A former soldier, who was arrested after a five-hour siege in Leighton Buzzard, today changed his plea to guilty of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Marc McLees, 42, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sparked a major alert at his home in Bridge Street on the evening of February 5 this year.
He had denied a charge of communicating false information about a bomb hoax at the same time at an earlier hearing at Luton Crown Court.
Prosecutor Kevin West said that the new plea to the BB gun offence was acceptable and said he would ask for the bomb hoax charge to lie on the file.
The police had been called to Bridge Street after the former solider had locked himself in his home and began throwing things out of the window.
He made threats and police negotiators and an armed response team attended.
After five hours he was arrested and the BB gun was recovered.
Judge Barbara Mensah remanded him in custody for pre sentence reports to be prepared.
It is hoped the case will be fully opened on 31 July.
For more on this story see the July 23 issue of the LBO.