Latest news with #MatthewSylvester
Telegraph
04-08-2025
- Telegraph
Watch: Burglar brandishes ‘gun' made from paper bag at police
CCTV showed the moment a burglar threatened police officers with a 'pistol' fashioned from a Primark paper bag. Matthew Sylvester, 37, chased a police car while pointing the bag at officers in Telford, Shrops, on Feb 22. Officers had been called after Sylvester tried to smash his way into a shop with a shopping trolley before exposing his penis to staff inside. A court heard he then wrapped a jumper around his face and fashioned the 'gun' from a brown Primark bag after learning police were on their way. Once he spotted the patrol car entering the car park, he charged at the vehicle brandishing his makeshift weapon. Officers believed the firearm was genuine as it was dark and tried to flee the scene only to become stuck behind the car park barriers. Sylvester pointed the paper gun at the passenger window before he kicked the vehicle and tried to open the boot. Pc Dan Arthur and Pc George Oliver apprehended Sylvester and established the firearm was in fact a brown paper bag Sylvester had folded to mimic a pistol. Sylvester, of no fixed abode, was arrested for a number of offences, including having an imitation firearm and assaulting an emergency worker. He was later charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an imitation firearm to cause distress, possession of class A drugs and attempted burglary. Sylvester pleaded guilty to all charges at Shrewsbury Crown Court halfway through his week-long trial, on Wednesday last week. He was jailed for 19 months at the same court on Friday. Sentencing, Anthony Warner, the recorder, said: 'You spoke of a gun and the paper you had shaped certainly looked like a gun, and that would have been very frightening to the police officers and anybody else who was there.' The court was told Sylvester was having some sort of 'delusion' when he tried to batter down the door of the store at about 10pm in Telford town centre. Danny Smith, prosecuting, said that after police had arrived, called by staff in the store, Sylvester 'shouted 'I have a gun' and aimed it at the police car and demanded the officers both get out'. The court heard Sylvester had 34 previous convictions to his name, for 84 offences, and was on licence when the incident occurred, having just been released from prison for a 'similar offence'. Paul Smith, defending, said Sylvester had been 'sleeping rough' as he was homeless after having just left prison and was having a 'delusional period', probably due to the cocaine he had been taking at the time. Chief Insp Matt Sanders, of West Mercia Police, said after the case: 'The bravery and professionalism shown by both Pcs that evening was nothing short of extraordinary. 'Fortunately, neither officer sustained any injuries, and Sylvester was swiftly arrested thanks to the quick thinking and actions of both officers that night, along with those who also came to their aid. 'No one should come to work and face violence, and we thank our officers that day for their bravery and dedication to keeping communities safe.'
The Sun
04-08-2025
- The Sun
Is this Britain's dumbest criminal? Moment idiot yob tries to carjack cops armed with ‘gun' made from Primark paper bag
THIS is the moment an idiotic criminal tried to carjack police officers armed with a "gun" made from a Primark bag. Matthew Sylvester, 37, chased the police car and pointed the "weapon" at the officers, who at first assumed it was real. 6 6 PCs Dan Arthur and George Oliver called for back-up and attempted to drive off but were blocked by the car park barriers. Sylvester then shouted "I've got a gun" and demanded the cops get out of the car. In reality, the thug had fashioned the weapon from a brown Primark bag. When Sylvester opened the boot, PC Arthur and PC Oliver left the vehicle and managed to tackle him to the ground. At this point, the cops realised the gun was not real and swiftly arrested Sylvester. He has now been jailed for 19 months after pleading guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an imitation firearm to cause distress, possession of class A drugs and attempted burglary. Sentencing, Recorder Anthony Warner said: 'You spoke of a gun and the paper you had shaped certainly looked like a gun and that would have been very frightening to the police officers and anybody else who was there.' Shrewsbury Crown Court was told Sylvester, who has 34 previous convictions for 84 offences, was on licence at the time after being released from prison for a similar charge. The thug had made his way to a shop in Telford, Shropshire, at about 10pm on February 22, where he threatened to shoot staff. He then attempted to smash his way in using a shopping trolley before he 'lowered his trousers and showed his penis and buttocks'. After learning the police were on the way, Sylvester wrapped a jumper around his face and assembled the makeshift gun. Speaking after the sentencing, PC Arthur said: "It's a pretty stressful situation to be in because it's one of the few times where you've thought, 'I hope I make it back.'' While his colleague added: "We've got no reason to believe that isn't real. "You hear about all these stories of people that want to do police harm and these terror attacks. That's all going through your head when it's happening.' In mitigation, lawyer Paul Smith said Sylvester had been homeless after leaving jail and was likely having a 'delusional period' due to cocaine use. Chief Inspector Matt Sanders, of West Mercia police, said: 'PC Arthur and PC Oliver responded to an attempted burglary, and came face-to-face with a man whose clear intention was to cause harm and distress to police. 