A former company boss has been jailed after he assaulted a staff member with a pistol and shotgun in Dartford.

On the morning of Tuesday May 23, 2023, Jamie Oakes accused an employee of theft after several dirt bikes and quad bikes had been stolen from his property.

Himself and another woman took the man to the back of Oakes’ property in Green Street Green Road, where they punched and kicked him.

During the incident Oakes pulled the trigger of a blank firing pistol close to the side of the victim’s face, which left him with a burn injury.

He then returned with a shotgun and threatened to shoot the victim if they did not say where the stolen vehicles were.

Oakes, aged 37, also threatened to kill the victim’s family.

The man managed to escape and returned home.

At around 8.30pm, police say Oaks became aware that several cars were in the area and that people were looking for him.

He left his house and police were informed about the incident.

On the evening of Wednesday, May 24, two warrants were carried out, one at Oakes’ address in Green Street Green and the second in Hillside Road, Dartford.

Police found items including a baseball bat, a large knife, several knuckle dusters, a case for a blank firing pistol, 9mm blank firing bullets, two air rifles and three shotgun cartridges at Oakes’s house.

During the warrant in Hillside, Dartford, officers found eight shotgun cartridges hidden in a bread bag inside a wardrobe.

They also seized clothing which matched the description of one of the offenders.

Oakes was later charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.

He denied the charges but was jailed for three and a half years after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court which ended on February 2.

Charlotte Powell, 34, of Green Street Green Road, Dartford, was charged with assault by beating and actual bodily harm.

She was given a two-year conditional discharge.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Colin Page said: “This was a violent and frightening incident in which the victim was targeted by people he knew and trusted.

“Oakes inflicted multiple injuries on the victim and used weapons to intimidate him and scare him. He did not act alone in this incident but he inflicted the most violence on the victim and his sentence is reflective of the seriousness of his offending.”