Funny story from Wales

I came across this story in A Policeman's Blog and though I would like to share it with you.

Drunken prank led to armed siege
Oct 2 2005
Nathan Bevan, Wales on Sunday

IT SOUNDS like a storyline from an episode of Shameless.
In a series of mishaps which TV's mad Mancunian Frank Gallagher would be proud of, what started out as fun in an all-day drinking 'bender' on a deprived council estate ended in a 12-hour armed siege and someone shot in the groin by a rubber bullet.
This week 39-year-old Dominic Peck, from North Walk in Barry, was beginning a two-year prison sentence after admitting false imprisonment and making threats to kill. He also faces the prospect of having his injured left testicle removed.
Story continues

But last night mum-of-two Amanda Lacey, the woman he was said to have held captive at gunpoint during the tense stand-off, told Wales On Sunday the whole thing was just a drunken prank gone horribly wrong.
"I'd split from my boyfriend at the time and was sleeping on people's settees," said Amanda, whose friend introduced her to the 6ft 4in on-off labourer, who offered her a place to crash.
Having been there for three days, Amanda, now living in nearby Woodstock Close, said that she'd started that Sunday morning with a trip to the shops for drinks.
"I offered to go for Dom because he couldn't be seen because there was a restraining order on him from entering Barry, but his flat is here so what was he supposed to do?" she said.
"We had about nine litres of cider and there was a bottle of sherry left over from the night before.
"So we just sat there drinking and watching the telly."
Then at 11am there was loud knocking at the door of Peck's three-bed, second floor flat.
"Me, Dom and another bloke were sitting watching a dating programme on the box when we heard this banging.
"It was the police shouting, 'C'mon Dom, open up we know you're in there'. I think they'd come because he'd breached the order.
"At which point he turned to me and winked before shouting back, 'F**k off, I've got a gun and a hostage'.
"But he was only joking - we were all hammered to be honest."
As all went quiet the trio thought the officers had gone, until Amanda got up to look out of the window.
"I peeked out and saw they'd cordoned off the street and there were armed officers in all the neighbours' gardens with their guns pointing at the window.
"At that point the other guy with us panicked, jumped out the window and did a runner.
"What we didn't know was that he had the keys on him and the front door was deadlocked - we were locked in."
During Peck's trial at Cardiff Crown Court, the jury heard how he had yelled to police that he had an arsenal of weapons in his flat and was holding a knife to Amanda's throat.
"Apparently, he said he had a Glock 9mm pistol and a shotgun, but I can't remember him saying that," she said.
"As for the knife, he may have had one from the kitchen but he never threatened me with it. He was a big bloke who could look intimidating but he was a friendly giant really."
Then at 6pm, having been drinking all day, a worse-for-wear Amanda stood up at the window.
"I looked down and there were all these little red dots floating around on my chest - it was the laser sights from the police guns.
"I was really scared and when Dom saw that he really lost his rag - but we were both really drunk by then.
"He threw a big axe that he'd bought - I think he'd got it to chop down some trees - through the window pane. Glass went everywhere."
Amanda added that she could remember the police desperately calling up to her.
"They wanted me to jump to safety. I said, 'That's two floors down, you must be joking!'."
She said that she phoned 999 on her mobile to explain to police that she wasn't being taken hostage, she was just locked in.
"I didn't have much talk time and got the police to ring me back," she said, "but before I could say I wasn't in any danger my battery ran out."
Things reached crisis point just before midnight when a smoke canister came flying in through the window.
"Dom pulled me by the arm into another room but then the door was kicked in and about 10 officers in riot gear with shields came storming in," said Amanda.
"They pushed me into one room and Dom into the bedroom.
"I heard a bang and screaming.
"Dom had been shot by a rubber bullet the size of a baked bean tin."
Now, eight months on, his council flat taken from him, a jailed Peck waits for an operation to remove his injured testicle.
"He's written to me and phoned me a couple of times," said Amanda.
"He's not very happy at all about what's happened to him."
And to show there are no hard feelings on her behalf, Amanda is willing to offer Peck a place to stay when he gets out of jail.
"Yeah, I'd put him up on my sofa any day," she said.