A MAN engaged in a rooftop siege with police said he wanted $20 million and a getaway helicopter.

Details of Edward Hughes’ springtime dispute with officers in Hazel Grove, Mold, were revealed in court yesterday.

Hughes also filmed the officers as they tried to persuade him to come down and said all police were corrupt.

District Judge Andrew Shaw issued a warrant for Hughes’ arrest after finding him guilty in his absence of obstructing police on Friday, April 9.

The judge told Wrexham Magistrates Court there was clear evidence Hughes had frustrated and obstructed attempts by officers to arrest him.

During a near two-hour delay caused by a bomb scare shortly after the hearing began, Hughes made himself known to Judge Shaw outside the court. But when the building reopened, he was not present and a decision was taken to continue with proceedings again in his absence.

The court heard four officers went to Hughes’ home that morning to enforce his recall to prison.

PC Kevin Hackett, of Buckley Police Station, told the court officers knocked on the door five or six times without being granted entry to the property and then forced their way into the premises.

Once inside, PC Hackett found a woman blocking the access up the stairs and they became aware Hughes had made his way onto the roof.

“I could see a male that I recognised to be Edward Hughes. I could see he had a video camera filming myself and my colleagues.”

Questioned by prosecutor Huw Evans, PC Hackett said Hughes began shouting about the police and said he would not be coming down until the following Monday as he had “booked a helicopter lesson and liked his Sunday dinner”.

The court also heard Hughes had requested $20m and a helicopter.

PC Hackett added: “He continued to film the police. He would video for a period then stop and then start videoing again.

“He was calling to his neighbour and the female in the house and making several phone calls.”

The court heard Hughes told police he would put the video on the internet video website YouTube to “show the police were corrupt”.

The court heard a number of police officials, including trained negotiators, tried to talk him down from the roof. After police had been present at the scene for approaching two hours, a decision was made by a senior officer to leave Hughes until later.

Hughes will be sentenced after an arrest is made.