A teenage gunman who sparked a major police operation in Lerwick last September has been sentenced to three years in jail.
Samuel Barlow, 16, has been in custody for more than four months following the incident, which took place in September 2014.
He previously admitted to four charges of assault and one of threatening and abusive behaviour when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court in December.
When he reappeared today, Sheriff Philip Mann sent Barlow to prison for actions which had prompted “great public concern and anxiety”.
Sheriff Mann said it was a highly unusual case for any court to deal with.
Although it had been a “very difficult decision” owing to Barlow’s young age and the mental health difficulties he has faced while growing up, in order to protect the public he saw no alternative to custody.
“It’s not with any great sense of joy that I sentence you to prison,” Sheriff Mann said. “I have had to think long and hard about it.”
His parents Paul and Ruth were both at court and were visibly upset and tearful on hearing the sentence. They did not speak to the press.
Barlow had first been seen walking with a rifle near the Scord quarry, on the outskirts of Scalloway, on 23 September last year.
He had taken to the hills before resurfacing in the Westerloch area of Lerwick later the same afternoon. There, he walked through several gardens, threatened local people and aimed his rifle at police officers as they sought to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the standoff.
Defence agent Tommy Allan told the court that he did not wish to “minimise in any way” the very serious nature of his client’s actions.
But Barlow had pleaded guilty as early as he could and had subsequently shown remorse and an understanding of the “magnitude of what he had created”.
A detailed psychological assessment, prepared with the cooperation of Barlow’s mother, showed he was a vulnerable teenager who had suffered a mental breakdown last March.
Mr Allan said there were difficulties with mental health in the family. Barlow had developed a “sensitivity to criticism” and was someone who found social situations difficult to cope with.
That made using the internet a useful refuge allowing him to communicate with others, and he had become involved in an online relationship with a girl he had never met in person.
The court heard that Barlow had tried to provide help to the girl, who was herself troubled, but it appeared he was subject to “a fair amount of control and influence” from her.
Allan said that on the day in question the girl had told him she was going to take her own life. Barlow blamed himself for this and left his home in Wester Skeld, setting off a chain of events culminating in a standoff with armed police.
His client had not set out to cause harm to others and the incident had not resulted in any tangible injuries. Barlow appreciated that – as the court previously heard – he was very lucky to be alive.
Allan said Barlow had engaged with everyone who has tried to help him while he has been in custody over the past five months. He felt his client would be better able to address problems including anger and anxiety if he was not behind bars.
Sheriff Mann said pointing an air rifle at police was the most serious of the five charges, and at one point Barlow had come close to opening fire. At that time, police did not know he was wielding an air rifle rather than a more deadly weapon.
“Thankfully it came to close without bodily injury to anyone,” the sheriff said, but it must have been “hugely stressful” for the officers involved. He praised police for their “professionalism and restraint”, commending their handling of what was a “delicate and dangerous situation”.
Sheriff Mann said he had considered handing over sentencing to a higher court, but the use of an air rifle meant the potential for injury was reduced.
Having paid very close attention to the various reports on Barlow, it was clear he would benefit from the help of different agencies to address his problems.
The three-year prison term was reduced from four years to reflect his guilty plea and backdated to 24 September, since when Barlow has been in custody. He could be eligible for release after half of his sentence in just over a year’s time.
When he is released, Barlow will be made subject to a supervised release order for one year, and he has been ordered to take part in counselling and support work and to accept guidance from support agencies within prison.