A former policeman rang 999 from a railway station and said he was carrying guns and had just carried out an armed robbery, a court has heard. Gareth Walters also told the call handler he wanted officers to come to the station and shoot him.
Shortly before making the call Walters – who has a commendation from his time in uniform – had stolen a bottle of wine from a petrol station and had flashed a realistic-looking handgun at the shop worker who had challenged him. Cardiff Crown Court heard Walters' life unravelled after leaving the force and alcohol had "completely taken over".
Martha Smith-Higgins, prosecuting, said that on the evening of August 22 last year Walters went to the shop at the Texaco petrol station in Coychurch Road in Pencoed and walked out with lemonade, a chocolate bar, and a bottle of wine. The shop worker recognised Walters as someone suspected of previously stealing items from the shelves and followed him out of the shop to challenge him. The court heard the defendant turned around to face his victim, lifted his T-shirt to reveal the handle of handgun in a holster, and told the employee: "Don't come. Go back inside or I'll shoot." The shop worker returned to the shop and called his boss to tell him what had happened.
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The prosecutor said at just after 11pm that night police received a 999 call from Walters in which he said he had two guns – a Glock and a Russian-made handgun – and had just carried out an armed robbery at a garage. The defendant then said he was at Pencoed railway station and he wanted the police to attend and to shoot him.
Armed police were sent to the station and the defendant again repeated his assertion that he wanted to be shot. Walters – who was carrying a green imitation handgun in a holster on his waist and a small black BB gun tucked into the rear waistband of his trousers – was safely disarmed and detailed.
A subsequent search of the defendant's address found another imitation firearm, two containers of BB pellets, and quantity of plastic bullet shells. In his interview Walters accepted he had taken the wine from the shop as he had no money to pay for it and accepted making the 999 call to the police from the railway station because he wanted armed officers to shoot him. Walters said he suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder from his time as a police officer but no longer felt suicidal and was hoping to get counselling from his local church. The 38-year-old added that he had liked "playing with guns" since his childhood and had bought the imitation firearms for his birthday.
Gareth Walters, of Penybont Road, Pencoed, Bridgend, had previously pleaded guilty to theft and to possession of an imitation firearm while committing an offence when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. Ieuan Bennett, for Walters, said the defendant had held a number of responsible jobs including with Admiral Insurance and a managerial role at retailers Curry's before joining Lincolnshire Police. He said during his time with the police his client had received a letter of commendation for his actions in saving a man's life following a car crash.
The barrister said Walters' life had "unravelled" after he left the police with alcohol "completely taking over", his marriage ending, and the defendant then leaving Lincolnshire to live with his parents in south Wales. He said on the day in question Walters had reached "a low ebb" which led to the "bizarre train of thought that he wanted the police to shoot him and put him out of his misery". Mr Bennett said the defendant was a man of "provably good character" and was remorseful for his actions.
Judge Paul Hobson said he had a read a psychiatric report on the defendant which detailed his post-traumatic stress disorder traits and his alcohol dependency syndrome and he had read a letter Walters had written to the court. He said while the offending crossed the custody threshold that did not mean a custodial sentence was inevitable where a community-based sentence would meet the needs of justice. He said having regard to the five months the defendant had already spent in custody on remand, the unusual facts of the case, the defendant's lack of previous convictions, and the role the defendant's mental health concerns and alcohol problems played in the commission of the offences he had come to the conclusion that a community order was the most appropriate sentence. The judge noted that an advantage of a community order as that it would allow a longer period for probation to provide the help and support Walters needs. The defendant was sentenced to a three-year community order with an alcohol treatment requirement and a rehabilitation course.
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