A NEWPORT scaffolder who moved his caravan into a company’s yard before threatening workers with an air rifle for making too much noise has been jailed.

Carl Littlejohns, 40, from Sullivan Circle, Newport, pointed his air rifle at workers at Felnex Industrial Estate in Newport after claiming he could not hear his TV over the noise of trucks.

Littlejohns, who was described as “aggressive and menacing” during the terrifying incident on August 16 last year, was jailed for three years at Newport Crown Court.

The court heard how Littlejohns parked his caravan on the site of Gensol Engineering Limited next to the fence which borders GD Environmental.

He claimed to staff he had been given permission by one of the directors to stay there for a few days.

At around 7.30am on August 16 Christopher Manley, one of the company's directors, saw Littlejohns was drunk. He told Littlejohns to sober up and move the caravan the next morning.

But later that day Littlejohns emerged from the caravan, telling workers to turn the trucks’ reversing alarms off as he could not hear his television.

Littlejohns told one worker: “I will kill you, your family and your dog.”

Another witness, who was driving one of the trucks, said he then saw Littlejohns raise the air rifle onto his right shoulder and point it directly at him. The witness said he believed he was about to be shot.

On the other side of the metal fence, workers at GD Environmental watched as Littlejohns pointed the rifle at people nearby. Littlejohns then fired the rifle into the air.

Littlejohns initially backed down and apologised, telling workers: “Things are fine now boys, aren’t they.”

But he later became abusive towards police. In custody he spat at a policeman and said: “You will have to go to hospital now because I have hepatitis B”.

Two air rifles were seized by police. Littlejohns was charged with possessing a firearm with the intention to cause fear and violence, possessing a firearm prohibited by previous convictions and common assault against a police officer. He was also charged with breaching a previous suspended sentence for driving offences. He pleaded guilty to all charges.

Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones sentenced him to three years in prison.

Nigel Fryer, defending, said Littlejohn’s behaviour was due to alcohol abuse but his life has changed since the incident.

Mr Fryer said: “The transformation in his life in recent months has been nothing short of miraculous. Sadly that transformation has been brought about by his acute pancreatitis.”

Littlejohn’s can no longer drink alcohol because of the diagnosis.

Mr Fryer said: “He wants to express his sincere apologies to those he involved himself with that day.

“This is a sad case, an unhappy case of a man who was at a low point in his life. To see somebody running around a yard with a loaded weapon and discharged it would be frankly terrifying. He wasn’t thinking straight.”