Police are appealing for people to come forward with information after a three-year-old girl was shot in the stomach with an air rifle while playing in a London park.



The child was running from her mother to her grandfather in Hanworth Park, west London, last Thursday when a loud shot was heard. About 30 seconds later she started to cry.

Her family realised she was bleeding and took her to hospital, where she had surgery to remove the air rifle pellet.

Hospital staff raised the alarm to the police, who said the girl could have been killed by the incident.

Detectives are now appealing for information about the incident, which happened at about 6pm on 20 August. They said that no leads had yet been found after initial searches by police dogs and in CCTV footage.

Detective Constable Helen Larson said: “This was a horrific incident and we are appealing for anyone with information to contact police.

“This shooting could have been far worse, possibly fatal, and we need to find the person or persons responsible.



“The little girl had to spend two days in hospital following surgery to remove the pellet. She has now been released from hospital and is making a good recovery, and her parents have told us she is well in herself. She will need a number of follow-up appointments at the hospital in the coming weeks.



“We have trawled CCTV and conducted searches of the area but thus far, have not found any leads which may help us identify who was responsible.”



The detective added: “We do know a group of boys were seen to run out of the bushes nearby following the incident.”



Most low-powered air weapons are not licensed in England and Wales, but there are restrictions on their sale. In June, the Scottish parliament passed legislation requiring all air gun owners in Scotland to hold a licence. It follows a 10-year campaign following the death of Andrew Morton, a toddler who was killed by an air gun pellet.

The Metropolitan police is appealing for anyone who saw the incident to call DC Helen Larson CID on 020 8247 6160 or 101, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

