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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man jailed after ‘hunting down police' with crossbow
Man jailed after 'hunting down police' with crossbow A man who stabbed a neighbour and shot an officer with a crossbow after attempting to 'hunt down' police has been jailed. On Wednesday, Aylesbury Crown Court heard Jason King had stabbed neighbour Alistair Mahwuto with a 'small knife' during an altercation which had arisen as a result of a 'long-standing' dispute. Police were called to the scene on School Close in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where King shot repeatedly at officers with a crossbow out of his upstairs window before chasing them with the weapon and shooting an officer, the court was told. The 55-year-old was later shot once by police in the stomach after refusing to put down the weapon when confronted by officers, the court heard. On Wednesday, King was jailed for nine years with a further three years on extended licence having previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, having an article with a blade or point, having an offensive weapon, wounding with intent and affray regarding the incident on May 10 last year. The sentencing hearing heard that on the day before the shooting, King said his windows had been broken by a neighbour and had called police. Sentencing King, Judge Jonathan Cooper said he had been motivated in part during the shooting by 'revenge' and a 'sense of grievance' towards his neighbours and police who he believed had not handled the incident regarding his window appropriately. Judge Cooper said: 'I note that you purchased the crossbow, I don't accept it was for recreational purposes.' 'I consider that this was an attempt by you to arm yourself in the event of need,' he added. The judge said that King's actions, including chasing officers and continuing to shoot at them, were evidence of him 'attempting to settle a score with police'. 'It was as if you were trying to hunt down the officer, chasing him, aiming at his body,' he added. Prosecutor Graham Smith said the officer had seen King 'grinning' as he exited his address before shooting him in the leg, resulting in a two to three-centimetre wound near to an artery. King 'persisted' in pointing the crossbow at other officers who confronted him and, given that he had already shot an officer, police decided to shoot him, the prosecutor said. Mr Smith said it was the prosecution's case that it was 'great fortune' the officer who was shot had not suffered greater injuries and that King had appeared to be 'hunting' and 'stalking' the police. In a statement read to court, Mr Mahwuto, 63, who suffered a two-centimetre wound as a result of the stabbing, said the incident had 'affected me more than I would have ever imagined' and that a doctor had said his wound could have been fatal had it been a few centimetres higher. The officer shot by King said the incident had 'changed my outlook on life a bit', and that he feels more 'protective' about his colleagues now. In a statement read by Mr Smith, the officer said: 'I don't want anyone else to experience what I experienced, I hear jobs coming through on the radio and I don't want my colleagues going out to them.' He added that it had 'knocked' his confidence, and a doctor had told him the injury could have been 'catastrophic'. In mitigation, Mark Kimsey, defending, said King accepted the incident was 'very frightening' for those involved, and that he had been suffering from a 'worsening mental condition'. Mr Kimsey said it was 'not illegal' to possess the crossbow and that 'an adult is entitled to own an item without a licence'. He said: 'The item is one that can be freely purchased by anybody and cost less than £20 and was described as a 'pistol' crossbow.' Mr Kimsey added: 'It appeared at the time the defendant believed he was able to speak to the neighbour's dog, and speak in dog,' adding that King thought he had contact with an 'Egyptian god'. King, of School Close, High Wycombe, waved and made a heart gesture with his hands towards members of his family who were seated in the public gallery. The defendant, wearing a green long-sleeved top and a wooden beaded necklace, shook his head and interrupted the judge at points during the hearing. An investigation into the shooting of King by the police watchdog praised the 'courage, professionalism and sound judgment' of officers involved in the incident.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hopes that ICRIR can deliver truth and accountability around the Shankill bomb
Hope has been expressed that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) can deliver truth and accountability around the Shankill bomb. Two men bereaved in the Provisional IRA bomb attack in 1993, and the son of a ambulance worker also murdered by the PIRA, have requested the new body take on their cases. The ICRIR was created by the previous government's controversial Legacy Act and is headed by former Northern Ireland Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan. Bereaved families, victims and certain public authorities can request the commission carry out an investigation into Troubles incidents. However, some have questioned the body's independence and its ability to uncover answers about Troubles crimes. In a statement issued through JWB Consultancy, Charlie Butler, who lost three members of his family in the Shankill Road bomb, and Gary Murray, whose 13-year-old sister Leanne was killed in it, said they want to know the full truth. One of the bombers, Thomas Begley, was killed by the blast, while Sean Kelly was convicted of murder following the bomb attack on a fish shop in the Shankill Road in 1993. JWB Consultancy said they have formally requested an ICRIR investigation into the atrocity, and hope to bring others involved to justice, including those who made the bomb, transported it and those who planned the attack. Mr Butler said others involved have escaped accountability. 'We have taken this step to continue the fight for justice for our loved ones,' he said. 