THIS is the moment an idiotic criminal tried to carjack police officers armed with a “gun” made from a Primark bag.
Matthew Sylvester, 37, chased the police car and pointed the “weapon” at the officers, who at first assumed it was real.
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PCs Dan Arthur and George Oliver called for back-up and attempted to drive off but were blocked by the car park barriers.
Sylvester then shouted “I’ve got a gun” and demanded the cops get out of the car.
In reality, the thug had fashioned the weapon from a brown Primark bag.
When Sylvester opened the boot, PC Arthur and PC Oliver left the vehicle and managed to tackle him to the ground.
At this point, the cops realised the gun was not real and swiftly arrested Sylvester.
He has now been jailed for 19 months after pleading guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an imitation firearm to cause distress, possession of class A drugs and attempted burglary.
Sentencing, Recorder Anthony Warner said: “You spoke of a gun and the paper you had shaped certainly looked like a gun and that would have been very frightening to the police officers and anybody else who was there.”
Shrewsbury Crown Court was told Sylvester, who has 34 previous convictions for 84 offences, was on licence at the time after being released from prison for a similar charge.
The thug had made his way to a shop in Telford, Shropshire, at about 10pm on February 22, where he threatened to shoot staff.
He then attempted to smash his way in using a shopping trolley before he “lowered his trousers and showed his penis and buttocks”.
After learning the police were on the way, Sylvester wrapped a jumper around his face and assembled the makeshift gun.
Speaking after the sentencing, PC Arthur said: “It’s a pretty stressful situation to be in because it’s one of the few times where you’ve thought, ‘I hope I make it back.’”
While his colleague added: “We’ve got no reason to believe that isn’t real.
“You hear about all these stories of people that want to do police harm and these terror attacks. That’s all going through your head when it’s happening.”
In mitigation, lawyer Paul Smith said Sylvester had been homeless after leaving jail and was likely having a “delusional period” due to cocaine use.
Chief Inspector Matt Sanders, of West Mercia police, said: “PC Arthur and PC Oliver responded to an attempted burglary, and came face-to-face with a man whose clear intention was to cause harm and distress to police.
“Sylvester’s actions were calculated, going to great lengths to ensure officers were called to the scene, including threatening members of the public and trying to break into a shop.
“The bravery and professionalism shown by both PCs that evening was nothing short of extraordinary.”
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