Man was 'armed with chainsaw and doused with petrol'

Editorial Department • Published 29 Jul 2010 16:00

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Police stand guard outside a house in Trillick after a man was arrested following a stand-off with police lasting almost seven hours. Local residents say the man was spotted walking the Main Street doused in petrol and carrying a chainsaw.

A Tyrone man had the sleepy village of Trillick in lock down on Friday for seven hours when he barricaded himself inside his garden shed, armed with a chainsaw.

It's understood the 60-year-old poured petrol around his shed and the inside of his home as dozens of police, firefighters and ambulance staff waited outside.

The man reportedly made a number of threats before locking himself away.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, one eye witness at the scene said: "The whole place is full of police. The man is going mad, he's shouting away. It's a scary sight."

The Impartial Reporter understands that negotiators, who tried in vain to calm the former UDR soldier down, enlisted the help of Fermanagh politician, Tom Elliott.

Mr. Elliott is believed to have spoken to the man, who then gave up his stand-off and handed himself in to police. He was arrested at around 9am and later released.

It is also understood a woman received a small wound to her neck but her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 29 Jul 10

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