A man has been charged with holding a woman prisoner and possession of a weapons after a block of flats were evacuated for several hours last week.
Merseyside Police surrounded Hale Court on Earp Street, Garston, at around lunchtime on Thursday, April 20, after reports a man had attacked a woman and doused a flat in petrol. According to witnesses, the victim escaped out of a window, but the suspect remained in the flat.
A large section of Seddon Road was cordoned off, while Earp Street was closed up to the junction with Bennett Street. Crews from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, and all residents in the flats were prevented from returning until the evening.
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Police appeared to be engaged in a standoff with a suspect inside the flats, who was eventually recorded appearing to surrender peacefully at around 5.30pm. The man, who appeared to have mobility issues and leaned heavily on a walking stick, was escorted to a patrol car by police.
Samuel Rawlinson, 33, was later charged with false imprisonment, possession of a knife in a public place and possession of an offensive weapon, described in the charge as a petrol can. According to the false imprisonment charge, Rawlinson allegedly "unlawfully and injuriously imprisoned" the victim and "detained her against her will".
Rawlinson, of the Orchard on Woolton Road, Woolton, appeared in Liverpool Magistrates' Court on April 22 and pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment. He is yet to enter a plea to the weapons charges.
The case was sent to Liverpool Crown Court, where he will appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing on May 19, and Rawlinson was remanded in custody until that date.
At the scene last week firefighters could be seen gathered opposite the building with breathing apparatus, while armed response officers with protective riot gear style clothing also arrived in Matrix vans.
Locals in the area said the flats were heated with electricity and there was no gas supply to the building. The terraced houses around the building were not evacuated, suggesting there was no risk of an explosion.
Some residents were told they could not enter their homes due to "safety reasons".
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