0:00:03 > 0:00:09In May 2016, 20-year-old Michael Sandford's parents reported
0:00:09 > 0:00:11that he'd gone missing in America.
0:00:14 > 0:00:1623 days later,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21he turned up at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Las Vegas.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24LOUD CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I will build a great, great wall.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Shortly after Trump took to the stage,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Michael approached a police officer.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50Seconds later, he attempted to grab the officer's gun.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52CHEERING
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Oh, we love our police.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12When questioned by the Secret Service, Michael stated
0:01:12 > 0:01:15he'd wanted to shoot and kill Trump,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18saying he was a racist that deserved to die.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24But how did a young British man from Surrey end up
0:01:24 > 0:01:27trying to assassinate the most controversial
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and high-profile man in the world?
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Donald J Trump!
0:01:31 > 0:01:36We've always just been a very, very close family unit.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39He thought Donald Trump was the worst thing for the world.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41This is not a hardened criminal.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45This is just a young kid who found himself in an awful situation.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47He tried to assassinate him.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50He was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Michael is due to be sentenced, and could face decades in prison.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Michael Sandford could have altered the course of American history.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00But were these the actions of a boy
0:02:00 > 0:02:03with a history of mental health problems?
0:02:03 > 0:02:07He seemed a totally different personality from the boy I'd known.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10He's going to spend his 21st birthday in prison.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Someone who really shouldn't be there.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Or was it a premeditated attack?
0:02:16 > 0:02:18When Michael was shooting, he was doing this.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22Who was he working for?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Maybe he got radicalised.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28There's nothing I can tell him that will make his situation any better.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32And I just want my son back.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54PHONE RINGS
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- AUTOMATED MESSAGE:- 'This call is from an inmate facility.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Hi, son.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07What have you been up to today so far?
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Yeah.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13What have you had to eat today?
0:03:16 > 0:03:20So, was porridge not for breakfast today?
0:03:22 > 0:03:24That wasn't very clever, was it?
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Is that because you were shaking?
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Have you had any more seizures?
0:03:36 > 0:03:37Oh, dear, sorry to hear that.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46It's very hard to know that he's there,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and we're so far away from him.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56All the calls are recorded and monitored. It's very impersonal.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Sometimes he begs me not to go, and he rings me back again.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04He says, "I just want to keep hearing your voice, Mum."
0:04:09 > 0:04:11'I know we're down to our last minute, aren't we?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14'I love you so much.'
0:04:15 > 0:04:17'Yeah, you, too, son.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21'Take care and look after yourself.'
0:04:21 > 0:04:22'Yeah.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24'I hope you manage to get something else to eat today.'
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Love you too, darling. Jessica does, and Len does,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and Dad does, and Mischief does...
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- AUTOMATED MESSAGE: - 'Your time is up.'
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Got cut off. 15 minutes, that's all you get.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40I feel weary.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45It's just the same every day.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49A phone call, I ask him what he's done,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53and the answers are always the same. What he's had to eat.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56You know, it's not a life.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It's barely an existence for him out there at the moment.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Just knowing that he's where he is,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I'm powerless to do anything about it,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08is...impossibly hard.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Michael's currently being held in a maximum security prison
0:05:19 > 0:05:22in Nevada's Death Valley while he awaits sentencing.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26After admitting trying to kill Trump,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29he's answered a plea bargain in a bid to reduce his sentence
0:05:29 > 0:05:33but still faces the possibility of a lengthy jail term.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37This is one of the most high profile cases I've dealt with
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and, certainly, it's a very complex case.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43The government will be arguing that this was not something
0:05:43 > 0:05:46that was a spur of the moment type of crime.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50This was something that he had been...that had been calculated.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55They're going to be arguing this was in fact a very dangerous situation
0:05:55 > 0:05:58that could have resulted in somebody being murdered.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04The maximum, under the law, is 20 years for Michael.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07So he could be looking at many, many years in prison.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Before moving to America, Michael lived in Surrey with his mum
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and half sister Jessica.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I think that one's really cute.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Probably his first-ever smile.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36None of us had any idea what was ahead for us back then.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39You know, I sit and look at these pictures of him,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43as this angelic little boy.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46I think it's so tragic this is where his life is at.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Especially someone who really shouldn't be there.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02He was very bright and bubbly, and cute, and sweet, and adorable.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03He was the apple of our eye.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07'You're doing a bunny?