'There has never been full criminal or public accountability brought to bear on many of those responsible for and who played a role in the Shankill bombing. 'We have inquiries and investigations galore into killings by loyalists or the security forces, but no such resources poured into holding PIRA accountable for their terrorist campaign. 'I hope the ICRIR will correct that imbalance and injustice. Time for truth.' Mr Murray said their fight for justice continues. 'The criminal liability for the Shankill bomb does not begin and end with the terrorist bombers, but rather every IRA member who played any role, whether active or supporting, in the plot to indiscriminately bomb the Shankill Road,' he said. 'We trust the ICRIR will conduct a robust and detailed investigation to finally hold all those involved accountable, and to provide us with the 'truth' we so often see nationalist/republican legacy groups, supported by Sinn Fein and former IRA terrorists, hold placards demanding. 'We want the truth about this PIRA atrocity.' Meanwhile, Paul Shields, the son of murdered ambulance worker and former RUC reservist Robin Shields, said his father was serving the community when two IRA gunman entered Broadway ambulance station and killed him. He said the family funeral was then disrupted by multiple IRA bomb alerts, which he said were 'designed to heap further grief upon the family and to frustrate the funeral service'. 'The murder of my father, in the prime of his life, robbed us of our family and him of the opportunity to see his children and grandchildren live their lives,' he said. 'The community also lost a courageous and dedicated servant, given that our father gave much of his life to public service both as an RUC reservist and ambulance worker. 'In death, PIRA still would not let our father rest, embarking on a series of bomb alerts designed to disrupt his funeral. 'We see and hear the catchphrase often from PIRA and their surrogates: 'Time for truth'. Yes, it is, and we as a family want the truth about the PIRA murder of our father, and all those involved to be held criminally liable.' A spokesperson for the ICRIR said: 'The commission is committed to serving victims, families and survivors. 'We respect people's choices about whether they come to the commission and our door will always remain open to all. 'We will continue to work to give answers to the over 200 individuals from across the community who have to come to us in their quest for truth and justice.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Officers were ‘covered in blood' after Pc shot with a crossbow
A police officer who was shot by a man with a crossbow said he lost so much blood that his colleagues were 'covered' in it. On Wednesday, a sentencing hearing at Aylesbury Crown Court heard police had been called after Jason King stabbed neighbour Alistair Mahwuto with a 'small knife' during an altercation, arising out of a 'long-standing' dispute. Police attended the scene in School Close in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where King shot repeatedly at them using a crossbow before chasing them with the weapon and shooting officer Pc Curtis Foster, the court was told. The 55-year-old was later shot once by police in the stomach after refusing to put down the weapon when confronted by officers on May 10 last year, the court heard. Footage released by Thames Valley Police shows King, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, running across a road, pursuing the officers while pointing a crossbow. Pc Foster said of the incident: 'My recollection of the early moments when I arrived on scene was the street was empty, it was eerily quiet, no sign of the suspect and we then saw the victim who showed us a stab wound in the abdomen. 'I ascertained King had a crossbow when he removed the upstairs window to his property. He literally took the whole window out of its frame and then he was pointing something out of the window and I could see a red glint and then I realised it was a crossbow and that's when he took two shots at me out the window.' The officer added that he knew something had 'impacted' him but his adrenaline levels were 'so high' that he could not feel much pain. As a result, Pc Foster carried on running and helped clear members of the public away from the scene, despite his injury. Bodyworn camera footage shows the officer saying he thinks he has been shot and telling people to 'get back' into their houses as there is a man armed with a crossbow. Pc Foster said: 'I kind of first realised I was bleeding quite a lot when I could feel it running down my leg, and then I touched my leg above my trousers and my whole palm of my hand was red where it had gone through my trousers already so I thought yeah, I'm losing quite a lot of blood already.' He continued: 'There was a lot of blood. 'My two colleagues that turn up initially on scene were covered in my blood, that's how much blood I'd lost and when we got to the hospital the doctor had a feel of it and said I was really lucky it didn't strike an artery, it was a couple of centimetres away from hitting an artery in my leg.' Another clip shows King being confronted by an armed officer who shouts at him to 'stay still' before the officer fires one shot. The officer then runs over to King while other voices can be heard calling for paramedics. The armed officer, who cannot be named, said shooting King was 'the worst thing I've ever had to do' but that it 'neutralised a threat and kept everyone safe'. Further footage shows a police dog handler shouting to colleagues that King had attempted to shoot police dog Merlyn. Pc Foster has since made a full recovery from his injuries, police have said, while King was taken to hospital and discharged 10 days later. Judge Jonathan Cooper jailed King for nine years with a further three years on extended licence. He previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, having an article with a blade or point, having an offensive weapon, wounding with intent and affray.
