Man jailed for threatening to shoot his father with a shotgun

David M Jones, of Brookfield Way, Tipton, had previously pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court to a charge of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence.

The court heard that Jones, 24, had moved into his father's home after splitting with his girlfriend. On the day of the offence, November 13, he had been 'moody' and told his father he wanted to go back home. His father, Mark, offered to drive him back but Jones got out of the moving car to retrieve his two shotguns.

After retrieving them from a locked cabinet in the attic, he held it up and said to his father and threatened to shoot him.

Prosecuting, David Swinnerton, said: "He was back in the home of his father. He is 24-years-old and of previous good character. His relationship with his girlfriend had broken down and his father had taken him back into his home.

"At around 4pm he was acting moodily as his father said. He said he was fed up staying in those four walls. His father said he would take him home. He reiterated that he was fed up and wanted to go home.

"The defendant stopped the car and said he was going to get his guns – he got out of the car before it came to a complete stop. He went back into the house agitated as described by his dad."

'I will f****** shoot you'

Mr Swinnerton continued: "He has a licence for them. He had hold of one of the guns, holding it by the barrel in his right hand. The defendant said to his father 'I will f****** shoot you'. He went back into the front room, where a lot of family were present including his stepmother and stepsister. He was extremely abusive to them still holding the gun. He was behaving like a bully shouting at them.

"His stepmother called the police. Armed response teams were sent to the scene. The defendant was compliant and he told them he had two shotguns that were not loaded.

"In a victim statement his step mother said she was scared he would turn up at their house and what happened plays on her mind."

Chris O'Gorman, defending, said: "In terms of the victim, his father, there does not appear, thankfully, to have any long-term psychological concerns. He did not believe the threats being made to him. The gun was not pointed at him, it was being held by its barrel. It was not pointed in his direction – it was being held upwards. It was not loaded at any stage.

"He is a 24-year-old man with no previous convictions. Living there was only temporary and the guns were organised in a cabinet in the attic away from everyone else. His father, when returning the house and the defendant had gone to get the guns, says in his statement, he passed the information on to his wife and then went off to make a cup of coffee.

"He let the argument with his father get the better of him. He won't own guns again and he has not had access to firearms since that day. Life went on with his father and now it has stopped because of his behaviour that day and that is a punishment. He told me how much it hurt on Father's Day that he could not speak to him."

'My way or the high way'

Judge Barry Berlin sentenced him to 27 months in prison at a hearing on Monday(18). He also granted the destruction of the guns and a restraining order for 10 years for his father, stepmother and stepsister.

He said: "He (father) describes you as a bully. I believe you are. My way or the high way is the way your father described you.

"You were moody and fed up, and wanted to go home. You jumped out of the car while it was moving and went back into the house to get the gun. You let the argument with your father get the better of you. Not much of an argument, you were just in a bad mood. You took the gun out and pointed it in the direction of him. You said words to the effect of 'I will f****** shoot you'. You abused others in the property. Your stepmother and step sister were affected by your bullying activities.

"You threatened your father with the gun, suggested you would shoot him. He did not know if it was loaded. He believes you would not have done anything.

"The effect is just as serious. You did present a danger to that person, a danger when you lose your temper. You are a bully and that has come through."