0:07:07 > 0:07:10'Oh, you're doing a happy smiley face.'
0:07:10 > 0:07:14But I think we first noticed that there might be problems
0:07:14 > 0:07:16when he was two.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17He would become quite hysterical
0:07:17 > 0:07:21when we would throw quite ordinary things in the rubbish bin.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24That was the first sign that he had some form of OCD.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29This, oddly enough, his key collection.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31He enjoyed collecting keys.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37When Michael was about eight, his mood started to change.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39They were quite erratic at times.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43He seemed to become quite depressive and quite angry.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- Hello!- Hello!
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I wondered if, because by then I'd split up with his father,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54I wondered if it was some anger at the break-up.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56But his mood swings and erratic nature
0:07:56 > 0:07:59were starting to concern me by then.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07It says, "Michael Sandford, my autobiography, age 13."
0:08:07 > 0:08:08It goes through all the usual things.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12"My name is Michael Sandford. I am 13. I live in Dorking
0:08:12 > 0:08:15"with my mother, budgie and hamster."
0:08:15 > 0:08:18This bit is...pretty sad.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22"I'm wondering what the world is coming to.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24"They say the world will end when the sun blows up
0:08:24 > 0:08:26"in five billion years
0:08:26 > 0:08:29"but I believe humans will destroy it long before then."
0:08:32 > 0:08:35That was something he was very worried about.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37He was very worried about mankind.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I guess that's been mirrored by what he said about Donald Trump.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45He thought Donald Trump was the worst thing for the world.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49When Michael was 13, he was diagnosed with Asperger's,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54a condition associated with difficulties in social interaction.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56He was just falling apart.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58He was losing his grip on the world,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01not knowing how to fit in or cope.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04At secondary school, he was bullied.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10He deliberately tried to run out in front of cars sometimes,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13in the hope he'd get knocked over, to avoid going to school.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18I very much feel the system failed Michael.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I took him for help so many times over so many years,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and nobody did anything, until it became almost too late.
0:09:26 > 0:09:32Aged 14, Michael developed severe anorexia as a result of his OCD,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36and had to be sectioned to a psychiatric hospital.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40He had said, "Life isn't worth living, I find it too hard."
0:09:40 > 0:09:44I was really frightened that I was going to lose him. I was terrified.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49'Off you go. Bye!'
0:09:56 > 0:09:58What are you drawing?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00A rainbow.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- Who's that for?- Michael.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Because I love him.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14He's very nice and good and he wasn't very well
0:10:14 > 0:10:18a long time ago and he did something wrong.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20So that's why he's in there now.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Michael's parents separated
0:10:27 > 0:10:28when he was five years old,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32but he has always remained close to his dad, Paul.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45We all know our children, we all know their personalities.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47If you're honest with yourself,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50you know whether somebody has the potential
0:10:50 > 0:10:53to do something like that or not.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56He's never shouted, he's never screamed at me.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59That violent aspect of some kids' natures
0:10:59 > 0:11:02just wasn't there with Michael.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Michael had never shown any interest in politics at home or abroad...
0:11:09 > 0:11:12..but Paul noticed a significant change when visiting him in prison,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14following his arrest.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18He seemed very politicised, very radical.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Very logical, but very highly...
0:11:23 > 0:11:28motivated about Mr Trump and the effect that he may have
0:11:28 > 0:11:30on the American people.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Just a totally different personality from the boy I'd known.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39Um, I've got a little box for all his memories here,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41all the things like the newspaper cuttings from before.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Obviously, newspaper cuttings from now.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Has he not told you why he did it, or what was going through his head?
0:11:49 > 0:11:52No, I mean, it's very difficult for him to say anything to us.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Everything he says and everything he does is monitored.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58He will tell us about it all, I hope, when he's back home,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01but at the moment he's not told us anything, really.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08I mean, I think... Although it's quite a...a morbid thing to do,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12but when Michael comes out I'm sure he's going to be quite interested
0:12:12 > 0:12:14in the news coverage from back home.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Why do you think he did it?
0:12:17 > 0:12:21The only thing I can possibly think of is...
