Brother grabbed sawn-off shotgun during violent family altercation at Leeds home

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A raging brother repeatedly smashed his step-sister’s head against a wall before grabbing a deadly sawn-off shotgun during a family feud after her ringing phone woke him up.

Jack Sweeney had to be manhandled out of the home on Stainmore Place in Seacroft after first grabbing kitchen knives, then pulling the illegal firearm from a drawer in the front room of the house.

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He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week, triggering a mandatory five-year sentence for those caught with a gun. He admitted possession of an illegal firearm, ABH and criminal damage.

The court heard that at around 9.45am on August 11, Sweeney’s step sister had been preparing to leave the home to buy nappies for her baby when she entered the living room where Sweeney was asleep on the sofa.

Sweeney (pictured) pulled out a sawn-off shotgun, like the one pictured, during an altercation with his step sister at their home on Stainmore Place in Seacroft. (library pics by WYP / Google Maps)Sweeney (pictured) pulled out a sawn-off shotgun, like the one pictured, during an altercation with his step sister at their home on Stainmore Place in Seacroft. (library pics by WYP / Google Maps)
Sweeney (pictured) pulled out a sawn-off shotgun, like the one pictured, during an altercation with his step sister at their home on Stainmore Place in Seacroft. (library pics by WYP / Google Maps) | WYP / Google Maps

Her phone rang and it woke him up, so he began shouting and swearing. The phone rang again and he grabbed and threw it on the floor before stamping on it.

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The arguing continued and as she got outside, the 25-year-old grabbed her by the hair and began smashing her head into a wheelie bin, then a brick wall. As the other members of the family intervened, the sister walked away distressed. The incident was caught on CCTV.

Sweeney’s step father dragged him into the property and the sister returned and went upstairs. Still furious, Sweeney grabbed a bread knife and tried to make his way upstairs after her, where she had to hide in a cupboard.

He was stopped from climbing the stairs and the knife kicked from his hand. He grabbed another but then put it down. The step dad tried to push him out of the house but he made his way back inside, heading into the living room where he pulled the gun from a cupboard.

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It was wrapped in a cloth but the barrel was visible, prosecutor Victoria Barker told the court. He tried to get upstairs again but was prevented and pushed into the street and the door locked behind him.

He was seen to hide the gun under a van, but then remove it and place it under another vehicle. He was overheard on a Ring doorbell saying it would “not go down well” if the police were called.

Officers were called and CSI officers found the sawn-off 12-bore shot gun dismantled in the cloth, along with two cartridges, stashed under the vehicle. The barrel had been shorted to around 56 cms.

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He was arrested but gave a no-comment interview. He has four previous convictions for seven offences.

Mitigating, Jayne Beckett said it was an accumulation of issues living in the “cramped” house, along with Sweeney’s drug taking, but said it was “not an excuse”.

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She said while being held on remand at HMP Leicester, he was now “properly medicated” and wanted to “emerge from his lengthy prison sentence drug-free”.

She added: “He is ashamed and wants his family to know that. He has taken onboard his sister’s attitude and understand why she wants a [restraining] order, but he hopes in years to build bridges.”

Judge Howard Crowson said of the gun: “The only purpose is to maim and kill. It was stored in an unsecure place and immediately available.

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“You probably did not intend to kill, just to frighten. It was not loaded and there was no immediate risk of death.”

He said despite this, it was a “seven and-a-half-year starting point after a trial”, but gave him credit for his guilty plea and his “desire to change”.

He gave him a five-and-a-half-years jail sentence and a 10-year restraining order to keep him away from his step sister.

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