Man who shot PC with crossbow jailed for nine years

A former computer worker who shot a policeman in the leg with a crossbow after officers were called to a neighbour dispute has been jailed for nine years.

Jason King, 55, of School Close, Downley, near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, admitted wounding after firing at PC Curtis Foster and stabbing a neighbour's partner in the stomach on 10 May 2024.

The officer, who was hit by a bolt in the leg, made a full recovery and returned to duty. The stab victim also recovered.

At a crown court hearing in Amersham, Judge Jonathan Cooper said King posed a "significant" risk.

King shot repeatedly at officers with a crossbow out of his upstairs window before chasing them with the weapon and shooting an officer, the court was told.

The judge said that King's actions, including chasing officers and continuing to shoot at them, were evidence of him "attempting to settle a score with police".

"It was as if you were trying to hunt down the officer, chasing him, aiming at his body," he added.

The court heard that after the incident, King, who has a history of mental health difficulties, had tried to "hide" near trees but was followed and shot by an officer.

Judge Cooper was told that he had bought the crossbow online for less than £20.

He told King he was "clearly beside yourself" with anger during the incident.

"You came out of your house to try and shoot at police officers," the judge said.

"You approached PC Foster and, from a crouching position, raised your crossbow and fired.

"From a distance of roughly two car lengths away, you shot him in the leg as he turned to run."

Judge Cooper said PC Foster and two other officers should be commended for bravery.

Barrister Graham Smith, prosecuting, told the judge that King had previous convictions - including a conviction for possessing a "bladed article" in a public place and for punching and threatening a neighbour.

He said King had hunted and stalked police during the incident - a witness used the word "tracking".

Mr Smith said the officer had seen King "grinning" as he exited his address before shooting him in the leg, resulting in a two to three-centimetre wound near an artery.

PC Foster watched the sentencing hearing via an online link.

He told the judge, in a written victim impact statement, that the attack had affected him in "so many ways".

"Previously, I guess I was quite blasé about work," he said.

"I kind of thought risk is risk and that is what you deal with.

"Now I feel more cautious."

PC Foster said he had suffered anxiety and had thought about how he might never have seen his "parents or anyone else" again.

He said physically his wound had healed but left a scar.

Barrister Mark Kimsey, for King, said his client had a history of anxiety and depression, and cannabis use may have been an "aggravating factor".

He said evidence showed that King thought he could "talk" to a neighbour's dog and was "special in relation to having contact with an Egyptian goddess".

Mr Kimsey said King wanted to apologise, felt "embarrassed and ashamed", and "didn't understand why he lost the plot".

He said what King did was "totally out of character".

He said King, who had worked "in computers", had been on remand in custody since May 2024 and "doing extremely well".