Jay Conway, 33, aimed a 9mm pistol at PC Dan Clayton
Jay Conway was captured pointing a loaded gun at a police officer – he has now been jailed
(Image: GMP)
A drug dealer who was out of prison on licence pointed a loaded gun at a police officer following dramatic a pursuit, a court heard. He has now been jailed.
Jay Conway, 33, aimed a 9mm slide action pistol at PC Dan Clayton after he had been felled by a Taser stun gun discharge.
The terrified cop took cover behind a parked vehicle as Conway fled the scene in Salford and again brandished his gun as he told a member of the public ‘I suggest you f*** off’. Conway earlier evaded capture from two undercover officers who saw him hand out packets of drugs to customers in Albert Park in Broughton on May 20.
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He ditched his electric bike after a struggle with one of the officers and was spotted with the firearm in his right hand as he was chased, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Conway, wearing a black balaclava and gloves, then grabbed a pedal cycle as he left the park and PC Clayton, who was on uniform mobile patrol, took up the pursuit.
Armed police and the police helicopter were scrambled following the drama close the junction with Great Clowes Street and Upper Camp Street in Broughton
Helen Longworth, prosecuting, said: “PC Clayton heard an officer state over the radio that a male was making off. He was unaware at this point that the defendant had been seen to have a firearm.
“He caught up with the defendant who was still refusing to stop and attempted to take hold of him, which caused him to fall to the ground, at which point what later proved to be a bundle of class A drugs spilled from his hand onto the road. Still focused on evading police capture, the defendant got back up and again ran away.
Jay Conway eyes a police officer through his balaclava as he pulls a loaded gun from his sock(Image: GMP)
“PC Clayton – despite numerous warnings for the defendant to stop and advising him that he had a Taser which was now drawn – fired the Taser at the defendant as he ran to remount his bike. The Taser seemed ineffective as the defendant rolled on the floor with two hands holding the firearm, pointing it directly at the officer and causing him to fear for his life.”
The officer shouted “gun, gun, gun” as Conway fled and warned off a council parking enforcement officer who attempted to intervene.
Conway, of Devonshire Street, Salford, dropped the gun on nearby scrubland and enquiries led to his arrest in Whalley Range the following day.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to various offences including possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and the assault of an emergency worker.
Jay Conway who has been jailed(Image: GMP)
In a victim personal statement, PC Clayton said: “I could see the barrel pointing right at me and he was following my movements as I was trying to get away from him. In that moment I was thinking of my pregnant wife and how she might have to bring up our child alone.”
The officer, who attended the sentencing, added: “I genuinely believed I would not make it home to my family and friends. It has left a mark that I don’t think will ever fully go away.”
The court heard Conway had numerous previous convictions, including two separate assaults on emergency workers, and was on licence after he received a three-year custodial term in June 2023 for class A drug supplying.
David Bentley, defending, told the court that Conway said he carried a gun for “self protection” after he was attacked with a machete by a group of males in 2015 and suffered multiple fractures in August 2021 when he was mowed down in an attempt to steal his bike.
PC Dan Clayton who had a loaded gun pointed at him(Image: GMP)
Conway had struggled with his mental health over a period of time, he said, and a psychiatric report indicated he fulfilled the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Jailing him for 14 years, Judge Peter Horgan told Conway: “You are a mature man who cannot rely on immaturity in any way to explain your actions.” He said the firearms offence was “a clear escalation in a pattern of violent offending”.
A gun which was found by police(Image: GMP)
He ruled he posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public through further offending and said he must serve an extended licence period of two years following his release from custody.
The judge hailed PC Clayton as a “shining example of police officers in this city who place themselves at grave personal risk every day without a moment’s hesitation in protection of the public”.
