Southampton man jailed for seriously injuring a woman with a firearm

A 46-year-old man has been jailed for seriously injuring a woman in a firearms incident earlier this year in Southampton.

Delroy Smith, of Hill Lane, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 30 July), where he was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison.

The sentence comes after police were called at 4.45am on Tuesday 30 January to reports of an altercation taking place inside an address on Hill Lane.

Specialist officers attended the address just over five minutes after the initial call and found the property empty with signs of a disturbance, including blood and pellet marks throughout.

A woman in her 50s was later located in a car on Cracknore Road with a serious injury to her arm. She was taken to hospital for treatment and was later discharged, however her injuries remain life-changing and she has had to undergo nine operations on her arm.

An investigation was launched and Smith was arrested. Two days later, on Thursday 1 February police located the firearm believed to have been used in the offence outside of a property on Milton Road.

Smith was charged, and at a Southampton Crown Court hearing in June he pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm and Section 20 grievous bodily harm.

Detective Sergeant Josh Reisoglu, of Southampton’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who led the investigation, said: “This was an incredibly traumatic and violent experience for the woman involved, who has suffered horrible injuries that will impact her mobility and change her life forever.

“My sincere thanks go to the victim, whose courage and bravery throughout the criminal justice proceedings have been exemplary. Whilst there is nothing that can change what happened, I hope that the conclusion of these proceedings and this sentence goes someway to closing this chapter and helping her move forward in life.

“Smith’s actions were incredibly reckless and irresponsible, and could have resulted in a far worse outcome. I am pleased that justice will now be served for the crimes that he committed.

“Not only did this impact the victim, this incident also had a significant impact on the community. Crimes involving firearms in Southampton are thankfully rare, however, we appreciate how concerning they are when they do occur.”

“I hope the handling of this case demonstrates how seriously we take firearms offences. We thank the public for their patience and co-operation during our initial enquiries in locating the firearm and searching for witnesses.”

If you or someone you know is suffering or at risk of domestic abuse, please get in touch by calling 101 or you can report online at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/

Doing so could help us prevent someone coming to serious harm.

We know not everyone who has been abused always has the confidence to speak to the police but there are many other organisations and charities who provide specialist support to domestic abuse victims. 

To find out more about these charities, and how under Clare’s Law you can find out if a partner has a history of domestic violence or abuse, please visit our website at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/