Newport man Shaun Wakefield fired air rifle at police

Footage filmed by a neighbour showed Wakefield brandishing a gun

A man fired an air rifle at police after threatening to kill his wife and setting fire to his flat.

Shaun Wakefield, 47, kicked a neighbour's door down when his wife fled, then pointed a gun at officers on Fairoak Avenue, Newport, in April 2023.

He was jailed for four years and eight months at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.

He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, arson, and criminal damage.

Footage filmed by a neighbour showed Wakefield pointing the weapon at officers.

The sentencing hearing heard he had been acting in an erratic manner while suffering from drug-induced psychosis.

His wife described him attempting to harm himself in a taxi and grabbing hold of the wheel and making paranoid comments.

Once back at his flat, Wakefield was said to have pushed his wife to the floor and told her: "You're going to burn. I'm going to leave us all in here and we're going to die."

Footage filmed by a neighbour showed Wakefield pointing the gun

Prosecutor Megan Jones told the court Wakefield's wife escaped with their dog to a neighbour's flat and the police were called.

They heard a banging at the door and heard Wakefield shouting: "Fire! Fire!".

As the alarms went off, Wakefield's wife looked through the door and saw him holding a knife.

He broke in to the neighbour's flat and was fought off, but as he walked away his wife spotted the tip of an air rifle she knew he owned, the court heard.

When police arrived at the block of flats, Wakefield stood outside with the gun.

One officer was quoted as saying: "I felt concerned for mine, my colleagues', and members of the public's safety."

Officers shouted to Wakefield to "put the gun down", but he refused and threatened members of the public who ran away in fear, the court was told.

As they took cover, Wakefield was heard to say: "I'll shoot you."

He fired the air rifle at a police car and then at an officer, missing his intended target, the sentencing judge was told.

In mitigation, the court heard that Wakefield had been diagnosed with depression and psychosis. He had smoked two cannabis joints before the incident and had not been taking his prescribed medication.

The court heard he had intended to take his own life and had brandished the air rifle so police would "shoot him dead".

Since his remand in custody, the defendant's condition was said to have improved.

Sentencing him, Judge Simon Mills said: "What you did was largely of your own making.

"At the time of the offences you were suffering a drug-induced psychosis.

"You pose a high risk of harm to the public when you're in a state of mental ill health."