Brit accused of trying to shoot Trump '˜to admit to lesser charge'

A 20-year-old British man accused of attempting to shoot Donald Trump at a Las Vegas casino will plead guilty to lesser charges when he appears in court on Tuesday, his mother has said.

By The Newsroom Tuesday, 13th September 2016, 9:07 am Updated Tuesday, 4th October 2016, 1:44 pm

Police lead Michael Sandford away from the Treasure Island hotel and casion in Las Vegas. Picture: AP/John Locher

Michael Sandford, of Dorking, Surrey, was due to stand trial over an incident at a rally on June 18 in which he allegedly tried to grab a policeman’s gun to attack the Republican presidential candidate.

But his mother, Lynne Sandford, said he had signed a plea agreement.

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“I was very relieved that he signed it,” Mrs Sandford told ITV News London.

“It was a bit of a battle because he is quite headstrong. But we all laid the options out there for him on the table and, of course, it is a gamble.”

Mrs Sandford previously said her son is extremely vulnerable and suffers from various mental health issues including autism, anxiety, depression and anorexia, and said he would not have foreseen the consequences of his actions.

He has agreed to plead guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and disrupting government business when he appears in court later on Tuesday.

Mrs Sandford added: “There’s no certainty. But he has signed the plea agreement. Now we have to wait to see if the judge will accept it and hopefully it’s the end of one stage and the beginning of another stage.

“Every stage is a stage closer to him being able to come home.”