Nathan Bartlett, 33, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court A MAN feared for his life when another man pursued him with an air pistol in the early hours in Bournemouth, a court heard. Nathan Luke Bartlett was jailed for 16 months after admitting offences of having an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of a baseball bat. Bartlett, 33 and of Manor Road, Hayling Island, was said to be “waving” the air pistol around and “screaming incoherently” as his victim was trying to get help from a taxi driver in Southbourne. Judge Jonathan Fuller QC said Bartlett’s victim “thought this was it”.
A BRIDPORT musician has been given a community order for possessing hundreds of indecent images of children. Garry Martin Smith, aged 66, was in possession of 288 indecent images of children between April 2016 and January 2020. Smith, of Mount Pleasant, Bridport, admitted offences at a previous court appearance and has now been sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court. Prosecuting, Dominik Morton, told the court that some of the children featured in Smith’s collection of indecent images were as young as seven years old. Smith admitted to possession of five counts of category A indecent images of children – two of which were videos – eight counts of category B images, and 275 counts of category C images.
A DRINK driver has been jailed for two years for causing a horror crash which left a police officer with life-changing injuries. Robert Shapland-Hill was two-and-a-half times the legal drink driving limit on the A37 in Melbury Osmond on March 3 around 11pm when he crashed into a black Volkswagen Transporter van and a red Ford Focus. The 52-year-old was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court after previously admitting two charges of driving a vehicle while drunk and for causing serious injury to police officer Mark Anthony Bonici by dangerous driving. Prosecutor Rosemary Burns said Mr Bonici remains in ‘excruciating pain’ after multiple injuries including whiplash, bruising to his pelvis and dislocating his toe, which needed two operations.