Jail for taxi office gun threat

Daniel Adams, 20, of Meadow Crescent believed his girlfriend, 17-year-old Claire Pallett, had formed a relationship with a work colleague.

Lewes Crown Court was told he stormed into the Station Road offices of Bexhill Taxis last April where Claire and a young colleague were on duty and waved the pistol at them.

The court heard that he screamed at them and ordered the colleague from the room before throwing a telephone at Claire and wrecking the office.

Adams pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The weapon was later found to be an unloaded starting pistol.

Jeremy Gold, for Adams, described him as an emotionally fragile young man who had been affected by a "rather unusual dysfunctional upbringing."

The court was told that Adams had snapped after he misinterpreted his girlfriend's relationship with her workmate. At the time of the offence he had been under strong pressure, a new father attempting to complete a community order while working in a furniture store.

Miss Recorder Bowron told Adams: "What you did was despicable and caused great fear.

"As far as your victims were concerned, what you were waving around was a firearm.

"Whether it was loaded, unloaded or whatever they could not tell.

"Your actions were folly at the least and wicked at the worst."