Police officers feared for lives in paper gun case

Both PC George Oliver (left) and PC Dan Arthur (right) admitted they feared for their lives at the time

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, Shropshire.

Looking 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 July.

PC 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."

Matthew Sylvester used a brown paper bag, folded to look in the dark like a gun, to threaten the two police officers, they said

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 barriers.

That 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 was jailed for 19 months on Friday

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 thinking...you 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."