A 55 year old Grandfather who brandished a ‘fake’ handgun in order to try and scare off Bailiffs appeared in court yesterday in Essex.
On July 4th of this year, two Bailiffs attended the home of Danny Williamson in Basildon to enforce payment of £1,126 relating to motoring and traffic offences.
Mr Williamson denied any knowledge of the debt and became aggressive towards the pair progressing to threatening them with a knife.
As the situation intensified, the Bailiffs advised they would be seizing his car to clear the debt. At this point the situation escalated further with the defendant grabbing a imitation handgun.
The charge was heard yesterday at Basildon Crown Court where the Mr Williamson admitted possessing a imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Footage was shown in court of the events as they unfolded thanks to the Bailiffs body worn cameras.
Initially the defendant threatened the Bailiffs by saying he would come at them with knives before going to the upstairs of the property and returning with what appeared to be a black metal handgun.
At this point the Bailiffs called the Police and an armed Police Unit arrived, arresting Williamson at the property.
Mr Williamson maintained his position that he knew nothing of the debt and he thought the Bailiffs wee scam artists despite the presence of a warrant.
Judge Ian Graham gave Williamson a 12 month prison sentence to be suspended for 18 months. The judge also ordered Williamson to pay the courts costs of £520.
Had the Bailiffs not been wearing body cameras, the case may have been a lot harder to prove in court and clearly highlights the importance of using them.
Fortunately, attacks on Bailiffs and High Court Enforcement Officers remain minimal and the cameras act as a great deterrent to this kind of unacceptable behaviour in the UK.
