A 53-year-old man has appeared in court charged with false imprisonment and possession of a sawn-off shotgun and a samurai sword in connection with a siege at a Nuneaton bowling alley.
David Clarke was arrested on Sunday afternoon after the incident in a branch of MFA Bowl in the Warwickshire town.
He is charged with two counts of false imprisonment, one count of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and two counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause an indictable offence.
He is also accused of one count of criminal damage and two counts of possession of a bladed article – one samurai sword and one knife.
Clarke spoke only to confirm his name and address in a 40-minute hearing at Warwickshire justice centre on Tuesday.
The chair of the bench, Margaret Middleton, remanded him in custody until a hearing at Warwick crown court on 21 November.
