Mother of Trump suspect Michael Sandford to crowdfund case

Lynne Sandford said she would fight to get her son Michael home to the UK

The mother of a Briton accused of trying to shoot US Presidential candidate Donald Trump is attempting to crowdfund his legal costs.

Lynne Sandford, 41, from Dorking, Surrey, has argued for her son Michael to be returned home after he was placed on suicide watch in prison.

He is due to stand trial in Las Vegas on 22 August and has denied a number of charges.

Ms Sandford said she had reassured her son his family has "not abandoned him".

'Very distressing'

She told the Press Association she has managed to speak to him only once since he was detained as he faced technical problems when he tried calling.

"We were both quite choked. He's only just 20. He's the younger side of that.

"To be so far away from home for so long and to have not even heard our voices, it must be very distressing for him to know other prisoners can phone their families and yet every time he tries to phone us, he says he can't."

She said he has Asperger syndrome and was "not in a good place physically at the detention centre, or mentally or emotionally".

Michael Sandford is due to attend a court hearing on 11 August and stand trial on 22 August

It is alleged Mr Sandford tried to snatch a policeman's gun during a rally at a Las Vegas casino on June 18. Officials claimed he said his plan was "to shoot and kill Donald Trump".

He has denied charges of disrupting government business and official functions and being an illegal alien in possession of a gun.

His mother said she would try to raise money for his legal team with a crowdfunding campaign on the Crowd Justice website.