A MAN who caused two schools to go into lockdown by brandishing a gun to a member of the public has been jailed.

Police received a report of a man with a firearm in the vicinity of Victoria Park and Norfolk Street in Worthing just after 2.15pm on May 4.

Later officers received a further report from another member of the public that a man had shown her a gun in his bag in Stoke Abbott Road .

Officers went to the scene and the man was arrested nearby.

Richard Gray, 36, of Cortis Avenue, Broadwater, Worthing, was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of a knife in Victoria Park.

He appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was jailed for eight weeks and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Sebastian Day, of Sussex Police said: “Gray’s actions caused a huge amount of concern for parents and pupils at nearby local schools as we had to keep them on site.

“Officers believe the man arrested is the same one who had been reported in Victoria Park earlier in the afternoon. Thankfully the item we ended up seizing from Gray was a plastic imitation gun.”