Man charged following incident in Portishead

A 48-year-old man from Portishead appeared in court yesterday (Monday 12 May) charged with firearm and drug offences.

Richard Thornton, of Merlin Park, appeared at North Somerset Courthouse charged with being in possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of class B drugs.

Thornton has been remanded into custody and will next appear at Bristol Crown Court on 9 June.

The charges follow an investigation into an incident in Merlin Park, Portishead, on Wednesday 30 April.

During the incident, two police firearms were discharged and a man was taken to hospital with an injury to this hand.

A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) the following day because of the nature of the injury. The IOPC informed us last week it will carry out an independent investigation into the policing response.