Mum of Brit ‘Trump-assassin wannabe’ Michael Sandford reveals her autistic son is still watching Peppa Pig at 20 as she pleads for leniency
Lynne Sandford says her son would struggle to survive in US jail system as he faces 30-year sentence
THE mum of an autistic young Brit accused of trying to shoot Donald Trump has said she fears her son will die in an American prison.
Lynne Sandford, 41, said her vulnerable son Michael, 20, is on suicide watch and his young mental age means he still watches children's TV shows like Peppa Pig.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Lynne said: "I’ve finally been able to establish phone conversations with him [Michael] in the last few days and he’s not at all good.
"He’s very bewildered, very scared and frightened, he’s on suicide watch which he’s been for three weeks and he just kept breaking down on the phone saying he can’t cope.”
Robot Wars fanatic Michael was arrested after allegedly trying to grab a policeman's gun and shoot Republican presidential candidate Trump at a rally in Las Vegas earlier this year.
But his mum believes the youngster's mental health issues mean he needs to be treated in a British hospital rather than slammed in a US prison.
She added: "There’s no excusing that what he did or attempted to do was a bad thing, but he is not a bad person, he’s got autism, OCD, anorexia, depression, anxiety - so there are a lot of mental health issues at play, he’s ill.
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"I’m not saying he shouldn’t have a custodial sentence whatsoever, but he needs to be brought back here to have it so he can get help ‘because that’s what he needs.”
Sandford added: “He didn’t know what he was doing. I don’t think for one minute he can [kill Donald Trump], he’s just not capable of that.
"He’s ill, he’s very emotionally young, he wouldn’t have understood the consequences of what he was doing. It was just a very bizarre attempt.
"I mean if you were going to kill someone you wouldn’t go about doing it like that, especially if you have tremors in your hands.
“I fear my son will die in prison, he’s tried to commit suicide before and there’s no way he could cope with being in a mainstream prison for 30 years.
"He’s got a very young emotional age, he’s still watching Peppa Pig, that’s not a callous cold-hearted person, he’s ill, he needs to come back here for help and he needs to see his family
"He needs his family to help him get better.”
Michael, of Dorking, Surrey, is set to stand trial in Las Vegas later this month.
American police said he had planned to "shoot and kill Donald Trump".
He faces up to 30 years in jail if convicted.
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