Man pointed fake shotgun at neighbour in row over parking
A NEIGHBOUR wielded an imitation double-barreled shotgun after an argument over parking, a court heard.
A couple who lived opposite Alan Muscroft went to confront him on November 1, 2019 after they found a vehicle parked in front of their property. A heated row began.
The victim’s husband tried to calm things down by moving her away, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Wednesday.
Muscroft went back into his home and reappeared with the fake gun.
The victim grabbed the barrel and tried to wrestle it from him.
As she did this, she was injured to her face but managed to leave the scene with the gun.
She later needed treatment Bassetlaw Hospital, Worksop. at
Prosecutor Jon Fountain said: “The defendant came from the door wielding that shotgun and pointed it towards the direction of the woman who was on the road some yards away”.
Muscroft, 43, went on to plead guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and received a suspended prison sentence.
The court heard the victim and her husband had a house in Low Road, Scrooby, in north Nottinghamshire.
It was an ongoing source of frustration for the victim that occupants of Muscroft’s home parked in front of their driveway and on previous occasions the victim had asked them tomove the vehicles parked there.
“They were always amicable”, said Mr Fountain.
The argument on November 1 began after the couple returned from visiting friends and saw a vehicle parked again in front of their home.
Mitigating, Ed Moss said Muscroft, now of Winchester Mews, Bircotes, said CCTV which was played in court, showed it was clearly was not his argument.
He said on two occasions the complainant was dragged away by her husband. However, Mr Moss said Muscroft clearly acted in a foolish way.
Judge Jeremy Lea told Muscroft he did not initiate the confrontation at his front door late at night and it had obviously been ongoing for some time before “you eventually lost it and produced that weapon, presumably with intent to cause the complainant to go rather rapidly away”.
He imposed a ten-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, 20 rehabilitation activity days and to attend a “thinking skills programme”.
A restraining order was imposed not to contact the victim.