A man who threatened to kill police officers at a caravan park in Sussex has been jailed.
Jacob Woodford had been staying at holiday camp in Selsey on September 8 last year.
Just after 6.30pm that evening police arrested someone known to Woodward on suspicion of assault - they were later released without charge.
However, Woodward had begun drinking and called officers to say he would take his own life if they did not release the suspect.
He told police he had a gun and would kill any policemen that came near him at the caravan site. He also said, “I’ve got someone here, he can’t speak right now, he’s tied up.”
Armed police and negotiators attended the caravan park and spent an hour trying to get Woodford to surrender, which he eventually did, and was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill.
During his interview he apologised for making a "drunken mistake".
No weapons or hostage were found inside his caravan.
The 29-year-old, of Benhams Road, Southampton, was charged with sending a communication conveying a threatening message, under the Malicious Communications Act, and admitted the charge in court.
At Portsmouth Crown Court on July 8 he appeared for sentence. It was revealed he had committed the offence just one month after being given a suspended prison sentence for assaulting a police officer in Hampshire.
Woodford was sentenced to a total of ten months in prison for his offence and for breaching his suspended sentence.
Detective Sergeant Chris May, from Chichester CID, said:
“Woodford’s drunken 999 call caused great concern.
“Our contact handler acted professionally to keep him calm and gather important information, but Woodford continued to escalate the situation by making threats to harm himself and others.
“The offence he committed was less than one month after he had received a suspended prison sentence from West Hampshire Magistrates’ Court for assaulting a police officer.
“His threatening phone call needlessly put himself, our officers, and other members of the public at risk.
"It also meant that specialist officers could have been prevented from attending a potentially critical incident elsewhere while they responded to him.
“We are pleased with the outcome of this case. It demonstrates our determination to prosecute offenders who put the public at risk.”
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