A British man jailed after he tried to grab a policeman's gun and shoot Donald Trump at a campaign rally has quietly flown back to the UK.

Michael Sandford, 20, attempted to snatch the gun at a Las Vegas casino where Mr Trump was addressing his teams of supporters in June last year.

Sandford, who is autistic, was jailed for a year in December but flew back to the UK on Thursday, having served less than five months of his sentence, according to the Independent.

Scroll down for video

Michael Sandford, 20, jailed for trying to snatch a policeman's gun and shoot Donald Trump, has quietly returned to the UK after serving less than five months of his year-long jail term

He is believed to have been met at Heathrow airport by his parents Lynne and Paul around 11am.

Sandford, from Dorking, Surrey, confided in officers after his arrest that he wanted to shoot the now US president, but not before getting an autograph first.

Sandford said he wanted 'to shoot and kill Donald Trump', pictured

According to court documents, the 20-year-old's plan was to ask for the tycoon's autograph and then grab a gun to shoot him.

His plan was foiled; he was tackled by officers at the rally and removed from the venue.

When asked why he had attempted to snatch the weapon, Sandford replied: 'To shoot and kill Donald Trump'.

Sandford's mother Lynne spoke out after her son's arrest and said that her son was afraid that Mr Trump would 'make an example of him'.

She said: 'Michael is terrified. He phoned me 15 times through the night with severe anxiety over what the judge is going to say to him and the sentence he will be given.

'Michael is afraid that because Donald Trump is now president-elect, it may be some bearing on the judge's sentencing.'

Sandford, pictured with his mother Lynne, has autism and Lynne revealed that he was placed on suicide watch before his sentencing

His mother Lynne said that her son feared that the now president would 'make an example of him'

She also told the press that her son had been placed on suicide watch before he was sentenced.

The family launched a fund-raising campaign to raise £10,000 to pay legal costs to bring their son back to the UK.

A Home Office spokeswoman said they could not comment on individual cases.