A Shanklin man who was found sat in his car on Brading Down with a knife in the footwell and an imitation firearm in the glove box has been handed a 12-month community order by the courts.
43-year-old Andrew Gatcum, of St John’s Road in Shanklin, pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm, possession of a knife/bladed article in a public place and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court last month.
The court heard on 24th January that on 5th January this year, Gatcum was reported missing by his family. He was found by Police later in the day, at around 19:35, sat in his car on Brading Downs.
Officers noted that the 43-year-old was visibly upset and distressed when they approached him. When asked if he had a knife in possession, Gatcum pointed toward the footwell where he had a knife. He then told officers that he had a gun in his glovebox too. The gun that was seized was a BB gun, described in court as very heavy and real looking. It had no ammunition in the chamber.
Gatcum was arrested and taken to Newport Police Station. A search of his address in Shanklin was conducted at the same time and during the search, officers found another knife – a karambit knife with a curved blade – at his property.
When interviewed by Police, Gatcum made full and frank admissions, saying he went to the rural beauty spot to take his own life and intended on waving the gun in the air hoping the police would take his own life for him, however, he admitted that he didn’t want people to witness such an incident.
He told the courts he never intended to hurt anyone.
Having considered a pre-sentence report compiled by the Probation Service, Magistrates handed Andrew Gatcum a 12-month community order with 25 rehabilitation days and 40 hours of unpaid hours attached. He was also ordered to pay a £114 surcharge.
Awww Andrew, no one knows what you’re going through and I truly feel for you. Jobsworth police on the rock would probably describe something like a Nerf gun to seem like an Uzi sub-machine gun and a Stanley knife would become a Samurai sword.
Horrible time for you…
Better to leave those types of things at home in future and have a chat with your GP. There is help if you need it and you most definitely deserve support and don’t need to be named and shamed in the local paper.
Look after yourself
Problem is…try getting an appointment with a GP.
And if you do pull off a minor miracle, you will have to wait many months before being able to engage with crisis/ mental health services. Not ideal when you need help right now. Hoping Andrew gets the help he needs.
No ammunition in the chamber! Lol what a plastic ball corr
What a joke the Magistrate is, this poor chap was asking for help. And all the judge did was add to his stress, by making him work 40 hours unpaid & a fine of £114.
He should have been taken in to care, and helped to get his life back on track. How many more years do we have to suffer brainless judges?, there needs to be a big shake up in the courts, get rid of the old out of date judges.
This should not be news. Poor man has my sympathy, as I’m sure most people would. Hold your head up high, take each day as it comes and reach out for support when you feel you need it. Best of luck and I hope things are already looking up for you. In this case, the police, CPS and magistrates got it wrong. This man needed help, not criminal charges.
So many people now hitting crisis point with their mental health and only going to get worse. There needs to be far more investment and support in our mental health services as they are needed now more than ever. Let’s hope this guy gets the help and support clearly needs.
Poor guy needed help, not some over zealous copper out to make a name for himself.
Stay strong fella, you’ve come this far, you can and will make it, all the best.
There’s definitely not enough help for people suffering like he is, yes the judge should’ve offered help & not treat him like a criminal & add to his problems, I know only to well how painful mental health can be, finding someone to listen & understand is hard as it is. Stay strong fella I was there & have come out the other side.
Anyone feeling like ending their life can phone the mental health crisis team, 999 or the samaratins. There are lots of kind, supportive people out there to help, to listen without judgement.
Not impressed that the poor man was taken to the police station. CPS -shame on you. The man was clearly in alot of mental pain and in crisis. I am worried that this pathetic lack of understanding of mental heath by the police and courts would result in families not reporting love ones in simular situations. If someone set up a go fund me page to pay this court cost I will contribute. Sending the gentleman love and hope he is in a better place now .