A British man who was jailed for trying to take a policeman's gun to shoot Donald Trump at a political rally has revealed how voices in his head were telling him to kill the future president. Source: CBS News
A British man who was jailed for trying to take a policeman's gun to shoot Donald Trump at a political rally has revealed how voices in his head were telling him to kill the future president.
Michael Sandford was sentenced to a year in prison over the "assassination attempt" at an event in Las Vegas in June 2016.
The 21-year-old came as close as 20ft to Mr Trump before being tackled by officers when he went for the gun, the Daily Mail reported.
He has since been released from jail and has returned to his family home in Dorking, Surrey.
Speaking to The Sun, Mr Sandford said voices in his head were getting "stronger and stronger" and were "screaming" at him to kill the Republican politician.
He said: "My friends had said Trump needed to be stopped. They said he was going to destroy the country - but it was the voices in my head which were telling me to kill him."
He added: "I was also seeing animals trying to attack me, I was seeing all sorts of things. Deep down I knew there was something wrong but I tried to convince myself it was OK."
Sandford is bundled out by police. Photo / AP
Mr Sandford was in the US staying with American girlfriend Lauren in New Jersey, despite the protests of his mother Lynne due to his history of mental health problems including anxiety and depression.
He also has obsessive compulsive disorder and Asperger's syndrome, and his mother is now campaigning for new laws to give parents of mentally ill children more power over their decisions.
Mr Sandford was free to travel to the US because of the Mental Capacity Act which gives people over the age of 16 the right to make their own decisions unless it can be established they "do not have the ability to".
At the event in Las Vegas, Mr Sandford said he queued for nine hours to get a good spot and then asked a police officer if he could approach Mr Trump for an autograph.
He then made a grab for the policeman's gun but could not get it out of the holster and was quickly knocked to the floor and arrested.
Mr Sandford told The Sun: "The crazy side of me was disappointed that I'd failed but the rational side was really glad no one had been hurt. I honestly thought they'd shoot me. I thought 'I'm probably going to die today'."
He added he had previously had little interest in politics but developed "strong feelings" about Trump due to his girlfriend and circle of friends in the US.
Sanford believed Trump was going to ruin the country. Photo / Getty
Mr Sandford was jailed after admitting possessing an illegal firearm and disrupting government functions.
Upon his return home he said he was 'disgusted' with his actions and was delighted to have been reunited with his family.
Sentencing Mr Sandford to 12 months and a day in prison, Judge James Mahan was sympathetic and told him: "You have a medical problem. You should not be ashamed or embarrassed about it. You need medication.
"You're not a hardened criminal. You're not evil or a sociopath like a lot of people we have.
"He needs to get psychiatric help back at home. He's very remorseful for what he did."
Mr Sandford, who was unemployed, living out of his car and in the US illegally, told police he had been in the country for 18 months before the incident.
Reports provided to the court confirmed Michael's actions in Las Vegas to be down to a "psychotic episode" when he drove from California to Vegas and stated that at the time he was barely able to look after himself.