'Sylvester's actions were calculated, going to great lengths to ensure officers were called to the scene, including threatening members of the public and trying to break into a shop. 'The bravery and professionalism shown by both PCs that evening was nothing short of extraordinary.' 6 6 6 6
Daily Mail
04-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment thug tries to carjack police armed with a 'gun' made from a PAPER BAG
CCTV footage has shown the moment a thug tried to carjack police officers - armed with a supposed 'gun' that was actually made from a Primark brown paper bag. Matthew Sylvester, 37, was caught on camera chasing a police car while pointing the imitation firearm in Telford, Shropshire, on February 22, a court has been told. Officers had been called after Sylvester tried to smash his way into a shop with a shopping trolley before indecently exposing himself to staff cashing up inside. Shrewsbury Crown Court heard he then wrapped a jumper around his face and fashioned a gun from a brown Primark bag after learning police were on their way. After spotting the patrol car enter the car park through the barrier, he immediately charged at the vehicle while brandishing his makeshift weapon. Officers believed the firearm was genuine as it was dark and tried to flee the scene, only to get stuck behind the car park barriers. The footage shows Sylvester then pointing the 'gun' at the passenger window before kicking the vehicle and trying to open the boot. PC Dan Arthur and PC George Oliver bravely jumped from the vehicle before apprehending Sylvester following a short chase on foot. It was only then that they established the firearm was in fact a brown paper bag Sylvester had folded in a way to mimic a handgun. Sylvester, of no fixed abode, was arrested for a number of offences, including having an imitation firearm and assaulting an emergency worker. He was charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an imitation firearm to cause distress, possession of class A drugs and attempted burglary. Sylvester has now pleaded guilty to all charges at Shrewsbury Crown Court half way through his week-long trial and was jailed for 19 months. Sentencing, Recorder Anthony Warner told him: 'You spoke of a gun and the paper you had shaped certainly looked like a gun and that would have been very frightening to the police officers and anybody else who was there.' The court was told Sylvester was having some sort of 'delusion' when he tried to batter down the door of the store at about 10pm in Telford town centre. Prosecuting, Danny Smith, said the defendant was banging on the glass doors after the shop was closed and was urging staff to let him in. Mr Smith said: 'He stated he had a gun and demanded the door was opened or he was going to shoot. 'It is fair to say, they (the store workers) never actually believed he had a gun so they took out a phone out and started recording him.' He said Sylvester then used shopping trolleys to try to smash his way inside and when that failed 'lowered his trousers and showed his penis and buttocks'. Police were called and two officers arrived on the scene. Mr Smith said Sylvester then took out a 'brown Primark bag' that he had just fashioned it into a gun shape in a corner of the car park while also wrapping some black cloth around his face in a makeshift balaclava. Mr Smith said: 'He shouted, "I have a gun", and aimed it at the police car and demanded the the officers both get out. 'When they refused, Sylvester attempted to open the boot to police car. 'Being concerned what he might take out of the car, the officers bravely got out.' The court heard Sylvester had 34 previous convictions to his name, for 84 offences, and was on licence when the incident occurred - having just been released from prison for a 'similar offence'. Paul Smith, defending, said Sylvester had been 'sleeping rough' due to being homeless after recently leaving prison and was having a 'delusional period', likely due to the cocaine he had been taking at the time. Chief Inspector Matt Sanders, of West Mercia Police, said after the case: 'When officers are sent to an ongoing incident they are going into the unknown. 'That night, PC Arthur and PC Oliver responded to an attempted burglary, and came face-to-face with a man whose clear intention was to cause harm and distress to police. 'Sylvester's actions were calculated, going to great lengths to ensure officers were called to the scene, including threatening members of the public and trying to break into a shop. 'He covered his face with a jumper to ensure he wasn't recognised by officers before manipulating an object to look like a small firearm so he could threaten whoever was responding. 