24-Hour Standoff: The Paul Burton Siege Story That Shocked Bedfordshire Police
Paul Burton was involved in a 14-hour armed stand-off with the Bedfordshire police. Here is everything you need to know about Paul Burton.
Who is Paul Burton?
Paul Burton, 45, can be seen in a new installment of the hard-hitting Channel 4 documentary 24 Hours In Police Custody. Channel 4 followed police, who gave unprecedented access to the operation suite during the live 14-hour siege, which was sparked by a cold takeaway and saw a delivery driver taken hostage. Burton and his accomplice Nathan Turner, 37, lived in the flats at Bury Court in Bedford at the time of the incident.
What did Paul Burton do?
Paul Burton and Nathan Turner threatened their neighbors with a rifle and Burton also shot at a police car. In November 2022, armed officers from Bedfordshire Police were sent to surround a block of flats, following a 999 call from a woman reporting she had just seen two men, one with an AK-47 rifle, making threats to kill. After assessing the scene, it was quickly categorized as a major incident. Officers then received intelligence that the two suspects were Paul Burton and Nathan Turner – both of whom resided in the flats at the time of the incident. The incident began around 3 am on November 27, 20222. Footage emerged of Burton live streaming on the social media platform Facebook – complaining to police that his takeaway delivery driver ”failed at his job”, his kebab arrived late, and was missing its salad. The men had both been drinking and taking drugs. They confronted the delivery driver as he arrived on the eighth floor of the flats, placing a coffee table across the lift door to trap him inside. They kept him as a hostage for two hours. A neighbor told of how she went to complain about the loud music she could hear the pair playing, before being threatened by Burton with a black rifle. He also warned officers: ”You try even come through my f*****g door. I will kill your coppers in a heartbeat.” Both men suffered from mental health issues. Discussing their extreme reaction to the late takeaway, Superintendent Steve Ashdown, who was in charge of the operation said: ”When you link into mental health conditions and the other stuff going on for those two suspects at the time, it feels like the final straw.”
At 8.45 am, the situation at the scene escalated after Burton fired at a police car’s windscreen – narrowly avoiding a dog handler. Then Turner started throwing objects from a balcony during the day and damaged several vehicles below. While Turner surrendered around 12:34, Burton relented at 17:49, almost 14 hours after the stand-off began. Thankfully, peaceful outcome was achieved. Officers discovered the weapon, which had been modified, in a wardrobe. There were also several pythons and other reptiles in the flat, which were later re-homed. The call-out fee for the raid cost an eye-watering £85,000. Discussing the siege, Steve added: ”Like with every other firearms incident, there is a sense of achievement and relief at a successful resolution. All the residents were kept safe and no officers came to harm, which is not always a guarantee for police officers, sadly. “There was a sense of professional pride.”
Who is Nathan Turner?
As mentioned above, when police were provided with intelligence of the suspects believed to be involved in the siege, Nathan Turner’s name was one of two officers received. Like Burton, he too lived in the flats at Bury Court at the time of the incident. Following his arrest, Turner admitted to affray and four charges of criminal damage. He was sentenced to 20 months.
Where is Paul Burton now?
Following his arrest, Paul Burton was later jailed. Sentencing him at Luton Crown Court in October, Judge David Farrell KC said: “It was an appalling and terrifying incident. “This was an extremely disturbing and frightening siege in which a firearm was present.” Burton was placed behind bars for seven years after pleading guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and two charges of possessing a firearm without a certificate.