Doncaster man was seen waving a rifle around and pointing it at passing vehicles

Stanislav Duoba was spotted by terrified motorists standing in the road with a rifle held across his chest and beckoning at vehicles, late in the evening of Saturday, December 5, Sheffield Crown Court heard on Friday, February 19.

Witnesses described their terror at the incident, which took place in Sandringham Road in the town, with one saying that the 32-year-old had turned and pointed the barrel of the weapon straight at her.

Armed police were called to the scene and Duoba, of no fixed address, put the gun down “in the nick of time” before weapons were fired.

When he was restrained on the ground, a pepper spray canister was also found in his possession, and he later urinated on a cell floor and spat at a police sergeant at Doncaster Police Station.

Prosecuting, Adam Walker told the court: “One witness was in a car with her partner and their 18-month-old son. She saw the car in front of them slow down, and the reason for this was there was a man with a gun across his chest.

“He signalled for them to stop and she gestured to her partner and they were able to drive away. She said she felt immediately afraid and it was only after they had driven away that she was able to process it, and she became even more scared.”

Duoba had admitted possession of a firearm with intent, possession of the pepper spray and assaulting an emergency worker shortly before his trial was due to start last month.

He had previously denied the offences when he appeared before Doncaster Magistrates Court on December 9.

The court heard that Duoba had 10 previous convictions for 28 seperate offences, the majority committed in his native Lithuania – including possession of a firearm from 2018. But he separately appeared before Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court in June of last year, where admitted charges of battery, the court heard.

Mitigating, James Gould said that the firearm had turned out to be a replica and he had been drunk at the time of the offence.

He told the court: “He didn’t approach any of the cars and no pedestrians were nearby. He’s a highly skilled man and he entered the UK to work as an electrician and plumber in January 2020, but the local trade organisations would not recognise his qualifications, and there were long periods of unemployment.

“His wife and daughter have now returned to Lithuania and his intention is to go back because he wants to be with his family as soon as possible.

Jailing Douba for a total of 24 months, Recorder Paul Reid told him: “It’s quite clear that if you hadn't put the gun down on the ground, you would have been shot.

"What you did caused a high risk of distress and a high risk of death – even if that death was your own.”

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