Thug who shot policeman jailed for life

Jun 20 2007

A VIOLENT thug from Wolverhampton who shot an unarmed police officer with a Magnum revolver has been jailed for life.

Marcus Bailey, of Warnford Walk, was told he must serve a minimum of 15 years in jail for the attempted murder of PC Geoff King.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court took two-and-a-half hours to find Bailey guilty of shooting PC King, using a firearm to resist arrest and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

PC King was on plain clothes duty carrying out routine car checks in Wolverhampton in November last year when he challenged Bailey, who had been acting suspiciously.

Bailey, 25, fled on foot but after a short chase turned and unleashed a volley of three shots at the entrance to a footpath.

Passing sentence following the jury's verdicts, Mr Justice Wyn Williams described Bailey as an extremely dangerous individual.

The judge said: "The reality is that any of the three shots could have killed the police officer. These offences are about as serious an example of attempted murder as you could have."

PC King, a 33-year-old former Royal Marine, suffered a serious gunshot wound to the shoulder and underwent a four-hour operation to save his life.

Officers arrested Bailey, who has a string of convictions for violence, when they found him hiding in a dustbin near the scene.