SCOTT BERRY JAILED FOR THREATS, ASSAULT, AND FIREARM POSSESSION IN DOMESTIC ABUSE CASE
A victim of domestic abuse asked her friend to get a coffee as a secret code to signal her friend to call the police.Scott Berry viciously punched his girlfriend in the face during an unprovoked assault, leaving her with two black eyes.He then threatened to shoot his partner and inflicted a second attack when he was "in a bad mood because he had no cannabis".
Officers later found him with an imitation firearm hidden inside a sports bag after attending the scene.At Liverpool Crown Court, it was revealed that Berry had been in an "on and off" relationship with Amy Dwyer for about five years, with a two-year-old child shared between them.
Dwyer accused Berry of subjecting her to "mental and physical abuse" on prior occasions, although he has no previous convictions for such offenses.Prosecutor David Polglase outlined how she had also been under bail conditions banning contact with Berry due to a malicious communication offense.
Despite this, she allegedly felt pressured to allow him to stay in her flat on Stanley Road in Bootle before an incident on September 7, during which Berry punched her twice, causing bruising.
About a week later, on September 15, with her friend Taygan McClure present, Berry appeared agitated about not having cannabis and threatened her and her friend: "Don't think I won't hit you because your mate is here.
I don't care if you brought your mate here for protection.
I'll shoot you in the face and I'll shoot Taygan in the face." Ms.
Dwyer had asked Ms.
McClure to "get a coffee," which they used as a "safe word" to call the police.Berry tried to prevent Dwyer from leaving by grabbing her legs and taking off her shoes.
As Ms.
McClure fled the scene, Berry closed the door and punched Dwyer in the ribs.
Police responded to find a blank-firing pistol in a sports bag along with blank cartridges.
The firearm's barrel was obstructed, and it had not been converted for live fire.
Despite not producing a firearm during the incident, Dwyer reported that Berry previously possessed such a weapon.
She also asked him to remove it from her home, but he refused.Neighbours, including Leah Denton, reported Berry had asked her to watch the blank-firing pistol but she refused.
Berry has 14 prior convictions for 28 offenses, with his last appearance in court for criminal damage in 2020.During sentencing, defense lawyer Charles Lander highlighted that Berry, released from custody in December 2015, had remained largely trouble-free since then, apart from one minor issue.
Lander explained that Berry had obtained the weapon after receiving threats from an individual accused along with Dwyer and that Berry claimed it was "fantasy" and not intended for use, though he acknowledged having it.Berry suffers from ADHD and had an internal pacemaker fitted at age 18 due to a heart issue.
He expressed a desire to find work upon his release and had taken constructive steps while in custody.
He admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear, making threats to kill, and two counts of assault.
He was sentenced to 20 months in prison and received a seven-year restraining order.Judge Neil Flewitt KC stated, "You threatened to shoot her and her friend in the face.
That was not an idle threat.
They both knew that you were in possession of a blank-firing pistol." He further noted the assault caused bruising and that Berry had previously assaulted Dwyer.
The breakdown of their relationship was described as the background to the incident, with Dwyer having been on bail for an offense against Berry and having been threatened by her new partner.While it provides some context for Berry's possession of the weapon, the court emphasized that it was no excuse, noting that it had been some time since his last custodial sentence.
