'Why didn't you shoot me,' man asks officers

Steven Russell, 23, pleaded with a firearms officer 'why didn't you shoot me?' when he was arrested after the ordeal last November.

He had locked himself in his flat at Aldwick Road, stabbed himself in the neck and arm and brandished the weapons at police, forcing one officer to dive into a neighbouring garden to take cover.

When Russell surrendered, his house was searched and items which he calls 'ornaments' were found by police.

These included a large range of hunting knives, a crossbow, another samurai sword, another rifle and a pistol. The air rifle he had been holding was not loaded.

Chichester Crown Court heard last Thursday that Russell had thought the whole event to be 'funny'.

He had described himself as 'half the man he used to be' after suffering brain injuries when he had a fit in 2004. Since then, it was said, he has been suffering severe depression.

When sentencing him Judge Claudia Ackner said the samurai sword must have been 'extremely menacing to see'.

"I appreciate that, through no fault of your own, your life changed dramatically in 2004 after a fit left you with a brain injury," she said.

"But that can't excuse what you did. This was a very serious crime indeed. Only a custodial sentence can be justified."

The court heard how Mr Russell had been waiting to meet with a woman at his flat just two hours before the incident on November 7 '“ but was stood up.

He drank Sambucca and called his care worker after stabbing himself in the arm and neck.

His care worker was locked outside the house, and ambulance crews tried in vain to reach Russell.

The police were called to the scene but had to take cover when he displayed what they thought at the time to be a rifle.

One officer dived into a neighbouring garden because he thought he was being shot at.

The road was cordoned off and fire arms police were also deployed.

When arrested, Russell was taken to hospital and prepared a statement for police, admitting he fired the air rifle three times.

Russell pleaded guilty to possessing the rifle with the intent to cause fear or violence and possessing the samurai sword last month (February).

He was jailed for two-and-a-half years for possessing the air rifle with the intent to cause fear or violence.

He received a six-month consecutive sentence for possessing the samurai sword.

His 87 days of being remanded in custody will count in full towards the sentence.

Judge Ackner also ordered that the weapons be destroyed.

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