Two men jailed after threatening victims with air gun in own home

Two men have been jailed after threatening a family with an air gun in their own home.

James Hindley of Churton Road, Chester and Jamie McLoughlin, of Irvings Crescent, Saltney, were sentenced on Friday 14 May at Chester Crown Court

The court heard how the 31-year-olds visited a pub on Chester Street, Saltney at around 9.40pm on 18 December 2019 but became aggressive; the owner asked them to leave and when outside Hindley threatened that he’d get someone to burn down the pub.

They then left in a grey Ford Transit van.

At 3.45am that same evening three men visited an address on Clover Place and made demands for money.

One of the men had what the victim described as a ‘handgun’ and made threats with it before fleeing the scene.

The victim stated they saw a grey Ford Transit van ‘screech’ away from the scene towards Cliveden Road.

Police were able to quickly identify the van and on 19 December 2019 firearms officers detained McLoughlin and Hindley as they walked along Cherry Grove Road at 10.40pm.

Following a search of the area, keys to the van were found in a nearby bush.

The two were arrested and subsequently charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Hindley was also charged with possession of a controlled Class B drug and threatening to destroy or damage property.

After the arrest, a search was conducted of both their addresses an air weapon similar to that described by the victim was seized from Hindley’s home along with a small amount of cannabis bush.

Hindley was sentenced to 50 months imprisonment while McLoughlin was jailed for 40 months – the pair were ordered to pay court costs and were also handed restraining orders against the victims.

Detective Constable Andrew Manson said: “These men had no regard for their actions and the impact it would have on their victims.

"A great deal of work went into apprehending both Hindley and McLoughlin and I would like to thank everyone who helped with this investigation.

"I hope that the sentence handed down by the courts allows the victims to bring some closure to their frightening ordeal and provides some reassurance to the community that criminals such as this have no place in Chester.”