Nottingham Man Receives Jail Sentence for Imitation Firearm Threat and Racially Aggravated Assault

A man without a fixed address has been sentenced to prison following an incident in Nottingham where he threatened and pursued an individual with a replica firearm. According to Nottinghamshire Police, Wayne Prescott, 33, who was sleeping rough at Curzon Street Car Park, engaged in a dispute with a man on March 12, subsequently pointing a BB gun at him. The police force further stated that in the early morning hours of the subsequent day, Prescott struck a student in the face outside the Victoria Centre. Later on the same day, he racially abused a council employee and headbutted him. Prescott, whose previous address was Pearmain Drive in Nottingham, received a 35-month jail sentence at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, having admitted guilt to three charges. Surveillance camera footage recorded just after 07:00 GMT on March 12 depicted Prescott rising from a seated position, then pursuing his initial victim and aiming the BB gun at him. The force reported that officers arrived at the location a brief period afterward and retrieved the replica weapon from a nearby refuse container. Police indicated that Prescott initiated a confrontation with a group of students during the early hours of March 13, striking one of them in the face and causing them to fall. Authorities stated that Prescott committed a racially motivated assault against the council worker later on the same day, subsequent to the worker requesting him and a companion to vacate the car park. In August, he entered a guilty plea to charges of possessing an imitation firearm with the intent to instill fear of violence, causing actual bodily harm, and racially-aggravated assault. During his sentencing hearing, Prescott’s defence counsel stated that her client expressed profound remorse and was actively working to overcome drug dependency. Detective Constable Jess Dennis commented: “Prescott may have been homeless at the time of these offences but that is no defence for the appalling behaviour he displayed.” She further added: “I am pleased he has now been handed a significant jail sentence and hope this case serves as a reminder to others about how seriously we take offences of this nature – particularly those involving imitation weapons.”