0:12:21 > 0:12:24He's been coerced. Groomed.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Whatever word you'd like to use.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30I mean, whether it was a structured group
0:12:30 > 0:12:34or whether it was just a few people with a political agenda
0:12:34 > 0:12:37to kill Donald Trump, I don't know.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Asperger's can make you look at things very black and white.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I think they saw Michael and saw he was vulnerable.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Um, I think they saw a way
0:12:49 > 0:12:53to coerce him to do what they wanted him to do.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57I think whoever he was with,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01um, has given him ideas, because he wasn't my Michael.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Aged 18, Michael told his parents he was planning to move to America,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11to be with a girlfriend he'd met online.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14He just wanted to spread his wings,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18have a bit of independence and attempt to lead a normal life.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25He said he had to go or he would attempt suicide again.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29He's 18, he's an adult.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33He's a vulnerable adult, but you can't stop him doing anything.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Michael's family used inheritance money
0:13:40 > 0:13:43to pay for a year's rent on a flat in Hoboken,
0:13:43 > 0:13:44overlooking New York.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52He was the smallest, skinniest person I'd ever met.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55The most polite person that I'd ever met.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Michael never mentioned any girl to me, or friends or anybody.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00As a matter of fact,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I think I recall him saying he knew nobody here.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07If Michael moved to Hoboken for other reasons,
0:14:07 > 0:14:08I don't know.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11It does make you start to wonder.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Initially, we heard from Michael all the time.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20But his behaviour became erratic.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Sometimes we'd hear from him, sometimes we wouldn't.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28He turned very nasty at one point.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31He said to me,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35"You've no idea how much I hate, loathe and despise you."
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And that was the final straw for me.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46I said to him, "Who is putting these thoughts in your mind?"
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Because he'd always been so loving.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51On the 26th May, 2016,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54having lost all contact with Michael,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Lynne reported him missing to the authorities.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59I was worried out my mind.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I could only see it ending in a disaster.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04During this period,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07police now believe he'd been living out of a BMW
0:15:07 > 0:15:10bought using the money he'd been given for rent.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Michael didn't surface again until the day of his arrest.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- NEWSREADER:- Our headlines this morning,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Donald Trump is celebrating his astonishing victory...
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Five weeks before Michael is due to be sentenced,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Donald Trump's remarkable rise to the White House is confirmed.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38- NEWSREADER:- The Republican businessman
0:15:38 > 0:15:40defeated his Democratic rival,
0:15:40 > 0:15:41scoring decisive victories...
0:15:41 > 0:15:44..confounded the pollsters and media pundits, who predicted...
0:15:44 > 0:15:47So what does the rest of the world make of these seismic events
0:15:47 > 0:15:49that took place overnight in America?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52We're going to get the view from London, Europe...
0:15:52 > 0:15:54I was up all night watching the results,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57it's obviously only been announced in the last hour or so.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01There's no getting away from it now.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I mean, he is going to be president for the next four years
0:16:03 > 0:16:06and, like it or lump it, you know, we've got to get on with it.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09It's a result that could have an impact
0:16:09 > 0:16:12on the length of Michael's jail term.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16We have sentencing coming up next month,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and whether Donald Trump will choose to make an example of Michael
0:16:20 > 0:16:21remains to be seen.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27You know, he was looking forward to sentencing
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and hoping that there might be a favourable outcome,
0:16:30 > 0:16:31but I think the result
0:16:31 > 0:16:34casts a potentially very big shadow over that.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39Now it's time for America to...
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I'm very worried that he will either lose his mind completely
0:16:41 > 0:16:45or commit suicide, if he had the opportunity.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It's just made everything so much harder
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and so much more complicated for Michael.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59For those who have chosen not to support me in the past,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01of which there were a few people...
0:17:02 > 0:17:07I feel powerless. You know, I want to be able to...
0:17:07 > 0:17:09to keep him strong and to give him hope,
0:17:09 > 0:17:14but a lot of that hope was dashed last night with the outcome of this,
0:17:14 > 0:17:18you know, and it's made the future so much more uncertain for him.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19- NEWSREADER:- ..political experience,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and one who's just caused the biggest political upset
0:17:22 > 0:17:23in American history.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Michael is being kept in solitary confinement
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and gets most of his news from his mum.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Have you heard about the election results?
0:17:39 > 0:17:43You haven't, OK, well, Donald Trump did get in, in the end.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47So...
