A DRUNK man who pulled a gun on a group of teenagers and threatened to shoot them was jailed on Friday.
Anthony James, 20, was just four days out of jail when he threatened the group with a semi-automatic air pistol and demanded money.
He had been drinking heavily when he tried to rob Chris Wyatt and another man outside Wantage Fire Station on March 30.
Nikki Duncan, prosecuting at Oxford Crown Court, said: “From his pocket he took out a gun and he pointed it at the group.
“He said to Chris Wyatt ‘Give me £20’. He said he did not have £20. Mr James said ‘I will shoot you or I will shoot your friends’.”
Miss Duncan said Mr Wyatt claimed he would go to get the cash but actually raised the alarm.
In the meantime, James told the other two teenagers in the group the weapon was neither real nor loaded and pulled the trigger to prove it, added Miss Duncan.
She said he had been released on licence four days earlier after breaching a suspended sentence.
James, of Orchard Way, Wantage, admitted two charges of attempted robbery and one of possessing an imitation firearm.
Nigel Daly, defending, said: “It is a curious sort of robbery. It is bizarre, it is pathetic and it is the result of being carried out by a drunken and psychologically damaged young man.”
Mr Recorder Guy Hungerford jailed him for 18 months.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel