Jobcentre lockdown as South Tyneside criminal threatens to 'shoot' everyone inside

Emilio Mejuto, whose benefit payouts had been subject to sanctions, told a call handler on the Universal Credit helpline that he would target staff at the South Tyneside site.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the police and Jobcentre manager were informed of the death threat and the building was temporarily locked down.

Mejuto, 48, of Iona Road, Jarrow, admitted making a threat to kill.

Prosecutor Neil Jones told the court Mejuto had been a regular attendee at the Jarrow unemployment office for around three years.

In February he had told an employee there he would "finish in prison using a gun" but no direct threat was made at that time.

Mr Jones said Mejuto called the Universal Credit hotline on June 4, under a different name he sometimes uses and warned he would "shoot everyone at the job centre".

Mejuto also told the call handler "someone would stop breathing".

Mr Jones added: "That was relayed from the Universal Credit switchboard through to the police, obviously because it dealt with people, staff, at the job centre.

"The principal alarm was the prospect of him turning up with some sort of gun.

"It seems the reasons was there was some kind of sanction of his benefits in place in relation to Universal Credit.

"His beef appears to have been with the Universal Credit but he was posing the threat to the Jobcentre, through the Universal Credit switchboard. The staff there alerted staff at the Jarrow Jobcentre."

Mr Jones said the threat was taken "very seriously" and added: "The centre had to be put on lockdown."

The Jobcentre manager said the thread caused a lot of anxiety amongst the staff and added: "Anyone could come in here and hurt us but we are only doing our job. We don't expect to be threatened with a gun."

Mr Recorder Toby Hedworth KC told Mejuto: "I am satisfied that you never in fact had the ability to carry out such a threat because you never in fact had a gun.

"If the situation was different I would be dealing with your case in an entirely different way.

"Those who received the call obviously had to pass on the contents of the call.

"Not only the staff at the job centre but also the police didn't, at that time, know that you didn't have a gun and understandably there was considerable fear and alarm about what might happen.

"The first thing that happened was the Jobcentre had to be locked down and closed to other people who were legitimately getting assistance I have no doubt they badly needed."

Mejuto was sentenced to six months, suspended for 12 months, with rehabilitation requirements and 100 hours unpaid work.

He was also issued with a restraining order to keep him away from Jarrow Jobcentre and its staff.