No more jail for thug in ‘siege’
ATHUG from Skelmersdale who spent nearly four hours on a window ledge during a Liverpool police “siege” will not serve any extra time in jail.
Carl Turner, 28, was wanted over a vicious gang attack on his ex-girlfriend’s dad, who was left with a broken nose and scars.
Officers traced him to an address in Winslow Street, Walton and stormed the property, at around 3.30pm, on July 29 last year.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Turner, of Eskdale, and three other men escaped out of a window.
One came down but Turner and two others ended up sitting on window ledges above Greggs and Urban Chicken and Pizza in County Road.
They remained there for more than three and a half hours, during which time roads were closed, crowds gathered – including people who subjected police to abuse – and businesses suffered.
Martyn Walsh, prosecuting, said: “County Road is an arterial road, a main road through the area, and police attended, the fire service attended and the ambulance service attended.
“At that time because of the disturbance there was a large number of local residents who also attended and crowds began to gather.
“Police set up a large cordon, closing several of the local roads, there were also business premises on these roads caused inconvenience for three and a half-hours that Mr Turner and his two friends stayed up there.
“Merseyside Police force negotiators also had to be called, but the situation was eventually resolved and the males came down from the roof and they were arrested.”
He said YouTube clips and body-worn camera footage from police showed 25 officers and a large group of people.
Turner was remanded in custody and in January jailed for 42 months for the attack on his former partner’s dad.
He enlisted John Hughes and Patrick Doyle to help assault Michael Pye, inside the One Stop Shop in Bowness Avenue, St Helens.
They repeatedly punched Mr Pye, 53, on July 10 last year, after he came across Turner bothering his daughter, Samantha Pye.
Turner and Hughes also stamped on and kicked his work colleague, Thomas Beard, 51, who suffered a serious head wound and broken arm.
Turner, who had bombarded Miss Pye, 24, with threatening phone calls and texts, admitted two counts of wounding and one of harassment.
However, a charge of causing a public nuisance – relating to his arrest – only came before magistrates this July, which he admitted.
Turner has 13 previous convictions, starting in 2008 as a youth for criminal damage, disorderly behaviour and theft from a shop. He was convicted of possessing cannabis in 2009 and 2010, then locked up in October 2010 for burglary and theft.
He was also convicted of common assault in 2012 and obstructing a constable and attempted theft in 2013.
Paul Wood, defending, said: “What do you do with a defendant in this position? It’s a position that is very unusual.”
Mr Wood argued the court would have been “fully aware” of the circumstances of his client’s arrest when he was jailed in January.
He said his client was due for release in July 2021 and urged the judge to impose a concurrent sentence to not impact on his release date.
Mr Wood said: “There has been a significant delay in this case, which isn’t his fault.”
He suggested the incident took place over a “relatively modest period of time”, adding: “The behaviour was in essence a peaceful rooftop protest if you will, for three and a half hours.”
Judge Garrett Byrne told Turner: “This caused a great deal of nuisance and police had to attend – a large number of police – and in effect a three-hour siege took place.
“Police had to engage a negotiator, a cordon had to be set up, local roads had to be closed, the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also had to attend.
“This was all on a busy road where large crowds were forming, which in of itself caused police additional problems.”
He said Turner was “certainly not” of good character and also had previous for preventing an emergency worker from responding to an incident.
But the judge said “on the other side of the coin” Turner pleaded guilty at the first possible opportunity, had been in custody since last July and was dealt with for the “substantive offence” in January.
Judge Byrne added: “I think it’s right and proper the court considers what the position might have been, had this matter been before the court back in January.”
The judge handed Turner two weeks in jail, concurrent to his existing sentence, to which he replied: “Thank you.’’