Man in court on firearms charge after gun violence on Doncaster estate

Police have dealt with numerous incidents on Clay Lane since June 28, including two incidents where shots were fired at properties and vehicles.

22-year-old Doncaster man Stephen Whitaker has now been charged following the reported firearms offence last month.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “On Sunday 23 June, we received reports that a man was allegedly in possession of an imitation firearm.”

“Stephen Whitaker, of Chalmers Drive, Doncaster, has been charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and two counts of driving whilst disqualified.

The 22-year-old appeared at Doncaster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 9 July and was remanded to custody ahead of an appearance at Sheffield Crown Court on 7 August.

TIMELINE OF VIOLENCE AND GUN CHAOS ON CLAY LANE

June 24: Shots were fired outside a house in Chalmers Drive, when four men, one armed with a shotgun, exited a car and fired shots and threw a bottle at a property.

June 26: A gang of five men broke into a house on nearby Wilberforce Road and caused criminal damage and where shots were also thought to have been fired at a vehicle on the same night. A white Audi and what was believed to be a black Volkswagen were both recovered from the scene, a South Yorkshire Police force spokesperson said, with shots being fired from one of the vehicles.

June 28: Officers arrest a 24-year-old woman after a swoop on a house in Clay Lane on suspicion of assisting offenders. She was bailed pending further enquiries.

June 29: Armed police return to Wilberforce Road to seize a car suspected of being used to commit a crime

July 3: Chalmers Drive is cordoned off by police at around 5.30pm with two firearms seized from a property

July 5: Armed police called to Shackleton Road and Wilberforce Road once again

July 7: Stephen Whitaker arrested on firearms charges

The current crime wave is the latest in a string of serious incidents on the small residential estate.

In June 2021, police probed a shooting and three car smash where drivers confronted each other with weapons in Chalmers Drive – with shots later fired in the area, just hours apart.

In February 2022, a man was arrested and later jailed for firing a gun at a man’s face in Chalmers Drive.

Daniel Nica, 45, was arrested after firing pellets from an airgun following a dispute, causing multiple injuries to his victim’s lip, chest and back which required hospital treatment and was later sentenced to three years in prison.

In December 2022, a teenager and a 42-year-old woman were arrested on drug charges after a Doncaster police raid in Chalmers Drive.

The women, aged 18 and 42, were both arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

An amount of Class A drugs was recovered, along with scales, bags and a quantity of cash. A knuckle duster was also removed.