Man jailed over 18-hour crossbow stand-off

A man who pointed a loaded crossbow at his neighbours before an 18-hour stand-off with police has been jailed.

Darren Mahoney, 53, of Potters Field in Gorleston, Norfolk, was found guilty of affray over the incident on 21 September.

He was sentenced at Norwich Magistrates' Court on 23 January to six months in custody and an order was also made to deprive him of his crossbow, bolts and zombie-style knife.

Mahoney had refused to attend his trial at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court in Essex, in November, so was convicted of affray in his absence.

The court service said in a statement: "The offence(s) are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified."

During his trial, the neighbour sobbed as she gave evidence and described Mahoney pointing the crossbow at her husband's head over the garden fence.

"We ducked down, because we had to, for our lives," she said.

Eighteen hours after police arrived at the scene, Mahoney left the house voluntarily and was arrested.

Police found the loaded and cocked crossbow and multiple bolts with sharpened metal tips and a magazine that would allow multiple bolts to be fired.

In a police interview Mahoney said he would wake to find the couple "invading his thoughts and getting inside his head", prosecutors said.

He told police he was a "prepper" and the weapon would allow his son and daughter to hunt and gather food in the event of a Russian invasion and chemical attack; and he denied pointing it at his neighbours and making threats to kill.

Mahoney who had pleaded guilty to having a zombie-style knife, was not represented during his trial after sacking his defence solicitor.

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