Man threatened to hang himself from bridge to annoy police who he blamed for death of parrot

A man from Wavertree, Liverpool, who blamed police for the death of his beloved pet parrot caused chaos on the roads after threatening to hang himself from a bridge in revenge. Allan Clarke, 54, also claimed to have “issues” with Merseyside Police after previously falling foul of disgraced former detective chief inspector Elmore Davies, who was jailed in 1998 for corruption. Clarke, of Wavertree, was spared jail at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Wednesdayday after pleading guilty to causing danger to other road users and wasting police time. The court heard Merseyside Police were forced to close Junction 5 of the M62 as traffic began to build up on the morning of September 1. Carolyn Viviani, prosecuting, said he had called 999 at around 5.30am claiming he was “going to hang himself from the nearest bridge.”

The court heard he was found at 6.30am sitting on the edge of the Queens Drive flyover with a cord wrapped around his neck. Ms Viviani said: “Nineteen patrols were dispatched including two critical incident managers and force negotiators due to fears he might jump from the bridge. Traffic was starting to build up due to the approach of the morning rush hour.” She said an alert had to be issued through the media to alert road users to the disruption. Eventually Clarke was talked down but a mental health assessment found he had no diagnosable mental illness. In his police interview he claimed he was angry that his pet parrot, aged three, had recently died when police moved it from his home after he was arrested for a driving offence. Ms Viviani said: “He tried to make a complaint but claimed no-one would listen.



He had phoned an operator earlier to say that if he could not speak to an inspector he would do something public, which he then did.” The court heard he admitted he had no intention of self harm or suicide but he did have to do something that “looked good.” Paula Lloyd, representing Clarke, said officers had provided a cage that was too small for the bird, which her client believed had “stressed it out” and led to its death. She stated her client had issues with the police after being involved in a murder case some years ago, involving shamed officer DCI Elmore Davies. Davies was jailed for five years in 1998 for perverting the course of justice and corruption, after he accepted a £10,000 bribe from organised criminals. Ms Lloyd said: “My client believed that Davies was trying to set him up but after the corruption was revealed the case was dismissed.

“He says he does not have a problem with the police today but he does have a problem with the police back 20 years ago.” The court heard Clarke had drunk a bottle of brandy before the incident. Ms Lloyd said: “This was not just about his pet parrot, although he was extremely close to that parrot. He had other ongoing issues. Unfortunately, two years ago he lost his brother to cancer and recently his nephew was diagnosed with cancer. His relationship with his wife of 32 years had broken down as well. His children became worried about him as he became lonely and depressed.” District Judge Andrew Shaw, passing sentence, said: “There’s a certain irony in blaming other people for causing you great distress then standing on a motorway bridge with a rope around your neck in full view of the public, who must have found that traumatic.” Clarke was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay a £180 criminal court charge, £80 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.