A Weymouth man has been jailed after he threatened another teenager with an air pistol before punching him.
Declan Watkins, aged 18 and of Corporation Road, Weymouth, was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 14 February 2022 after admitting offences of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assault at an earlier hearing.
In the early hours of Friday 17 September 2021 the defendant and two other male teenagers went round to an address in Louviers Road in Littlemoor. They were involved in a dispute with two further male teenagers who were present at the property.
Watkins produced what appeared to be a black handgun and ordered his victim to lie down. When he refused, the defendant punched him to the nose and continued to point the weapon at the victim’s head.
The mother of a friend of the victim heard a disturbance coming from the room and entered. At which point, Watkins and the other two teenagers he was with became verbally abusive and then left the property.
The victim, who did not sustain any serious injuries, and the defendant were known to each other. Watkins was located at an address in Weymouth shortly after the incident. The defendant was arrested and officers found a rucksack at the address, which contained a CO2-powered air pistol capable of firing ball bearings.
Detective Constable Kate Rhodes, of Weymouth CID, said: “The occupants of the targeted address should have felt safe, instead they were subjected to a horrific ordeal.
“Thanks to the swift response of armed and local officers on the night, Declan Watkins was quickly located and arrested and the air pistol was recovered.
“Dorset Police will not tolerate intimidating and violent behaviour of this nature and the court concluded that only a custodial sentence was appropriate. I hope this sends a clear message to other young people considering this kind of behaviour.” Â
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