Leslie Garrett is due to be sentenced after claiming that he “wished to be killed by the police” during the Showcase Cinema shooting.
The 49-year-old, of Ternhall Road in Fazakerley, fired multiple shots outside the Croxteth picture house during the incident on the evening of January 3 this year. It came moments after he had attempted to rob Sangha’s off-licence on nearby Lower House Lane, where he discharged a single gunshot into a Perspex sheet by the counter
Garrett is set to appear before Liverpool Crown Court this morning, Thursday, after pleaded guilty to eight offences – including possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, attempted robbery and possession of ammunition without a certificate. He is expected to learn his fate following a trial of issue, a hearing in which a judge decides the factual basis on which a defendant is to be sentenced after hearing evidence.
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This is due to take place over the course of two days today and tomorrow, Friday. Garrett was previously due to be sentenced in April, but then entered a basis of plea which was deemed “not acceptable to the crown”.
In this basis, he stated: “I came into possession of the firearm and ammunition when I agreed to mind an item for money, which I then learned was a gun and ammunition. The owner was remanded into custody, and I was left with the items longer than I wanted. This caused me stress and anxiety.
“At the time of committing all of the offences, I was in poor mental health. I committed the offences with the wish to be killed by police attending the scene.”
Judge David Aubrey KC, who presided over the hearing earlier this year, said of this: “It is paragraph two in particular that the crown do no accept.”
David Birrell, prosecuting, replied: “We are also sceptical when it comes to paragraph one, but primarily it is paragraph two that causes us concern.”
Paul Lewis, defending, told the court that his client had recently undergone a consultation with a psychiatrist which “revealed a complicated and difficult mental health history”. He added: “Mr Garrett has been able to open up as to his motivation, and his motivation has been examined by the doctors.”
It was also heard that Garrett had labelled the incident as “a moment of madness and senseless”. Mr Lewis described his intention as being “suicide by cop” and said: “Mr Garrett’s actions were in large part due to his mental health as an attempt to illicit a police response to cause him fatal harm.”
The judge said that this had “not been positively asserted” to the doctor, with Mr Birrell adding: “The defendant told the doctor ‘I don’t know why I did it’. So the motivation, it seems, is the doctor’s interpretation.”
Addressing Garrett at the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Aubrey said: “In consequence of the basis of plea that has been served upon the court and the crown today, this court has come to the conclusion that there is an issue that must be adjudicated upon. It will be tried by me on the 6th and 7th of June as to whether you committed the offences in consequence of the fact that it was your specific wish to be killed by the police attending the scene.”
Garrett, who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, was then remanded into custody until today. He responded: “Thank you, your honour.”
The ECHO previously reported that Garrett first targeted the convenience store at around 8pm on the Wednesday evening before continuing onwards to the cinema on Stonedale Retail Park, where he also allegedly threatened members of staff in the foyer while armed with the weapon. He then made his way by car to a house on Malpas Road in Croxteth, where he once again fired multiple shots into the air.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
