A MAN who pointed a loaded sawn-off shotgun at two unarmed Bradford police officers and ordered them to “get back” has been jailed for seven years.

Wayne Thackray took aim with the weapon after falling over a wall and accidentally discharging the gun into the side of a house, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Thackray, 36, of Woodside, Shipley, broke both his ankles fleeing with the gun after being seen loitering in a snicket with it concealed under a cloth.

The police were alerted because he was behaving suspiciously and wearing a black balaclava and gloves on a hot day, prosecutor Ian Mullarkey said.

When the two officers arrived at Stanacre Place, Undercliffe, at 2.30pm on June 25, Thackray jumped over a fence and then fell after scaling a high wall.

As he went to the ground the shotgun discharged and while he was still on the floor, Thackray threatened the officers with it.

They retreated in fear and called for back-up, the court heard.

The police helicopter was scrambled, and armed officers sent to the scene.

Thackray hobbled to a nearby caravan, where he holed up after throwing away the gun, the weapon’s stock, the balaclava and more ammunition.

It was then that his friend Dominic Kennedy rescued him from the caravan by giving him a piggy-back to his home in Stanacre Place, Mr Mullarkey said.

Kennedy, 48, and his partner, Anne-Marie Wilson, 43, of the same address, lied to police officers at the scene, saying they had seen a man in black running away.

Thackray was apprehended from their home by armed officers and Kennedy and Wilson were also arrested.

Thackray pleaded guilty to possession of a sawn-off shotgun in Arnford Close, Bradford, and making use of a firearm with intent to resist arrest.

Kennedy admitted assisting the escape and harbour of Thackray and Wilson pleaded guilty to obstructing the police.

Kennedy was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment and Wilson to a 12 month conditional discharge.

Mr Mullarkey said the shotgun was Italian-made with an “over and under” barrel less than 12 inches in length.

Thackray had 41 convictions for 89 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, battery, possession of crack cocaine, assaulting a police constable, house burglary and aggravated vehicle taking.

Kennedy had convictions for a string of house burglaries, attracting long prison sentences over the years.

Mr Mullarkey said it still wasn’t known why Thackray was loitering in broad daylight with a loaded sawn-off doubled-barrel shotgun, and wearing a balaclava and gloves.

His barrister, Nigel Jamieson, said Thackray’s offending stemmed from his unhappy childhood and his class A drug addiction.

He was minding the gun because he owed a drug debt.

Thackray was a family man with four children. He knew he was getting a lengthy jail sentence and he had already enrolled on courses to undertake in prison.

Ashok Khullar, Kennedy’s solicitor advocate, said his actions had caused minimal damage to the interests of justice.

“This was a foolish, impulsive act on his part,” he said.

Kennedy knew he was too old to keep serving prison sentences and had vowed that this would be his last.

David Bradshaw, for Wilson, said she did not know what Thackray had done that day, but realised the police were after him. She had spent several weeks in custody following her arrest.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, commended the two unarmed officers, PC Michael Laycock and PC Suhail Iqbal, who chased Thackray and had the gun pointed at them.

He also commended a civilian who alerted the police, ensuring a “fearsome” weapon was removed from the streets of Bradford.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Chris Gibson of West Yorkshire Police said: "I am extremely pleased with the guilty pleas and we welcome today’s sentence.

"This demonstrates that illegally possessing firearms on the streets of Bradford and across West Yorkshire will not be tolerated and anyone caught will face a significant sentence.

"Officers attended the incident at Stanacre Place in Bradford and were lucky not to be hurt when Thackray pointed the sawn off shotgun at them. The consequences of this incident could have been much worse.

"West Yorkshire Police work tirelessly to take these weapons off the street and bring criminals to justice.

"If anyone has any information that could lead to recovering illegal weapons, I would urge you to contact the Police on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."