Man took rifles and put school in lockdown - court

A man who took high-powered air rifles from a house and left a school in lockdown as police searched for him has been given a 19-month suspended prison sentence.

Jai Souter, 32, of Rigbourne Hill in Beccles, Suffolk, took the two weapons from a property on the same road, at about 13:00 BST on 14 May.

He also admitted affray, possession of a knife and the production of cannabis.

As he was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court, he was told his record was "appalling".

In May, witnesses called police after seeing Souter put one of the rifles in a garden.

Soon after, they were called to reports of a burglary in the same street, during which they were told the air rifles had been taken.

Nearby Albert Pye Community Primary School went into a short, police-advised, lockdown as officers searched for Souter.

Andrew Thompson, defending, told the court Souter believed he was helping a friend move out of the property and was not committing burglary.

Mr Thompson said there was "no indication" the air rifles would be used.

"When they were removed they were in their bags. It doesn't indicate any sinister use," he said.

Souter has 19 convictions for 48 previous offences, including possession of a stun gun and a knife.

The court heard the two air rifles qualified as firearms.

Ordinarily, no licence is required to hold one, the court was told, but Souter is banned from handling them because of his previous conviction involving the stun gun.

The court heard Souter has been "impulsive" in the past but was now in a stable relationship and was hoping to become a barber.

Souter was given a 15-month sentence for the affray, which took place on 18 June when he threatened a man with a knife and "lunged" at him.

He was also handed a four-month sentence for possession of the firearms, to run concurrently.

He was given a consecutive sentence of four months for possession of a knife in October 2023.

The total 19-month sentence was suspended for two years.

Judge Talbot-Hadley told him: "Your record is pretty appalling.

"That's probably explained by a lot of things in your background; a history of using substances, all sorts of things."

Souter, who said he stopped drinking a year ago, requested a GPS monitor - which can check someone's whereabouts electronically - as part of his probation agreement.

"GPS is something I wanted to do. I think that would be a really good thing for me," he said.

"It would stop me from hanging around with old, bad associates.

"That's an excuse for me to stay away from them."

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