A POLICEMAN from North Yorkshire told an inquest that the moment a former solider threatened him with a gun was "the most fearful, life-threatening experience" he had ever had.

PC John Hart, a former Royal Marine who served 11 years in the Army, said he thought he would be shot when he came face-to-face with Kirk Davies, formerly of Burn, near Selby.

PC Hart was on front desk duty in Selby Police Station on September 24, 2000, the night Mr Davies was killed by a single police bullet to the abdomen.

He was shot at the Newton Lodge Hospital unit, near Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield.

PC Hart told the inquest, at Leeds Crown Court, that he first saw Davies "wearing a shooting hat, and with camouflage webbing around his neck".

He added: "He was distressed, his voice was very shaky. He slammed down on the front desk a long-barrelled weapon. It was a long-barrelled rifle wrapped in black camouflage netting with a gold or brass-coloured trigger."

Asked to describe his experience of weaponry by West Yorkshire coroner David Hinchliff, PC Hart replied "I did 11 years in the Royal Marines and came into contact with many weapons.

"I put my hand through the partition and lifted the rifle up. Its weight was consistent with a semi-automatic weapon."

The court was then told how Mr Davies said "oh, no", grabbed the rifle, turned and pointed it at PC Hart.

Mr Hinchliffe said: "You said he had his finger on the trigger and began to point it at you." "Yes," replied PC Hart.

Earlier in the inquest, Mr Davies's partner, Kathryn Wadsworth, spoke of the couple's "volatile" relationship.

She said she often asked Mr Davies to leave the home they shared, but said she usually allowed him back. She sometimes asked him to leave because of his affairs.

Ms Wadsworth said she and Mr Davies had argued shortly before the shooting.

She said Mr Davies had left her house in Selby at about 2pm. He left and she believed he had visited a pub before returning about 7.30pm. They continued to argue before Mr Davies left at about 8.15pm.

Mr Davies said he had been to the police station and asked for directions to Pinderfields Hospital.

"I thought he was trying to get help for himself," Ms Wadsworth said.

Mr Davies then left, saying "See if you can live with this," the court was told.

"It seems the way to hurt you was by getting himself into trouble with the police," said Mr Hinchliff. "Yes," said Ms Wadsworth.

Security guard Melvyn Scott described today how, while patrolling the exterior of Pinderfields, he met Mr Davies who asked for directions to Fieldhead Hospital, a psychiatric unit which was on the same site and where his partner's sister-in-law worked as a nurse.

Mr Scott led Mr Davies to the reception at nearby Newton Lodge where he temporarily lost sight of Mr Davies.

He said: "I turned around and there was a man standing there holding a rifle across his chest. It had a long barrel and it was definitely a rifle, not a shotgun. It looked like an army weapon.

"The rifle was covered in what appeared to be sacking or some sort of dark webbing."

Mr Scott asked Mr Davies what he was doing with the rifle to which he replied: "It's the only security I've got left."

Mr Scott added: "This man was very calm. He just started to walk over towards the reception area."

The inquest continues.

Updated: 15:11 Tuesday, April 23, 2002