Appeal against Barlow sentence fails

AN APPEAL against the sentence handed out to a Shetland teenager jailed for pointing and threatening to fire an air rifle at armed police has been rejected, Scotland’s judicial office confirmed on Wednesday.

Sixteen year old Samuel Barlow, who subsequently apologised for his actions, sparked a major firearms incident in Lerwick on the afternoon of 23 September last year.

In a statement the Judicial Office for Scotland said: “I can now confirm that the application to appeal the sentence has been refused at both sifts. The appeal therefore fails.”

Sheriff Philip Mann faced unprecedented criticism from members of the public in Shetland after sending Barlow to the Polmont young offenders institution for three years. More than 1,800 people signed a petition calling for the sentence to be reconsidered.

Barlow, originally from Wester Skeld, admitted four charges of assault and one of threatening behaviour after sparking the stand-off with police. When he appeared, Lerwick Sheriff Court heard that Barlow coud easily have been shot during the incident.