A man threatened to "blow up the street" and shoot a fake hostage in the head during 10-hour stand-off with armed police.
Callum Kerr, 32, of Partington Square, Sandymoor, was "off his box" on Class A drugs and alcohol for five days. Alongside Rachel Bates, 38, of The Uplands, Palacefields, the pair barricaded themselves at Bates' bungalow in Runcorn on Thursday, August 18 last year.
An armed siege ended in the pair's arrest at 11pm at night. John Oates, prosecuting at Chester Crown Court, on Friday, told how two officers arrived at the bungalow at 1.10pm to arrest Kerr and Bates over an alleged robbery that took place earlier that day. Bates was heard shouting she would "cut herself", telling them "“watch what happens when you come in", the Liverpool Echo reports.
When police smashed the door open, they found an upturned sofa in the way with Kerr "hiding behind" while holding a suspected "knife or screwdriver" close to one of the constables. Kerr shouted: "I’ve got a hostage, back up or I’ll kill her.”
Meanwhile, Bates shouted: "We're in this together". However, Kerr continued to threaten to kill her. When officers heard Kerr had a 'pistol' the officers withdrew from the scene and waited for a firearms unit and negotiator.
A cordon was set up and neighbours were told to either return inside or evacuate. Kerr threatened police, saying: "I will cut the f***ing gas, I will blow the street.
“I’ve got a Beretta, you f***ing come here and I’ll blow her head off. Anyone comes near the garden, I will blow her head off. I’ll shoot her, I’ll shoot me and take a potshot at my f***ing head."
Mr Oates said the stand-off finally ended when firearms units stormed the bungalow at around 11pm and brought out Kerr who was "extremely violent". Bates was found unconscious on the kitchen floor after what her counsel Carmel Wilde said was an overdose.
Bates became conscious enough on her way to the hospital to warn that Kerr had "poured petrol" over the bungalow. In an interview, Bates refused to answer questions and Kerr's interview had to be paused so his solicitor could calm him down.
After the break, Kerr threatened to "break" or "snap" the interviewing officer's jaw while "banging on the table and standing up and generally being so difficult the interview had to be terminated". After Kerr's solicitor left, he held a chair above his head and threw it at the wall, causing the officer to hear he was being assaulted.
A statement from Halton's area commander Supt Gary Smith said a search of the bungalow revealed a "Molotov cocktail", supporting Kerr's claim that a petrol bomb was made to set the property on fire. Supt Smith said Kerr’s abuse included saying he wanted to “cost the (Cheshire Police) organisation money as we have ‘f***ed his life up’”.
The pair pleaded guilty to affray and Kerr to assaulting an emergency worker over an incident during his interview on August 19. They were both acquitted at trial over the alleged robbery in Widnes earlier that morning.
Robert Wynne-Jones, defending Kerr, pleaded mitigation for his early guilty pleas. He stressed that Kerr has a "personality disorder" and "surprisingly positive" pre-sentence report. Carmel Wilde, appearing for Bates, said that she lacked the "consequential thinking" to understand how her actions would affect vital emergency resources which were backed up in the area due to the incident.
She added that Bates hurt herself and had no intention of hurting anyone else, now bearing "cutting scars as a lasting reminder of that day". She highlighted that Bates had been engaging with the Change Grow live recovery group prior to the incident, even being asked to consider becoming a volunteer to help others with similar difficulties.
While on remand, she also reduced her methadone prescription and was working in the prison laundry as well as taking maths lessons. Ms Wilde said Bates, who suffered chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and mobility problems due to a spinal injury, was worried about losing her accommodation, which had brought some “stability” to her life.
Judge Michael Leeming sentenced Kerr to 22 months in prison and Bates to 16 months - both to be served immediately.
He reminded Kerr of his 28 convictions for 41 offences using eight aliases and two different dates of birth, for crimes including multiple assaults occasioning actual bodily harm and battery, possessing a knife in prison, threatening behaviour and court order breaches.
Bates has 186 convictions for 179 offences in seven alias names, mainly for thefts and breaches, but also battery, with her record described as “largely to fund your longstanding substance misuse”.
Judge Leeming also dismissed any chance the pair could rehabilitate, pointing to the fact that Kerr "boasted" about being "off your box and out of control for five days" on Class A drugs and alcohol while dismissing Bates' claim of being a hostage as "nonsense".
During his summing-up he said: 'You (Kerr) told police ‘I’ve got a gun, I’ve got a hostage, back off, I’ll kill her’ and made threats to cut the gas and blow up the street. You Bates could be heard shouting ‘We’re in this together’.
“You Kerr threatened to shoot her and shoot yourself and you’d take a potshot. The police were concerned for their safety.”
He added the incident had been “a complete waste of valuable police resources”.
Read next:
