A man casually produced a realistic-looking imitation pistol and threatened to shoot his younger brother’s girlfriend at the time, a court was told.

Josh Jelly said he had been cleaning the air soft handgun in the kitchen of the family home when his brother and his then girlfriend became involved in a row outside the house, on April 23, last year.

Durham Crown Court heard the teenage woman involved conceeded she was, “between eight and nine out of ten”, on the scale of drunkenness and when voices were raised she admitted reacting violently.

Annelise Haugstad, prosecuting, said despite being told she was, “a silly girl” and urged to go home by Jelly’s parents, the complainant pushed past his mother.

Miss Haugstad said at that point the defendant appeared and, “casually pulled a gun out”, telling his brother’s girlfriend: “Touch my mam again and I’ll shoot you”.

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The young woman who was subject to the threat later told police it scared her, “a lot”.

She rang the police at the time and, when officers arrived at the house, Jelly told them he had an air soft pistol, which he had been cleaning in preparation of using the following day, when the confrontation began outside.

Miss Haugstad said the “penny seemed to drop” of the “enormity” of the situation he had placed himself in by his actions as he was giving his explanation to police.

She said it was “difficult to say” if there was a high-risk of serious disorder, but there was an incident going on outside.

Judge James Adkin asked the defendant’s counsel, Lewis Kerr, if the weapon was loaded at the time.

Mr Kerr said it was being cleaned when the defendant heard the noise outside.

Miss Haugstad said: “That was the immediate account given to the officer at the scene.”

Mr Kerr said the handgun was “produced”, but, “not brandished” by the defendant.

“It wasn’t waved or pointed at her. It was by his side.

“He then went back into the house and put it away.

“He knew he should not have done it.

“A situation developed not of his own making.”

“It was an argument between his brother’s ex-partner and his family.”

Mr Kerr told Judge Adkin: “He has a hobby of using air soft guns.

“It was a BB gun which fires plastic pellets and he’s a member of an organisation involved in an air soft hobby in the North East.”

Mr Kerr added that the imitation weapon was not used to inflict harm and the incident was now more than 17 months ago, since when the defendant, who is of previous good character, has kept out of trouble while maintaining his employment.

Jelly, 22, of Derby Drive, Moorside, Consett, admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause a fear of violence, having previously denied the offence.

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Judge Adkin told Jelly it “a realistic-looking” replica firearm and the incident had left the victim suffering flashbacks.

But he said: “In mitigation it’s been advanced that you are of previous good character and in employment, while this was a one-off incident, a sudden loss of control at a time you had the weapon in your hand.”

He said in those circumstances he could suspend the 12-month prison sentence for two years, during which the defendant must complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

But the judge added: “Commit further offences and you’ll go to prison.

“I strongly suspect this is a one-off incident and you have learned your lesson.”

Judge Adkin ordered forfeiture and destruction of the replica handgun.

Read next:

Man who spread fear in Trimdon with air rifle is jailed

Man risked activating prison sentence by possessing air rifles

Jailing of man for prolonged attack among cases sentenced at Durham Crown Court in recent days

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