Jailed – man who threatened lover's son with fake gun and threatened to chop off his fingers with an axe

A MAN who pointed an imitation pistol at his lover’s son and boasted online he was willing to do “serious time” for murder, has been jailed.

Such was the hatred Clive Shilcock (58), nursed for David Tuck he went as far as naming a day that he would kill him and posted a picture of himself next to Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe as he counted down the days, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Martyn Booth explained Shilcock was dating and living with Mr Tuck’s mother, who is in her 70s, at her Totton home. Their relationship caused Mr Tuck to worry that Shilcock, who he believed to be an alcoholic, was exploiting her, building animosity between them.

On 21st September last year, Mr Tuck phoned his mother but became concerned after hearing a raised voice in the background so took a taxi to her address to check on her. When he got there he was satisfied she was okay, Mr Booth said.

However, Shilcock approached his car parked on the driveway, went into the boot and then pulled out a pistol – which he pointed directly at Mr Tuck’s head with his finger on the trigger, the prosecutor went on.

“Mr Tuck genuinely feared for his life at this stage,” Mr Booth stressed. “He thought the defendant was going to kill him.”

Acting out of “instinct”, Mr Tuck tackled Shilcock, repeatedly punching him and leaving Shilcock with a fractured jaw – before he fled to the waiting taxi.

The incident was seen by a number of people – including a 10-year-old girl – Mr Booth said, who all told police Shilcock instigated the incident by pointing the gun.

In a police interview Shilcock described himself as “eight out of 10 drunk” and gave a “confused and disjointed” account of what happened. “He [Shilcock] had nobody to blame but himself” Mr Booth said, adding Mr Tuck’s reaction was “lawful in the circumstances”.

Police did not find the gun and Shilcock was released on police bail but the animosity he held for Mr Tuck deepened considerably. After his release from custody, Mr Booth added, Shilcock went to live with another lady who was around the same age as Mr Tuck’s mother.

Between 27th November and the day of his arrest, 22nd December, he made series of “troubling” Facebook posts and sent “worrying” messages to acquaintance Manjit Lider, who lived in Canada.

Shilcock made “specific threats about getting revenge for what had happened” in the previous incident with Mr Tuck and named 23rd December as the day he would do something to him.

One such message in late November said “Life is s***, in four weeks I’ll be in prison I will kill that ****,”, while he also claimed “justice will be served”.

In another, Shilcock asserted “he assaulted me and got away with it”, Mr Booth said, and the defendant also described how he would cut off Mr Tuck’s fingers with an axe.

Further posts appeared in the run-up to 23rd December, including one with a picture of Shilcock next to an image of the Yorkshire Ripper, adding “Two weeks’ time and I’ll be inside”. Another photo Shilcock shared was of a pistol on top of an atlas.

Mr Lider decided to share the messages with police who arrested Shilcock at a pub in Burton, and found various items in the boot of his car including a forensic hood, cable ties, an axe, imitation pistol and handcuffs in the boot of his car. There was also a dictionary in which Shilcock had circled the word “vendetta”.

“These [items in the boot] were a significant part and parcel of the defendant acting out his fantasy life, effectively that had been some sort of a wannabe gangster and hitman,” Mr Booth said.

In a victim impact statement Mr Tuck said he did “not want to see the defendant ever again”, that he had been worried for his mother and “scared and fearful” for his own safety.

Addressing Shilcock’s criminal history, Mr Booth noted he had a number of convictions, including at least three for possessing a weapon – an imitation gun – in public. “He has an unhealthy infatuation with weapons – be they real or not,” he added.

Shilcock appeared before the court having pleaded guilty to two separate matters of possessing an imitation pistol in public and making threats to kill Mr Tuck to Mr Lider.

Defending, Richard Martin said it was an “unusual case” and he pointed to a pre-sentence psychiatric report that found Shilcock suffered from a “personality issue” which, coupled with a significant head trauma he suffered as a teenager, affected his behaviour and thinking.

Mr Martin added: “He is utterly incapable of thinking things through, so he resorts to fantasy.”

That had been worsened by him being an alcoholic, which Mr Martin said his client now acknowledged for the first time and was willing to seek help for, having dried out while in custody.

There was no evidence of the pistol being discharged in the offences or of any physical harm happening to others.

Sending down Shilcock, of Trebis Close, Christchurch, for four-and-a-half years, Judge Rowland said it had been a “frightening and terrifying” experience for Mr Tuck. The judge also imposed an indefinite restraining order banning him contacting Mr Tuck.