'The bravery and professionalism shown by both PCs that evening was nothing short of extraordinary. 'Fortunately, neither officer sustained any injuries, and Sylvester was swiftly arrested thanks to the quick thinking and actions of both officers that night, along with those who also came to their aid. 'No-one should come to work and face violence and we thank our officers that day for their bravery and dedication to keeping communities safe.' In a video interview released following the case by West Mercia Police, the two officers have described the incident – and their fears at the time that they really did face a gunman who could shoot them. PC Arthur recalled: 'It sort of takes you a minute to engage with what's going on. There's a figure, person, all balaclava'd up, masked up, pointing something at the car which you don't really want to take chances with. 'The second he's seen the car, he's just started sprinting towards the car but still holding it out like that.' PC Oliver said: 'He was shouting at us, "I've got a gun – I'm going to shoot you, I've got a gun". 'So I told Dan we need to get out of here as quick as we can – so we drove off and he kept on following the car, but then we got to the barriers the other side where we couldn't get out. 'We're trained in dealing with lots of things and aggressive people, but we're not firearms officers.' PC Arthur added: 'Then he's gone round to the back of the car and for some reason decided to open the boot and then I think that's the start of the point that we've both decided we'll get out. 'We just thought we try and get him into a position where we can properly search him and make sure that we're safe and any other officers that are coming would be safe as well. 'So once we've got him secured, I think that's when we've unravelled and realised that he's adapted something in a way that would quite easily mimic a firearm.' 'We then thought, we need to ID who this person is – so we've taken his face (covering) off and that was when we realised, yeah, it's Matty Sylvester.' PC Oliver went on to say: 'We know that he's got a history of trying to assault police officers.' And PC Arthur reflected: 'It's a pretty stressful situation to be in – it's one of the few times where you've thought, I hope I make it back.' PC Oliver remembered: 'I'm sat in the car thinking, I might not actually be going home tonight. 'We've got no reason to believe that isn't real – you hear about all these stories of people that want to do police harm and you know there's terror attacks and stuff like that. 'So that's all going through your head when it's happening, going, is this actually really? Is this the time that we do get caught out? 'But after it's happened, you just have to look and go, actually these things don't happen that often.'
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Scary moment 'gunman' threatens police and tells them 'I'm going to shoot you'
This is the moment a man threatened police officers with what they thought was a gun in a terrifying ordeal. PC Dan Arthur and PC George Oliver had been called to a store in Telford following reports that a man had tried to use a trolley to break in. But when they arrived in a police car on February 22 this year, Matthew Sylvester stormed towards the vehicle with his face covered and what appeared to be a gun in his hands. READ MORE: Father's anguish over murder of 'fishing buddy' son by his evil girlfriend The officers then try to leave the car park but are unable to due to the barrier. Sylvester, 37, then approaches the passenger window and points the 'gun' into the car. As it was dark, the officers failed to see that it was in fact a paper bag folded in a way to look like a firearm. As Sylvester opened the boot, PC Arthur and PC Oliver got out of the car and tackled him to the ground. They removed his face covering and recognised Sylvester as he is known to police. Following the incident Sylvester, of no fixed abode, was charged with a number of offences including two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an imitation firearm to cause distress, possession of class A drugs and attempted burglary. And on Wednesday, July 30, he pled guilty to all charges at Shrewsbury Crown Court halfway through his week-long trial. On Friday, August 1, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for imitating a firearm, and three months for assaulting two emergency workers to run consecutively. He was also given four months for causing fear and violence and one month for possession of a class A drug (cocaine); both are to run concurrently. Chief inspector of West Mercia Police, Matt Sanders, said: "When officers are sent to an ongoing incident they are going into the unknown. "That night, PC Arthur and PC Oliver responded to an attempted burglary, and came face-to-face with a man whose clear intention was to cause harm and distress to police. "Sylvester's actions were calculated, going to great lengths to ensure officers were called to the scene, including threatening members of the public and trying to break into a shop. "He covered his face with a jumper to ensure he wasn't recognised by officers before manipulating an object to look like a small firearm so he could threaten whoever was responding. 