Father of boy racer threatened with unloaded shotgun in Woolpit 'disgusted' by sentencing

The father of a 17-year-old 'boy racer' who was threatened by a Woolpit man carrying an unloaded shot gun has said he is 'disgusted' by the suspended sentence handed down.

Paul Lambert, 37, was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for 15 months at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to having a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

He was also ordered to pay £1,200 prosecution costs and participate in a 10-day rehabilitation activity programme.

But the boy's father described the sentence as 'unbelievable'.

"We were told that he could get five years for a firearms offence," said the 39-year-old man, who attended the sentencing.

"I didn't necessarily want him to get five years but I think some sort of punishment should have been given."

He added: "This man has been let away with it scot-free and my son is still being affected by it. At 17, a grown man putting a shot gun in your face is terrifying.

"As far as I was concerned, the sentencing was going to be a bit of closure to the whole thing because we've been worrying a lot about what was going to happen to the guy. But clearly the answer is nothing. My wife and I are disgusted."

The court heard that on the evening of July 19 Lambert had just got his children to sleep and was upset by motorcyclists riding past his Mill Lane home. He went to the car park at Woolpit village hall to confront them.

Lambert’s barrister David Wilson said his client was under significant emotional stress at the time and had lost all ‘sense of reason’.

Duncan O’Donnell, prosecuting, said Lambert pointed the unloaded shotgun he was holding at the head of a youth and warned him that on a future occasion it would be loaded.

Part of the incident was captured on CCTV which was played to the court.

Mr Wilson said Lambert, who along with other members of his family had at the time been enduring a stressful period, deeply regretted his actions and had written a letter to the victim.