A 24-year-old man detained by armed police officers after he was seen on the streets of Bradford with a suspected handgun is due to be assessed under the Mental Health Act.

Gary Marshman's behaviour with what turned out to be a toy handgun led to an armed response unit being called out in July and yesterday a jury found him guilty of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Marshman was seen aiming the suspected weapon at motorists as he walked from his home in Westcombe Court, Wyke, to his mother's house in Buttershaw Drive and at one point he even fired a plastic pellet at the driver's window of a passing school minibus.

Plain clothes police officers who were on patrol in the area had to warn members of the public about the presence of a suspected gunman on the streets and it was only after Marshman was challenged by armed officers in a garden that it emerged the weapon was a toy.

At the end of a three-day trial at Bradford Crown Court, barrister Gerald Hendron, for Marshman, revealed that his client had a history of mental health problems and the trial had taken place after a psychiatrist concluded he was fit to plead to the allegation.

Mr Hendron said his client had previously been diagnosed as suffering from a personality disorder.

Marshman was remanded in custody and it is expected that he will be transferred to a hospital where he could be assessed by a psychiatrist when a bed becomes available.

No date has yet been fixed for his sentence hearing, but his case is due to be mentioned in court again next Friday.