Keighley man jailed over lockdown shotgun threat
- Published
Semeniuk tried to fire the shotgun at a window of a house on Saltburn Street, Halifax, but ran away when it jammed
A masked man who tried to fire a sawn-off shotgun at a house in an attempt to frighten his intended victim has been jailed.
John Semeniuk, 38, travelled from Keighley to Halifax during lockdown with the weapon before aiming it at the upstairs window of a house.
Bradford Crown Court heard the gun jammed and the house's occupant called police.
Semeniuk, who was already on license from prison, was jailed for six years.
Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said Semeniuk had travelled from Keighley to Halifax on 15 April with the loaded weapon, gloves and a balaclava.
He then took out the gun and aimed it at the upstairs window of a house on Saltburn Street, he told the court.
Semeniuk was seen by the man inside, who immediately called 999 after the gun appeared to jam, Mr Sharp added.
He returned a short time later and hid in a nearby yard, but was found by armed officers and arrested.
In a victim impact statement, the man whose house was targeted said he had suffered anxiety, stress and sleeplessness following the incident.
Semeniuk, of Parkwood Drive, Keighley, admitted possessing the firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
His barrister, Mark McKone, said his client's intention had been to "frighten rather than to injure".
The defendant was previously jailed in 2015 for his part in a string of distraction burglaries targeting elderly and vulnerable people across West Yorkshire.
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