A DRUNKEN care home worker who threatened two men in the street and then the police with an imitation pistol has been jailed for two years.

Glynn Bower drew the blank firing weapon from his waistband in Grove House Road, Bradford, when complaining to a neighbour about his barking dog.

He was racially threatening and abusive during the confrontation at 9pm on December 2 last year, saying: ‘Look, I have a gun.’ Bower, 32, of Bolton Road, Bradford, put the pistol back in his trousers but drew it again when another man approached, prosecutor Helen Chapman told Bradford Crown Court today.

He pointed the pistol at him and made more threats before inviting both men round for a drink. They went to his home and he put the gun away and served the drinks before falling asleep on the sofa with an axe, a screwdriver and a credit card on his chest.

By now the dog owner had left but the second man had been locked in the address, the court was told. He took the keys from the sleeping Bower but he woke just as he was leaving.

He was behaving bizarrely, talking about the devil. He followed the man on to the street and attempted to strangle him before he broke free and ran off screaming for help.

By now a neighbour had called the police and taser officers attended Bower’s home at 2am.

One officer saw him behind the frosted glass in the front door with an axe.

When Bower opened the door, he had the blank firing handgun. He was told to put it away and when he raised it, he was tasered and arrested.

He was taken into custody and told the police he hadn’t threatened anyone with the gun; he was just ‘showing off’ with it.

He maintained his not guilty pleas and the case was listed for trial next month.

Today, Bower, who was on remand in HMP Leeds, admitted three counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and a charge of common assault.

He had a previous conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and for resisting a police constable.

His barrister, Shufqat Khan, said he was in drink when he committed the offences and the police had their tasers at the ready when he raised the gun.

Bower had limited previous convictions and had spent five months in prison on remand, his first taste of custody.

He had been drinking beer and whisky and was off to buy more alcohol when he met the men in the street.

He was employed full-time at a Bradford care home for the elderly, being on hand to respond to any emergencies there.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Richard Mansell QC, said the first victim was a near-neighbour who stated that Bower had verbally abused him in drink before, levelling racist insults at him.

Despite this, the man had been concerned for Bower’s mental health and had tried to help him.

At about 9pm, he was walking in the street when he encountered Bower who was in drink and ranted about his dog barking.

He then pulled out a realistic looking blank firing pistol and said: ‘Listen I’m going to blow your head off.’ He went on to threaten a second man with the gun when he turned up, although he did not think the pistol was real.

Judge Mansell said that Bower then ‘bizarrely’ offering both men round for a drink and they accepted the invitation.

He fell asleep and then woke up talking about the devil before trying to strangle the second man outside.

When the police turned up, he raised his arm with the gun at them and had to be tasered.

“These were a serious series of offences,” Judge Mansell said, made worse by the fact that Bower was drunk and therefore unstable.

Although the weapon was blank, it was produced twice in the street and a third time to the police in a short stand-off before he was tasered.

The persistent nature of the offences relating to the firearm added to the genuine fear on the part of the first victim and the police that he might discharge a lethal weapon.

Judge Mansell ordered the confiscation of the blank firing pistol and the empty shells recovered from the scene.