Teenager jailed for walking into college with knife and fake gun

A teenager who sparked a panic by walking into college carrying a gun and a knife has been jailed for five years and six months.

Sandijs Dreimanis, 18, pointed a fake firearm at a member of staff and pulled the trigger at Crawley College, West Sussex, in April 2020.

He did so with the intention of being shot by armed police, Lewes Crown Court heard.

Gunshots led to huge police response

Dreimanis walked around the campus before taking out the imitation weapon and pointing it at teachers, pulling the trigger.

Gunshots were heard on the college premises, leading to a huge police response with dozens of armed officers going to the scene.

Two teachers, Simon Wilson and Pete Davidson, tackled the teenager, sustaining minor injuries.

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No serious injuries were reported and police seized a blank-firing handgun and knife.

‘Very poor start in life’

Dreimanis was sentenced to a total of five years and six months at a young offender institution because he was under 18 at the time of the offence.

He had already admitted two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a bladed article on a school premises.

During the sentencing at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, Judge Christine Laing told Dreimanis: “I fully accept you have had a very poor start in life.”

She said she bore in mind the psychiatric reports from doctors, one of whom had diagnosed him with an “emotionally unstable personality order”.

“The doctors all agree that you have a very poor ability to regulate your own emotions and that your mental state can change very rapidly and when it does, you often contemplate suicide,” she said.

But she added: “It is quite clear you planned it.”

She said: “I do accept that your aim was to get shot by the police but I’m without doubt that you would have garnered a considerable amount of satisfaction over the fear you would engender among the students and staff.”

Judge praises ‘outstanding’ bravery of teachers

Judge Laing praised the “remarkable” and “outstanding” bravery of Mr Wilson and Mr Davidson, who rushed to detain Dreimanis while he was firing the gun.

“Their bravery was utterly extraordinary and their instinctive desire to run straight at danger to protect students and other staff is one of the most remarkable things I have seen in this job,” she said.

Judge Laing handed down a sentence of three years and nine months in a young offender institution for possession of an imitation firearm.

She gave him 12 months for assaulting Mr Wilson and six months for assaulting Mr Davidson.

He was also given 21 months for possession of a bladed article on a school premises.

Judge Laing said the last three offences “aggravated each other” and would therefore run concurrent to each but consecutively with the first charge of possessing an imitation firearm, so Dreimanis was sentenced to a total of five years and six months.

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