided sensationalist headlines and imagery.

It was stated that Ryan owned violent films, and it was also stated that many young men possess violent films but do not go on to act violently.

Quotations

Then Thames Valley Police Chief Constable, Charles Pollard, said:

"The realisation that this could happen in fun-loving England, where we don't have guns and the police aren't armed... it changed policing and it changed society for ever. "

Other details

Ryan’s life and background were discussed in press biographies, which described him as having a fondness for, and possibly even an obsession with guns. The majority claimed that Ryan possessed magazines about survival skills and firearms, including Soldier of Fortune.

He was described as an only child who was reportedly sullen and bullied at school. His father was in his fifties when he was born and had died around two years prior to the shootings.

Ryan lived alone with his mother, who was a dinner lady at the local primary school. Extensive press comment suggested that the relationship was 'unhealthy' and that Ryan was 'spoiled'. A Guardian headline described Ryan as a 'mummy's boy'.

Christopher Browsher said:

"He looked just like Rambo."

Club manager Andrew White said:

"He was a very good shot. He hit an 18 by 14-in. target consistently at 100 meters."

A witness, Barbara Morley, said:

"He was just strolling along the road, shooting at anything that moved,"

Police responded with roadblocks and used megaphones to urge residents to stay indoors. A helicopter carrying marksmen with sniper rifles whirred overhead, and teams of police with pump shotguns flooded the streets.

People described Ryan as a quiet fellow except when it came to talking about guns, and he practiced at the Tunnel Rifle and Pistol Club.

Unpublished or unnamed individuals quoted in the material included: Sheila Hutchins and George White and others, but no further direct quotes were provided beyond those already reproduced above.

Douglas Hogg, Under Secretary of State at the Home Office, said:

"Obviously, there are lessons to be learned from this incident."