A man has been jailed for threatening bailiffs with a gun which he later pointed at police officers in his south east London home.

Richard Todd, of Foxberry Road, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, December 19 to five years in jail.

The 52-year-old had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition without a certificate.

On Wednesday, February 16, two County Court bailiffs attended Todd’s home to execute a repossession of property warrant.

After entering, they were confronted by Todd who was holding a handgun. The bailiffs left the address and called police.

Firearms officers responded and were met by Todd who pointed the gun at them.

The officers spoke with him, and after a standoff lasting 20 minutes, he put the gun down and was quickly arrested.

Officers searched his home and found more ammunition, 25 bulleted cartridges and 24 shotgun shells, along with a bulletproof vest.

The gun was sent for forensic examination and was found to be a revolver-style air pistol that had been converted to a viable lethal firearm.

It was loaded with six rounds of live ammunition.

He was charged two days later and remanded in custody.

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Detective Constable Theo Green, from the South East Command Unit, said: “No one expects to have a gun pointed at them whilst they’re going about their job.

This must have been a truly terrifying experience for the two bailiffs.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to praise my colleagues in the Firearms Command who responded that day.

“The composure they showed, and their ability to talk a gunman down, shows true professionalism.

“The outcome of that day could have been much different.”

He added: "This incident demonstrates the bravery and professionalism of our firearms officers, who confront incidents like this on a daily basis to protect the public and unarmed officers.

"This was one of the approximately 4,000 spontaneous firearms incidents we responded to over the last 12 months and shows how our officers will use their communication skills to de-escalate and conclude an incident safely.

“I am extremely proud of their response that day."