Lisburn Bow Street Mall 'gunman' lucky not to be shot by police, says judge

A man arrested in a busy shopping mall allegedly carrying a bag filled with guns is lucky he was not shot by armed police, a judge has stated.

Deputy District Judge Chris Holmes said that confronted “with something out of an American movie,” it was “amazing” that 50-year-old Gregory Wallace had not been shot by the PSNI.

It also emerged a search of his home uncovered a further 20 firearms including five handguns and 12 assault rifles. The judge heard how a PSNI armed response unit was called to Bow Street Mall on Tuesday after reports coffee shop staff were confronted by an "armed, shirtless and drunk Wallace".

The judge told the court: “I’m amazed at the discretion and professionalism of the police officers in that he wasn’t shot - it’s amazing and they deserve massive credit for that.” Wallace, from Howard Place in Lisburn, did not appear in court but a police officer said she believed she could connect the 50-year-old to the 10 charges against him. Wallace is accused of two counts of possessing or carrying a firearm or imitation in public, two counts of having a bladed article, namely a knife, theft of an £18 bottle of Southern Comfort from Tesco, possessing a handgun with intent to cause fear of violence and carrying a firearm with intent to commit theft.

Those charges are alleged to have been committed on 22 February and in addition, Wallace is further charged with possessing a firearm under suspicious circumstances, possessing a loaded firearm while drunk or under the influence of drugs and using a firearm to resist arrest on 23 February. During a contested bail application, a police officer outlined to the court how security staff at Bow Street Mall alerted police. They reported Wallace had emerged topless from the toilet and approached staff at the coffee shop apparently “armed with a knife and a firearm". The court was told officers from the armed response unit (ARU) found Wallace sitting at a table speaking with a member of the public and when he “reached his arm behind his back as if holding something in his waist band,” he was “brought to the ground by ARU who felt that the members of the public were in immediate danger.” A knife and loaded air pistol were taken from Wallace and the court heard that he also had a sports bag with him and inside, cops found a handgun, a rifle and a smoke grenade. At the scene Wallace told police he “was a soldier and Covid-19 was his enemy” and the officer said that during follow up searches at his home, police seized a further 20 firearms including five handguns and 12 assault rifles.

When asked by Judge Holmes if the weapons were real or fake, she said they had to be sent for examination but were “possibly air soft weapons". Initially he was taken to the Ulster Hospital where he was found to have sustained a punctured lung and “several broken ribs".

Another knife was taken from Wallace in the hospital and during police interviews, he admitted he had stolen and drunk the bottle of Southern Comfort having taken “double of his medication” that morning. He confirmed that he left his house with the bag that morning, claiming he had the guns “for air soft” and that he had the knives “for his own protection” saying he was under threat. The officer added that Wallace told interviewing police he couldn’t recall having a gun or knife in the waist band of his trousers and also could not recall reaching for it before he was arrested. Defence counsel Joel Lindsay said Wallace had been having an “annus horribilis” - or horrible year - but conceded that “in other parts of the world” he may well have been shot. “It reminds me of the High Trees garage case,” said Judge Holmes, referring back to the shooting of Marc Ringland by an off duty police officer during a robbery incident at the Donaghadee filling station in 2011. Remanding Wallace into custody and making an order that he be psychiatrically assessed on an emergency basis, the judge said: “It’s obvious there’s a significant background here.” “It’s possible that he is more of a risk to himself than anybody else but the people in that shop must’ve been absolutely petrified,” said the judge who adjourned the case to 24 March.