AN armed man who fired a crossbow at the Worcester home of a rival 'drug dealer' will have to wait to learn his fate after a judge decided to defer his sentence.

Scott Fewtrell, described as 'a follower rather than a leader', had already admitted conspiracy to cause actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon following the attack on the home of Luke Bridger in Carlisle Road, Ronkswood, Worcester when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court yesterday.

The 28-year-old of Chedworth Drive, Warndon, Worcester, who did not face any drug conspiracy charges himself, shot the crossbow at the Bridger family home on August 30, 2017 at head height, damaging the door frame.

His co-defendant, Tommy Lee Jauncey, shot a blank firing pistol at the house as a child cowered in fear during the same incident. Jauncey, 23, previously of St George's Walk, Worcester, had already been sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine as well as conspiracy to cause ABH and possession of offensive weapons (a crossbow and a blank firing pistol) in December last year.

Jauncey was already serving a six year prison sentence for robbery when he received this nine year sentence.

The leader of the two drugs conspiracies was Asgar Khalfe, 35, previously of Townley Gardens, Aston, Birmingham, who is already serving a 12 year prison sentence for his role.

Fewtrell was also in breach of a suspended sentence order (six months suspended for 12 months) imposed for affray on August 29 last year which he also admitted at the hearing.

This breach involved him failing to comply with the requirements of the order on September 20 last year by not reporting as instructed to probation or providing evidence to cover his absence within five working days.

He had five such absences but only one was deemed to be unacceptable by the probation service as Fewtrell had suffered a family bereavement to which they were 'sympathetic'.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright said he originally had in mind a 16 month prison sentence for Fewtrell for the attack with the crossbow. However, the exercise was now complicated by Fewtrell's intervening sentence for dangerous driving and his breach of a suspended sentence order.

He said: "I keep being driven back to the view that I'm going to have to defer sentence for some months and give him the chance to apply himself to the existing requirements (of the suspended sentence order)."

Ekwall Tiwana, for Fewtrell, said: "If Mr Jauncey is out of the picture he doesn't offend. He's a follower not a leader.

"We know Mr Jauncey isn't coming out for a very long time so he (Fewtrell) can continue his progress."

The judge deferred the sentence until May 22. He told Fewtrell he would have gone straight to prison on the last occasion had it not been for 'this huge delay in this matter coming to court' and that fact that he had served a sentence for dangerous driving in the meantime, an adjustment he had to take account of.

Judge Cartwight said: "I'm driven to the conclusion. in all fairness, that I'm going to have to give you the chance to prove that you will comply with the requirements of the suspended sentence order."