Scunthorpe gunman intended to shoot officer, says judge

Jamie Burke, 30, was sentenced to 17 years with an extended licence of five years

An armed man who fired a gun during a police chase "intended to shoot" a pursuing officer, a judge said as he jailed him for 17 years.

Jamie Burke, 30, fired the weapon while being pursued by an undercover officer in Scunthorpe in July 2021.

He was cleared of attempted murder after a trial, however Judge John Thackray QC said he "clearly" had the gun "with the intention of using it".

Burke, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on Friday.

Following a trial in February, Burke was found guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm.

The jury heard he had been spotted acting suspiciously in the Normanby Road area of the town.

PC Zak Meadows, who was on plain-clothes patrol in an unmarked car, got out of his vehicle and gave chase when Burke ran off.

Video footage from PC Meadows' body camera showed that during the pursuit, Burke produced a handgun from a bag and fired a single shot.

Firearms experts said the weapon was fully functional with five live rounds still in the chamber, the trial jury was told.

The incident took place in the Normanby Road area of Scunthorpe on 26 July 2021

Passing sentence, Judge Thackray said that, despite Burke's acquittal of the charge of attempted murder, he was satisfied that "the defendant intended to shoot the officer", but added that he did not intend to kill him but to "incapacitate" him.

"The defendant was clearly carrying a lethal and loaded firearm with the intention of using it on that day," the judge said.

"It was only good fortune the bullet discharged missed the officer."

The court heard that the shooting had left PC Meadows suffering from panic attacks and requiring counselling.

"The incident will stay with him for the rest of his life," Judge Thackray said

"It is unlikely he will ever recover from the psychological effects."

The judge described Burke as a risk to the public and handed him a five year extended licence on top of the prison sentence.

Lee Freeman, Humberside Police's Chief Constable, said: "I'd like to acknowledge the immense bravery of PC Meadows and his colleagues who gave chase, despite being fired at by the suspect at close range.

"Thankfully these incidents are really rare. We have very few firearms incidents in the Humber region, which made it even more shocking when it happened in Scunthorpe."