A man who threatened to shoot Kent police officers promised to stay away from England before being sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.

Daniel Parkes, 44, of no fixed address, appeared at Canterbury Crown Court today to be sentenced after a jury found him guilty of making threats to kill.

He believed police were targeting him in a three-year campaign and claimed they "tortured" him. This started after he became convinced his then partner was having an affair with a fellow officer.

Threats were made to PC Adam King and PC Scott Burn, neither of whom were named as the officer he claimed his partner was sleeping with.

Once he learnt the name of PC Burn, he told a call handler to pass on a message to him saying: “Now I know who you are, I want to put a bullet behind your ear.”

As a result, the officer was temporarily removed from duty while armed police guarded his family.

He told another 999 operator he was “going to shoot” PC Adam King who was then warned to take extra precautions and be “hyper vigilant”.

Parkes was detained in Malaga, Spain, last year, after a European Arrest Warrant was issued, and denied making threats to kill in 2013.

Before his sentencing the court heard from PC Burn, a former Royal Marine, who explained armed police transported his wife to work and children to school, where they would stand guard throughout the day.

He added: "Myself, wife and children spent the following week in a safe location. Kent Police also installed a panic alarm into our house and I installed a CCTV to the front and back of my house. When I returned to work I was not allowed out on duty for a month."

PC King told the court he lived close to Parkes and worried he would "be attacked on sight."

"The Port of Dover Police took this as a credible threat to me - he was an unknown quantity and it made me extremely anxious, I considered it a serious and real threat.

"I believe Parkes lived in the area close to me, I was concerned he would find me by chance and attack me on sight."

'I won't even step back in England again - ban me...'

Both of Parke's victims voiced concerns over potential "reprisals" once he is released.

But Parkes pledged he would not target the officers, would leave the UK and offered financial compensation.

Representing himself in court, Parkes said: "I'm truly sorry for what happened that night, I apologise to the families and I give my word, I won't even step back in England again - ban me, I won't come back to England.

"I did a stupid thing that night and I'm truly, truly sorry, that I am. It happened a long time ago, I have changed my ways and worked hard, I haven't done anything wrong, so I haven't."

Parkes set up a successful butcher business in Spain after fleeing the UK, the court heard.

KMTV's report on the case

Recorder Alistair Webster QC jailed Parkes for two years and eight months and handed him a restraining order for six and a half years.

The eight months already spent on remand will be deducted from his sentence.

He said: "The threats were repeated and in one case you specified you were going to shoot the police officer in the head.

"Both the police communications personnel and the police generally took the matter seriously. You have a charming side and you have a tendency to hear only what you want to hear."

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