Man behind 10-hour Shropshire siege admits firearm offence

Police officers were called to deal with an incident at The Chestnuts, in Cross Houses near Shrewsbury, on November 20 last year.

After a stand-off defendant Aaron Jones, 35, was arrested.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court Jones admitted being in possession of a disguised firearm – a Taser – without authority.

He initially denied the allegation and a trial was due on May 22.

But he changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday.

Judge Anthony Lowe said: “This sort of case carries a minimum sentence of five years. It will need a written basis of plea if capable of a reduction in cases of an exceptional circumstances argument.”

Sentencing was adjourned until June 24.

Jones, of The Chestnuts, was remanded in custody until then.

How siege unfolded

Specially-trained police officers were sent to the area at about 2.15am on November 20 after Jones claimed to be in possession of a firearm in the residential street off the A458 road to Mid Wales.

Officers spent hours speaking to Jones in a bid to resolve the incident which related to a domestic matter.

Armed officers trained to use semi-automatic weapons were deployed but no shots were fired and the matter was resolved peacefully/

Superintendent Mo Lansdale thanked the public for their co-operation while the lengthy operation was carried out.

At the time she said: “I’d like to thank local residents for their co-operation and patience while we dealt with this incident. There was some disruption in the area and I’m grateful for the support of people in the area.

“I know incidents such as this can cause concern and I’d like to offer my reassurance our officers are highly trained and skilled in ensuring we bring incidents of this nature to a safe and peaceful resolution.”

A cordon was set up until about 1pm the following afternoon and police were directing pedestrians away from the scene. The A458 and surrounding roads remained open during the incident.