Jail for Wisbech father-and-son who pulled 'gun' on neighbours and Cambridgeshire Police
A father and son have been jailed after arming themselves with an imitation gun following a row with neighbours over dustbins.
Christy Burke, 38, pulled a "gun" on one of his father's neighbours, a 69-year-old woman, in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.
It followed a row earlier in the day between his dad Dermot Burke, 69, and his neighbour over the rubbish bins.
During the trial, Cambridge Crown Court heard how the Burkes confronted another neighbour - a 54 year old man - upon his arrival home on 14 December, when all three of them ended up in a tussle on the ground.
A friend of that neighbour intervened when Christy Burke became extremely angry, said police. He went inside his father's home and came back with an imitation gun which he pointed at the man.
Dermot Burke then went to the door of the 54-year-old wearing a mask, armed with a knife, and tried to remove the video doorbell.
Police later identified him using footage which clearly showed his upper arm tattoos.
When armed officers arrived, Christy Burke surrendered but his father refused to follow orders and became aggressive.
After a stand-off and throwing planks of wood towards officers, Dermot Burke appeared near the back door with an imitation gun in his hand.
Officers reacted by throwing a stun grenade into the home in order to disarm Dermot Burke and arrest him.
The weapon used by both men was recovered and later found to be a gas-powered BB pistol.
Christy, of Victoria Road, Wisbech, previously admitted being in possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Dermot, of Perry Road, Leverington, Wisbech, previously admitted the same charge, as well as being in possession of a knife in a public place.
The pair were both jailed for a year and 10 months.
Det Con Matt Pope, who investigated, said: “This was a relatively low-level neighbour dispute which got completely out of hand due to the Burkes both being highly intoxicated.
“Christy armed himself with the weapon – which to an untrained eye, or from a distance, looks like a viable firearm – with the intention of intimidating the man, causing him to fear for his life.
“From the off-set their behaviour was aggressive and unjustified, causing the woman a lot of upset and fear, which then escalated, resulting in firearms officers being called to defuse the situation and ultimately prevent anyone from being harmed.”
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