A GUNMAN who terrified random strangers on the streets of Merseyside has been put behind bars indefinitely.

One of the men he brandished the gun at was so petrified that he ran off and escaped by scaling a six foot high wall and arrived at work "a nervous wreck".

He and the other three men that Birkenhead man Alan Grant went on to frighten with the weapon have all been left traumatised by their ordeals.

One of them sped off in his car to the nearest police station but crashed and wrote his car off.

27-year-old Grant, who was high on a cocktail of cocaine and alcohol, was eventually detained by police after they laid siege to his grandparents home where he was hiding in the roof space.

He surrendered after two hours of police negotiations and lay down the gun, a 9mm Baikal semi-automatic pistol, which was found to have a live round of ammunition in the magazine.

Imposing an indeterminate sentence for public protection, Judge John Roberts said that while it was accepted that the weapon had not been loaded when he brandished it at his victims it was a real gun and he had been under the influence of drugs and drink at the time.

He ruled that Grant poses a significant risk of serious harm.

"If you are ever to be released will be determined by the Parole Board. You will not be released will you remain a danger to the public."

Grant, of Park Road East, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to six fireams offences, two of disqualified driving and two of making off without payment.

Ian Davies, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that about 7am on January 8 this year, minutes after making off without paying for petrol in Aigburth Road, Liverpool, he stopped a Ford Focus alongside pedestrian Anthony Paine and demanded he come over.

"Mr Paine saw a male in the driver's seat reaching across he front passenger seat pointing a gun at him."

Mr Paine refused and ran off but was chased by the driver, Grant, in the car and the gun was again pointed at him. He fled and escaped by scaling a six foot high wall.

Just 15 minutes later two self-employed builders were working on a house in Allerton Road when Grant got out of his car and brandished the gun at them.

Shortly afterwards paramedic Sean Turner, was driving on Woolton Road when Grant sped up behind him flashing his lights and shouting abuse. The car pulled in front of him and Grant and produced a gun.

"He pointed it at Mr Turner with his hand described as tense as if to pull the trigger.

"The driver was described as high on drugs and overly aggressive and snarling while shouting abuse."

Mr Turner accelerated away believing the gun had been fired and in his haste to get the Garston police station he struck a 30mph traffic sign. Grant, who had been travelling behind, though not chasing him, blasted his horn and drove away, said Mr Davies.

Grant will have to serve a minimum of six years before being able to apply for parole.

At 11 am, after again making off without paying for petrol, he arrived at his grandparents home in Buckland Street, Aigburth, in a "hypo" state and subsequently produced a gun and bullets.

Armed police arrived and he was discovered in the roof space and surrendered after two hours, said Mr Davies.

Jonathan Duffy, defending, said that Grant, who has previous convictions, had been upset and angry following threats from criminals but only had the gun to scare them.

"As far as he was concerned the criminals had been involved in driving his father to take his own life.

"He found his father hanging and over the period of time leading up to this night he felt stress and anxiety and fear resulting him frankly losing control," he said.

He accepts there was no justification for his behaviour and is remorseful.

Welcoming the sentence, Detective Inspector Andy O'Connor from Merseyside Police's anti-gun crime Matrix unit, said: "We are pleased that a dangerous individual like Grant is now behind bars.

"He was caught after a large and fast-moving police operation located him hiding in the loft of a relative's house in St Michaels before anyone could come to any harm.

"He had committed a range of offences that morning, all while in possession of a firearm, and this sentence should send out a strong messages that gun crime will not be tolerated on Merseyside."