British tourist who tried to shoot Donald Trump faces two years in prison

Michael Sandford has pleaded guilty to charges of illegal weapon possession and disorderly conduct

Mr Trump was not harmed at the Las Vegas rally (AP)

A British tourist who caused a security scare at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Las Vegas in June by trying to grab a gun from a police officer has pleaded guilty to charges of illegal weapon possession and disorderly conduct.

Michael Steven Sandford, 20, admitted as part of his plea deal with prosecutors that he had approached a policeman at the event, saying he wanted an autograph from the presidential candidate, then tried to pull the officer’s gun from his holster with both hands, according to court papers.

Sandford, who had by then overstayed his tourist visa by about 10 months, was immediately arrested and removed from the rally.

He also acknowledged having visited a Las Vegas gun range the day before the 18 June incident at the Treasure Island casino-hotel, to take shooting lessons with a rented Glock handgun, firing 20 rounds at a paper target, court papers showed.

No mention was made in the plea agreement about whether Sandford intended to harm Trump, then the presumptive Republican nominee in the US presidential race.

In the initial 20 June criminal complaint stemming from the incident, prosecutors said Sandford had told a US Secret Service agent he had driven to Las Vegas from California with the aim of shooting Trump.


 Michael Sandford is removed by police from a Trump rally on 18 June 
 (AP)

On 29 June, Sandford was charged with felony counts of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and disrupting government business, but he was not accused of plotting to kill Trump.

At Tuesday’s hearing in federal court in Las Vegas, Sandford pleaded guilty to those two charges, each of which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the US Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Sentencing is scheduled for 13 December and he is expected to receive about two years in prison.

Brenda Weksler, one of Sandford’s federal public defenders, declined to comment.

Reuters