Fake gun held to bus driver's head in ticket row
A man held a fake gun to a bus driver's head before pulling the trigger over a row about his ticket, a court has heard.
Karl Bough also waved a knife and the same imitation gun at supermarket security guards and stole alcohol during a four-day crime spree.
The 27-year-old, who had a string of previous convictions, was sentenced to five years in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
The run of offences began on March 14 when Bough, of Sandwell Street in Walsall, was at Tesco in Silver Street, Birmingham.
Prosecutor Miss Sati Ruck told the court that the store's alarm was activated when Bough left.
She said: "He was asked to return to the store and refused to do so. He turns and shouts 'I'm going to slice you all up' and produces a Stanley knife.
"He followed the security guards back into the store shouting 'give me the guard or I'll slice you all up'."
On March 17, Bough got on a bus on Wednesbury Road, when the driver told him his ticket was not valid.
"Mr Bough moved forward and produced an imitation firearm and clicked it," Miss Ruck added. "The bus driver believed it was a firearm and jumped back in shock."
Later that same day at another Tesco store in Armstrong Way, Willenhall, security guards could see alcohol with a security tag on it in Bough's pocket.
He then produced what was believed to be the same imitation firearm.
Miss Suki said: "He pointed it towards staff and shouted 'you what'."
Staff hid behind a car before Bough – who had previously convictions for theft and burglary – left the scene.
He was later arrested after police viewed CCTV from the bus.
Bough pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm, possession of a knife, theft and threatening unlawful violence. His defence barrister, Mr Timothy Sapwell, admitted it was a 'bizarre set of behaviours' during the four days.
He added: "His behaviour on the bus didn't seem to have any particular reason for it. But at age 27 he's not the sort of completely hopeless case this court sometimes sees."
However, Recorder Nigel Baker QC said there was very little mitigation for the offences. He sentenced him to five years and said: "The person who hears the click of a trigger isn't to know that worse isn't to follow. These offences were very serious."
