Sean Morris, 38, was jailed for 250 days at Manchester Crown Court on July 10 after being caught with a washing up bottle containing ammonia, a highly corrosive liquid with a pH of 14. The incident occurred on May 27 when armed police and fire crews stopped a car on Loganberry Avenue in Pendleton, Salford.
Threats and Arrest
The court heard that Morris had been involved in an altercation with a member of one family on May 25, during which he allegedly threatened another family and said he would 'burn down their house'. He was subsequently circulated as wanted on the Police National Computer. Two days later, the car he was travelling in as a passenger was stopped, and he was arrested.
Prosecutor Ellie-Louise Fradley told the court: "The vehicle was searched and a washing up bottle containing a clear liquid was found inside the footwell of the passenger seat. The defendant was asked who's it was and he said it was his and that it was corrosive." Further tests revealed the liquid to be ammonia with a pH level of 14, placing it at the top end of the corrosive scale.
Basis of Plea and Criminal Record
In a basis of plea document, Morris admitted possession of the liquid but claimed he was holding it for another person for 30 minutes and had no intention of using it. The court heard that Morris has 23 previous convictions for 45 offences, including possession of a weapon and violence. In November last year, he received a 10-week suspended jail term for stalking and battery.
Patrick Buckley, mitigating, conceded that the offences put Morris in breach of his suspended sentence. Recorder Daniel Lister noted: "This was, potentially, a very serious weapon indeed. I may well raise a judicial eyebrow at your basis of plea, but that is not for me to consider."
Sentence
Recorder Lister stated that due to Morris's criminal record, the sentence passes the custodial threshold, and the suspended sentence would be activated. Morris, of Cross Lane, Salford, was jailed for 250 days, of which he will serve half before being released on licence.
