British man jailed over Donald Trump shooting plot

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

A British man has been jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to charges relating to an incident in which he tried to grab a policeman’s gun to shoot Donald Trump at a rally.

Michael Sandford, 20, attempted to snatch the weapon as Mr Trump addressed crowds in a casino during his campaign in June.

Sandford, who has autism, allegedly told police officers that he had driven from California to Las Vegas with the plan to shoot the Republican presidential candidate.

He did not succeed in getting hold of the gun and no shots were fired.

Sandford was sentenced at a federal court in Las Vegas, having pleaded guilty in September to charges of possession of a firearm and disrupting an official function.

Lawyers acting for Sandford said he suffers a number of mental health problems and he was diagnosed as having had a psychotic episode at the time of the incident on June 18.

Sentencing Sandford to 12 months and a day in prison, Judge James Mahan told him: “You have a medical problem. You should not be ashamed or embarrassed about it. You need medication.

“You're not a hardened criminal. You're not evil or a sociopath like a lot of people we have.

“I don't think you wanted to kill anybody. This was just some crazy stunt that your mind told you to do.”

Sandford, of Dorking, Surrey, had faced up to 20 years in jail had he been found guilty of the offences at a trial. He had initially denied the charges but pleaded guilty in September following a plea agreement.

Before sentencing, Sandford waved to his mother Lynne, father Paul Davey, grandmother Christine and four-year-old sister Jessica, who were in court.

Ms Sandford has called for her son to be allowed to serve his sentence in the UK so he can receive psychiatric help.

Press Association contributed to this report