Thug with gun and knife threatened to kill man on Suez Street

Carl Sullivan, who was ‘extremely drunk’ at the time, made threats to kill a passer-by after being angered by him parking in front of his flat.

The 35-year-old pointed the firearm directly towards his victim and was heard scraping the knife against a wall.

He was arrested by armed police, assisted by the police helicopter, before being hauled before the courts.

Sullivan appeared before Liverpool Crown Court for sentence on Friday after admitting charges of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence, possession of a bladed article in a public place and possession of cannabis.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, explained how the offences occurred on October 9 last year at around 3.25am outside his Suez Street flat.

The victim had arrived at the scene at around 3am, parking up outside the flat in his car, when the defendant came to a window on the first floor.

Sullivan started shouting at the complainant, telling him he needed to move his car.

The victim obliged, parking on the other side of the road, but the defendant then beckoned him inside, shouting: “If you are not going to come, I will kill you.”

The offences occurred on Suez Street in the town centre (Image: Google Maps)

It was at this point that the victim realised he was holding what appeared to be a gun in his left hand and a kitchen knife in the right, with the gun pointing at his head through the window.

After refusing to go inside, the defendant came out on the street, still holding the knife and gun and again saying ‘come here or I will kill you’, scraping the knife against a wall.

Scared about what would happen to him, the victim ran away, hid somewhere where he could still see the defendant and called the police.

When the defendant went back inside, the victim got into his car and drove to nearby Warrington Police Station, where he told officers what had happened.

Armed police attended the scene, assisted by the police helicopter, and arrested Sullivan and took him into custody.

The court heard that the defendant had ‘discarded the weapons around the town centre’, but they were located by officers.

During his interview, he answered no comment to most questions but did tell police that he had taken sleeping tablets that had knocked him out.

The gun was analysed and found to be a 9mm spring powered air pistol. It was judged to be an imitation firearm used to fire pellets, although none were found with the gun.

Mr Blasbery revealed to the court that Sullivan has five previous convictions for 11 offences, with this being his third conviction for possessing a bladed article.

Carl Sullivan was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

In defence of her client, Eleanor Bennett said that the barrel of the gun was missing, so it could not be fired.

She also spoke of how the defendant accepts that he committed the offences but cannot remember them happening.

“The reason why was that on that particular day, he had received divorce papers and it distressed him enormously losing his marriage, and he used the only coping mechanism he knew which was consuming copious amounts of drugs and alcohol,” she said.

The court heard how his life since 2020 has been in a ‘downward spiral’ following the breakdown of his marriage and loss of multiple family members.

Ms Bennett said that her client had been on a detox course while on remand in prison and plans to use his time inside to turn his life around.

She also asked the court to consider passing the ‘shortest sentence possible commensurate with the level of offending and in line with its public duty’.

Before sentencing, recorder Simon Parrington said: “Offences relating to firearms are very serious and you now understand that waving around a firearm, imitation or not, and the carrying of what looks like an extremely unpleasant knife cannot be allowed to happen.”

Sullivan, of Suez Street in the town centre, was jailed for 12 months

An order for the forfeiture and destruction of the firearm, knife and drugs was approved.