High Wycombe man who shot PC with crossbow jailed

A man who shot a policeman in the leg with a crossbow after officers were called to a neighbour dispute has been jailed for nine years.

Jason King, 55, stabbed a neighbour’s partner in the stomach near High Wycombe and then fired at PC Curtis Foster on 10 May 2024.

The officer, who was hit by a bolt in the leg, made a full recovery and returned to duty. The stab victim also recovered.

King admitted unlawful wounding and at a Crown Court hearing in Amersham, Judge Jonathan Cooper said King posed a “significant” risk.

He also pleaded guilty to having an article with a blade or point, having an offensive weapon, wounding with intent and affray.

King, a former computer worker of School Close in Downley, near High Wycombe, repeatedly shot at officers with the crossbow out of his upstairs window.

He subsequently chased them dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, the court was told.

In a video released by Thames Valley Police, an armed officer can be heard shouting a warning before shooting King in the stomach – who had been hiding near trees.

He was taken to hospital under police supervision with potentially life-changing injuries, but was discharged 10 days later and arrested, before being charged.

The judge said King’s actions were evidence he had attempted “to settle a score with police”.

“It was as if you were trying to hunt down the officer, chasing him, aiming at his body,” he added.

Judge Cooper was told that he had bought the crossbow online for less than £20.

He told King he was “clearly beside yourself” with anger during the incident.

Judge Cooper said PC Foster – who suffered a 2-3cm (1in) wound near an artery – and two other officers should be commended for bravery.

In an interview following the sentencing, PC Foster described how he lost so much blood that his colleagues were “covered” in it.

He said he saw King take “the whole window out of its frame” before pointing something at him.

The officer knew he had been “impacted”, but his adrenaline levels were “so high” that he could not feel much pain.

Barrister Graham Smith, prosecuting, said King had previous convictions, including possessing a bladed article in a public place and for punching and threatening a neighbour.

Mr Smith said PC Foster saw King “grinning” as he exited his address before shooting him in the leg.

PC Foster told the judge, in a written victim impact statement, that the attack had affected him in “so many ways”.

“Previously, I guess I was quite blase about work,” he said.

“I kind of thought risk is risk and that is what you deal with. Now I feel more cautious.”

PC Foster said he had suffered anxiety and had thought about how he might never have seen his “parents or anyone else” again.

He said his wound had physically healed but left a scar.

Mark Kimsey, for King, said his client had a history of anxiety and depression, and cannabis use may have been an “aggravating factor”.

The barrister said King wanted to apologise, felt “embarrassed and ashamed”, and “didn’t understand why he lost the plot”.

He said what King did was “totally out of character”.

His client had been on remand in custody since May 2024 and “doing extremely well”, Mr Kimsey added.