A 20-year-old student has been jailed for five years after pointing a gun at a strictly-Orthodox Jewish man in Stamford Hill.
Immanuel Oyewo chased Zeev Levy along the road and pointed the loaded airgun at his head on 17 February.
The Old Bailey heard that Mr Oyewo claimed he had picked out Mr Levy because of his appearance, as he thought Charedi Jews had “funny hats and a funny hairstyle”.
He claimed he had intended the act as a “prank”, which he had filmed as he had wanted to start a YouTube channel.
The revolver-shaped airgun was designed to shoot pellets but had been modified to fire bullets, according to MailOnline. The gun did not fire when the trigger was pulled, however, as the pin had not been modified to strike the bullet correctly.
Sentencing, Common Serjeant of London Judge Richard Marks QC rejected the account of events Mr Oyewo had given.
“A trigger being pulled three times but no shots fired. You stated that the next time would be the real thing,” the judge said.
He added: “Carrying and use of guns, however they are used, represents a very serious crime.”
Mr Oyewo, a Fulham resident, admitted to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of ammunition.
A CST spokesperson said: “This was clearly an extremely frightening experience for Mr Levy that thankfully did not result in physical injury, but easily could have done.
“We are pleased that the court has imposed a strong sentence to send out the message that violent threats of this nature have consequences.”
