Pensioner pulled toy gun out in Caffe Nero and said five chilling words to staff

Gary Maddison, 65, terrified customers and unit successful the York subdivision of Caffe Nero successful January past twelvemonth aft helium pulled retired a artifact weapon - helium was jailed for 12 months connected Wednesday

A pensioner has been jailed aft causing chaos astatine a metropolis centre Caffe Nero with a artifact gun.

York Crown Court heard that Gary Maddison, 65, told a terrified unit subordinate astatine the York branch: "I'm going to termination you." An adjunct manager "thought she was going to die" aft helium pointed the tiny pistol astatine her and pulled the trigger.

Maddison entered Caffe Nero astatine 12.15pm connected January 20 past year. He initially sat down adjacent to a pistillate earlier putting his feet connected the table. He past started arguing with unit and became "obnoxious". The adjunct manager yet asked him to leave.

Another unit subordinate picked up Maddison’s container and placed it connected the doorstep. He noticed the imitation firearm and however it felt precise light, but was acrophobic that it "might propel thing similar a bullet".

He escorted Maddison retired of the shop, but the pensioner refused to permission and was said to person shouted: "I’m going to termination you." When confronted by the unit member, the tribunal heard Maddison told him: "This is going to beryllium your past breath."

The adjunct manager and the unit subordinate went extracurricular to inquire Maddison to leave, which is erstwhile helium pulled retired the imitation firearm. As Maddison pulled the trigger, the manager "thought she was going to die" earlier realising it wasn’t a existent gun. Maddison was said to person told her earlier fleeing: “I’m going to termination you connected Monday." He was detained by constabulary a abbreviated portion later.

Prosecutor Rob Galley said Maddison had earlier walked up to an off-duty constabulary serviceman and told him determination was "a gunman successful York", earlier adding: "It’s me!" Maddison past took retired a artifact weapon from his container and told the serviceman helium had bought it from a gag shop. The off-duty serviceman told him not to brandish it successful beforehand of members of the nationalist arsenic "they whitethorn deliberation it was real".

Maddison was charged with carrying an imitation firearm with intent to origin fearfulness of unit and 2 counts of making a menace to kill. He admitted possessing the firearm with intent but denied making threats to kill. The charges of threats to termination were near to record and Maddison was jailed for 12 months connected Wednesday.

In a unfortunate connection work retired to the court, the adjunct manager said she had since moved to different store to debar seeing Maddison again. She said her anxiousness had "got a batch worse" and she had adjacent changed her autobus way into the metropolis centre.

Maddison had 80 erstwhile convictions for 150 offences including damaging property, theft and nationalist disorder, the tribunal heard. One of his erstwhile convictions was for possessing an imitation firearm 20 years ago, erstwhile it was “tucked successful his waistband". In 2015, helium was fixed a intelligence wellness disposal aft being convicted of arson.

Defence barrister Nicholas Hammond said Maddison hadn’t been taking his medicine for intelligence wellness issues astatine the clip of the “frightening" incident. Judge Simon Hickey told Maddison his gun-wielding antics had terrified unit and customers who whitethorn not person realised initially that the limb was fake.