Reece Martin, left, and Anthony Milton were put behind bars for 12 years each (Picture: MEN)
A teenage criminal narrowly avoided being handed two extra years in prison after shouting ‘fat nonce’ at the judge who had just sentenced him for his role in a shooting.
Reece Martin, 19, was on trial alongside his friend Anthony Milton, also 19, over a gun attack on a family home in Liverpool last year.
The pair unleashed a volley of gunshots on the house in the West Derby area of the city at around 8.15am on October 19 – with one bullet lodging in a framed Liverpool shirt hanging in a sleeping man’s bedroom.
Both admitted possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
As Judge Denis Watson KC read out his sentencing remarks at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Martin and Milton giggled and joked with each other in the dock, leading him to pause.
The judge asked them: ‘Do you find this funny? Do you find it funny? Why were you laughing? Is it funny to hear what you did read back to you?’
Concluding his remarks, he handed both men 12 years in prison plus an additional five on licence.
They were also given restraining orders preventing them from contacting the McLean family, whose home they targeted in the gun attack, indefinitely.
While he was being led to the cells, Martin shouted: ‘Fat nonce.’
Liverpool Crown Court, where Martin described a judge as a nonce (Picture: Shutterstock/Moosey)
After ordering him to be brought back to the court, Judge Watson said: ‘Having passed sentence, as Mr Martin was being taken down, he felt it appropriate or necessary to shout out ‘nonce’ as he left which, on the face of it, would have to be considered as being directed at me.
‘Shouting out abuse in court is a contempt of court.
‘Where there is contempt of court, if it is sufficiently serious, there can be an additional prison sentence up to two years.’
He invited Martin to address the court, and the chastened 19-year-old said: ‘Sorry for the words I made.’
Ultimately, the judge decided not to take contempt of court proceedings, saying: ‘Thank you, you can go down.’
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