Man admits to city bomb hoax

11:00am Monday 12th May 2008

He wanted help - so he started a bomb scare that sealed off part of York city centre and led to massive disruption.

Wayne Wright, 43, already had convictions for threats to kill and wounding when he stood on Ouse Bridge and claimed that he had explosives on him.

Hundreds of people were ordered to leave bars, restaurants and flats during the stand-off in a mass evacuation of the city centre during the drama in February.

What followed was a tense, three-hour stand-off between the Wright and the police, who had sealed off either end of the bridge.

The tension finally broke just before midnight, when armed officers fired rubber bullets at him before an Army bomb disposal unit carried out a controlled explosion on the bag.

Now York's top judge wants the Crown Prosecution Service and the police to tell him all they can about Wright's violent and dangerous past before deciding what his punishment should be.

"This offence caused very, very considerable alarm at the time by this man," said the resident judge of York Crown Court, Judge Stephen Ashurst. "It is quite clear some previous appearances (in court) have given cause for concern.

"There are some wider considerations here. I am not prepared to pass sentence today without careful consideration about you and all your background and the risk you may pose to the public in future."

Wright, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court to making a false claim to North Yorkshire Police that he had a bomb on him on February 10.

"This was a cry for help," said his barrister Taryn Turner. "The defendant had been homeless for some period of time and tried his best to secure for himself assistance for his mental health issues."

Judge Ashurst asked the Crown Prosecution Service to investigate Wright's violent criminal past.

He said Wright had previous convictions for threats to kill, wounding someone with intent to cause them grievous bodily harm in Leeds in the 1990s and wounding in Bradford in 1998.

He added that he was also interested in offences Wright had committed in the Bournemouth area.

Wright's case was adjourned until June 6 for a pre-sentence report by probation officers and to allow the CPS and the police to give the court more details about his previous convictions.

As he was led away, he said that the prison service had reports on him, but was told that the court needed other reports. He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.

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