July 8, 2022 3.46 pm This story is over 21 months old

Man who shot at police officer jailed for 17 years

Cleared for attempted murder, but jailed for gun offences
Jamie Burke. | Photo: Humberside Police

A dangerous man who shot at a police officer who interrupted a suspected drugs deal has been jailed for 17 years.

Reported cocaine addict Jamie Burke, 30 was cleared of attempted murder after claiming he only wanted to frighten the officer during the incident in Scunthorpe on July 26 last year.

Hull Crown Court heard that he pointed the gun down to the ground when he actually fired it and not directly at PC Zac Meadows.

The gun was described as a .22 rimfire calibre, six-chamber, double-action revolver that was made in Germany.

The bullet missed the officer, but it was only by luck that PC Meadows escaped serious injury.

Although he was cleared of attempted murder, the jury reached a unanimous verdict of guilty for three firearms offences.

The court heard that Burke was followed by police after he was acting suspiciously in Scunthorpe in a drug deal with another man.

PC Meadows got out of the vehicle and shouted at Burke to stop so that he could search him, but the suspect ran off into Normanby Road.

After a chase, Burke turned and point the gun towards him with his finger on the trigger.

PC Meadows believed that Burke would realise that he was a policeman because he had been there a week earlier, when Burke was arrested over different matters, according to ITV.

The officer instinctively raised his hands but Burke fired the weapon, narrowly missing him, before putting the gun in a bag and running off.

Burke was spotted lying on the ground in a nearby garden but he then climbed onto the roof of a house before later being arrested.

PC Meadows said in a statement that he had been “up and down” since the incident and had suffered panic attacks. His confidence had been “knocked massively at work”, he said.

Burke declined to give evidence to the jury but defence barrister Robert Stevenson said that the defendant claimed he was trying to scare the officer and had no intention of killing him.

Burke was jailed for 17 years and will be on extended licence of five years after his release from prison.

Lee Freeman, Chief Constable at Humberside Police, said: “As police officers we strive to protect our communities from those who are intent on causing harm.

“The events of 26th of July 2021 clearly demonstrated the bravery and courage of PC Meadows who, without hesitation, ran into the face of danger with no thought for his own safety. We are all very proud of his actions and of his colleagues who quickly responded to assist him.

“This was a truly shocking incident for residents, the local community and our police family and I want to make it clear that an attack of any kind on anyone will not be tolerated.

“Although this incident was extremely serious, I would like to reassure members of the public that incidents of this nature in our area are thankfully extremely rare.

“Our officers and staff remain dedicated to protecting members of the public, often placing themselves in dangerous situations and putting their own safety at risk to achieve this.

“Taking weapons off our streets and putting offenders before the courts remains an absolute priority for the force and we will continue to take a robust approach to any reports we receive from members of the public.”