'The bravery and professionalism shown by both PCs that evening was nothing short of extraordinary. "Fortunately, neither officer sustained any injuries, and Sylvester was swiftly arrested thanks to the quick thinking and actions of both officers that night, along with those who also came to their aid. 'No-one should come to work and face violence, and we thank our officers that day for their bravery and dedication to keeping communities safe.' A spokesperson for the force added: "On Saturday 22 February at around 10pm, PC Dan Arthur and PC George Oliver responded to a report of a man using a trolley to try and break into a store in Telford's town centre. "Unbeknown to the officers the wannabe burglar, who we now know to be Matthew Sylvester, was preparing for police arrival. "When Sylvester learnt police were on their way, he made his way to a nearby trolley park, where he used a jumper to cover his face and forged an object to mimic a handgun. "Once he spotted the patrol car enter the car park through the barrier he immediately charged at the officers brandishing the imitation firearm at them. "They made off from Sylvester only to find themselves stuck behind the car park barriers. He then went to the passenger side of the car, where PC Oliver was sitting, before threatening him through the window and kicking the vehicle. "It was dark at the time of the incident and both officers could not see clearly what he was holding, so they quickly called for back-up as they believed it to be a firearm. "Sylvester then moved to the back of the car, where he opened the boot. PC Arthur and PC Oliver got out of the car, where they were threatened again before a foot chase ensued, with the suspect then running in the direction of a housing estate. "Before he could get off the car park the two officers bravely tackled him to the floor, where they were then able to remove the jumper covering his face to reveal 37-year-old Matthew Sylvester, who is known to police. "It was then quickly established the firearm was in fact a brown paper bag Sylvester had folded in such a way that it looked like a handgun to the public and both officers."
BBC News
02-08-2025
- BBC News
West Mercia Police officers in Telford feared for lives in paper gun case
Two police officers say they feared they "might not be going home" after they were confronted with what appeared to be a gun while on duty. The encounter happened outside a shop one night in February when Matthew Sylvester, 37, of no fixed abode, brandished what appeared to them to be a firearm, fashioned from a brown paper bag, and threatened the officers in Telford, back on what happened, West Mercia Police's PC George Oliver said: "I'm sat in the car thinking 'I might not actually be going home tonight'."PC Dan Arthur added: "It's pretty stressful situation to be in because it's one of the few times you've thought 'I hope I make it back'." On Friday at Shrewsbury Crown Court, Sylvester was sentenced to 19 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an imitation firearm to cause distress, possession of Class A drugs and attempted burglary in Oliver and PC Arthur had been called to the scene in Telford after the force had reports of someone trying to break into a shop. "It sort of takes you a minute to engage with what's going on and there's a figure all balaclava'd up, masked up, pointing something at the car," recalled PC Arthur."It's something you don't really want to take chances with. "The second he's seen the car he's just started sprinting towards the car but still holding [the imitation firearm] out like that." PC Oliver said: "He was shouting at us: 'I've got a gun. I'm going to shoot you. I've got a gun'. "So I've told Dan we need to get out of here as quick as we can."The officers tried to leave the scene in their police car but were blocked in by the car park's gave Sylvester the chance to catch up before he pointed the fake gun through the vehicle's window and kicked its door. "We're looking at each other and thinking: 'Now what? What do we do?' You're almost having a conversation without actually having a conversation," PC Arthur said. Sylvester then moved to the back of the car and opened its boot. That was the moment when both officers said they sprung into action, using their PAVA spray - similar to pepper spray - before PC Oliver was able to wrestle Sylvester to the ground."Looking back on it, it was like it was in slow motion," PC Arthur added."At the time, I remember have so many things going on at once and you're trying to think of your own safety but also how to deal with the job as well. "You've got that much going on in your head it, it almost gets quite overwhelming."Reflecting on it, I don't think there's much we would have done differently to how we acted with the kit we've got and the training we've got."Ch Insp Matt Sanders praised the pair, adding: "The bravery and professionalism shown by both police constables that evening was nothing short of extraordinary." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
