'Out of control' Pontefract man pointed gun at 'petrified' drivers in South Elmsall after leaving pub

Darren Wall, 51, was seen standing in the middle of Barnsley Road in South Elmsall, Pontefract, on the evening of January 14, 2022, wielding what passers-by thought was a loaded gun.

Those driving past were left “petrified” and “fearful of their lives” as Wall told them “I’m going to jail tonight” and, at one point, pulled the trigger.

He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday (September 4) after pleading guilty to four counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The court heard that Wall, of Centre Street in South Elmsall, pointed the gun at three different groups of people after leaving the pub at 11pm.

For the prosecution, Jo Shepherd said that the first couple drove towards Wall and saw him “holding what appeared to be a gun”, which he then pointed at the car.

The driver, who was “in fear of her life”, reversed the car and “got to a place of safety before calling the police”.

Another car heading in the opposite direction slowed down after seeing Wall with the gun, which left the driver “shocked and fearful of his life”.

He then tried to steer past Wall, who smashed the car windscreen with the weapon.

The driver provided a victim impact statement in which he said the run-in had had a significant impact on him and that he left his job as a result of the upset caused.

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Another woman who was with a group of friends also gave a statement saying that they saw Wall “looking angry”. He said “I’m going to prison tonight” before pointing the gun at one of the women’s faces.

He then pointed it at a car window and pulled the trigger, “but nothing happened”, which made the witness believe that the gun was fake.

The incident was caught on CCTV and Wall was arrested four days later on January 18. No firearms were found at his house but Wall accepted it was him in the footage.

He told police that he had been at the pub that night but “couldn’t remember holding a gun”.

The case then went dry until Wall was interviewed again in January 2024 and charged with the crimes. He pleaded guilty at magistrates’ court.

In mitigation, said that Wall was suffering from “drink and emotional turmoil” at the time of the incident, which a probation officer said was an “anomaly”.

Sentencing Wall, Judge Andrew Stubbs KC said that he was “out of control” on the night and that he had left the victims “petrified”.

He sympathised with Wall’s mental health troubles but said he felt he had to send him to prison over the “serious and frightening offending”; and thus imprisoned him for 15 months.