Sandijs Dreimanis sentenced after Crawley College fake gun scare
The teenager brought the fake gun and a knife to campus last year hoping to be shot by armed police
Last updated 11th Mar 2022
A teenager who admitted walking in Crawley College with an imitation firearm and a knife has been sentenced.
Sandijs Dreimanis, 18, will serve five years and six months in a young offenders institution.
The Latvian born teenager purchased the fake gun four days before the incident on the 26th of April 2021, before painting it black to make it look real and hiding it, along with a knife in some bushes near to campus.
His aim was to be shot and killed by armed police.
During the incident, two teachers at the college ran towards Dreimanis and tackled him to the ground.
Following the hearing, the two Crawley College employees who detained Dreimanis each received a High Sheriff’s Award.
They were commended by Her Honour Judge Laing QC for their “extraordinary degree of bravery which was most remarkable”.
Following his arrest, Dreimanis told officers "I'm not a terrorist, I just wanted to scare people who made me feel bad" and that if he had a good day at college, he would've thrown the weapons away.
A number of forces were involved in the incident, believed to be a genuine terrorist attack. Officers from Sussex, Surrey, the Met, Kent, Hampshire, Thames Valley all attended.
During the sentencing, Judge Laing QC told Dreimanis: "I fully accept you've had a very poor start in life...it's clear you've struggled in the UK with language and education and you've been subject to bullying and discrimination.
"The doctors do agree that you have a very poor ability to regulate your own emotions and that your mental state can change rapidly and when it does, you often contemplate suicide.
"It is not hard to imagine their (students) terror given the well publicised and dreadful events that have occurred in recent years in many American colleges and schools.
"I have no doubt at all you knew perfectly well the fear it would instil into the students.
"Your life was saved, I have no doubt much to the immense gratitude of your mum, and the further terrorisation of students was stopped by the outstanding bravery of two members of staff."