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OLD BEY

NOV 5

GRANDAD 1.

A DRUNKEN GRANDAD BROUGHT TERROR TO A SURBURBAN STREET, AS

HE STAGGERED ABOUT BRANDISHING A SAWN OFF SHOT GUN.

IT WAS ONLY DUE TO THE BRAVERY OF 28 YEAR OLD PC

CHRISTOPHER NEWMAN THAT NO HARM WAS DONE, AN OLD BAILEY JUDGE HEARD

ON WEDNESDAY.

JOHN ANDERSON HAD ALREADY FIRED ONE SHOT WHEN PC NEWMAN AND

WPC MAJORIE MCKINNON APPROACHED HIM IN CHIPSTEAD CLOSE, CRYSTAL

PALACE.

IN A DRUNKEN SLUR ANDERSON TOLD THEM: ‘COME ANY CLOSER AND

YOU’LL GET THIS.

‘ WITH TREMENDOUS COURAGE PC NEWMAN LEAPT ON THE

GUNMAN AND THE WPC DISARMED HIM.

THE COURT HEARD THAT ANDERSON HAD DRUNK ONE AND A HALF

BOTTLES OF WHISKY AND A COCKTAIL OF OTHER DRINKS.

MR.

JUSTICE TURNER COMMENDED PC NEWMAN OF PENGE POLICE

STATION.

‘THE PUBLIC IS FORTUNATE THAT THERE ARE POLICE OFFICERS

POSSESSING YOUR SORT OF COURAGE.

‘ HE SAID

THE JUDGE PLACED ANDERSON ON TWO YEARS PROBATION.

HE SAID

HE WAS TAKING AN ‘EXCEPTIONAL COURSE’ AFTER HEARING THAT ANDERSON

WAS A REFORMED CHARACTER.

HE HAD COME TO TERMS WITH HIS TWENTY

YEAR DRINKING PROBLEM AND WAS NOW SEEKING THE HELP OF ALCOHOLICS

ANONYMOUS.

HE SAID: ‘IN THIS DAY AND AGE ANY PERSON HEARING THAT YOU

HAVE PLEADED GUILTY TO POSSESSING A SAWN OFF SHOTGUN IN A PUBLIC

PLACE WOULD RIGHTLY BE ASTOUNDED BY THE SENTENCE I HAVE PASSED.

BUT

I AM GIVING YOU A CHANCE TO LEAD AN HONEST AND INDUSTRIOUS LIFE.

‘

ANDERSON TOLD POLICE HE DID NOT KNOW WHY HE HAD TAKEN TO THE

STREETS WITH THE GUN.

HE SAID IT WAS NINETY YEARS OLD AND WAS A

‘RAT GUN’ GIVEN TO HIM 20 YEARS AGO BY A FARMER.

ANDERSON, UNEMPLOYED OF BELVEDERE ROAD, CRYSTAL PALACE

PLEADED GUILTY HAVING A FIREARM IN A PUBLIC PLACE AND POSSESSING THE

GUN WITHOUT A CERTIFICATE IN JULY THIS YEAR.

ENDS