0:17:52 > 0:17:56I realise, you know, in many ways, a bad situation just got worse,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59for you, but, uh...
0:18:00 > 0:18:02But you do understand
0:18:02 > 0:18:04that what you attempted to do wasn't right, don't you?
0:18:10 > 0:18:11I know that, Michael, I know that.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- RECORDING:- You have one minute remaining.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22Michael has now reverted back to being the loving son he always has.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25He sent us letters and cards
0:18:25 > 0:18:27and drawings that he's done.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36And every time he says, "I love you, I love you, I miss you, I need you."
0:19:11 > 0:19:14When Michael did move out to America
0:19:14 > 0:19:15I redecorated my bedroom.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Just get me thinking about him a bit more, I guess.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Paul is flying out to meet Lynne in Las Vegas,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26ahead of Michael's sentencing.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31It's been probably ten years since I've been abroad.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34He needs that support. With that support it'll be all right.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Michael's mental health has deteriorated
0:19:36 > 0:19:39since Trump was confirmed as the President-elect
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and he's been placed on suicide watch.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44He's become quite depressed,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and now I think he wants to get the sentencing over and done with
0:19:47 > 0:19:50so at least he'll know what's happening to him.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51We hope it's going to be OK.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54We hope they're going to take into account Michael's conditions,
0:19:54 > 0:19:59but we have been told that it's not something the American system
0:19:59 > 0:20:02tends to really, um, look into.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08He is flesh and blood, he is my boy.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And, um, he's lonely and scared.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14I mean, he's got no family out there, he's got nobody to see him.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17He's in a prison where there are lifers
0:20:17 > 0:20:19who support Trump.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21They've got nothing to lose, really.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25I still lie awake a lot of the times at night, expecting that phone call
0:20:25 > 0:20:26saying there's been an incident.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Something's happened in the detention centre.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32To be honest, I'm really worried
0:20:32 > 0:20:35somebody's going to try and kill him. I really am.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40I've started on sleeping pills and antidepressants,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42because there's been a number of nights where I haven't slept
0:20:42 > 0:20:43for two or three nights in a row
0:20:43 > 0:20:48and, uh, obviously then you start to get really down and tired.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I've got to do it for Michael.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55You just get over it and get it done with.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58I'm trying to get my son home.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08With Michael's sentencing just days away,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11his legal team are putting the final touches to their case.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15So we put together - I asked Lynne to send me a bunch of pictures,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19so we need to call the court later on and make sure we can play these
0:21:19 > 0:21:21while we're arguing for sentencing.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23The problem is, the control we have
0:21:23 > 0:21:27over what happens to him when he's in prison
0:21:27 > 0:21:28is fairly minimal,
0:21:28 > 0:21:29but the control we do have
0:21:29 > 0:21:32is to limit the amount of time that he needs to spend there.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Michael's plea bargain means he's pleaded guilty
0:21:35 > 0:21:38to impeding and disrupting government business
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44The reality is that you have Michael admitting
0:21:44 > 0:21:49that he tried to assassinate what is now President-elect Trump.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51He could face up to 20 years in jail,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54unless his defence team are successful in proving
0:21:54 > 0:21:57he was suffering from a psychotic episode.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00And, frankly, I don't think that was Michael Sandford,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02that's certainly not the Michael
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I have come to know in the last few months.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07But that's the only Michael
0:22:07 > 0:22:10that the government's portraying at sentencing.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I think that Michael has suffered
0:22:12 > 0:22:15from a variety of different mental health conditions
0:22:15 > 0:22:20and what he said and what he did was really not him,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23but a condition that needs to be treated.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The arguments are ready, everything's been filed,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29so I think right now it's really just a matter of wait and see.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38On his arrest, the Secret Service conducted a thorough investigation,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42tracking Michael's movements leading up to his assassination attempt.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46In the boot of his car, detectives found the used target
0:22:46 > 0:22:48that led them to a firing range
0:22:48 > 0:22:50less than a mile from where the rally took place.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59It's going to be really loud.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01That's why we got to wear...
0:23:01 > 0:23:03All your protection.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Michael attended the shooting range the day before the rally.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14He would later tell detectives that he'd considered buying a rifle
0:23:14 > 0:23:16to shoot Trump from long distance
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but claimed he was unable to acquire one.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21GUNSHOTS
0:23:21 > 0:23:24This is the Glock 17, the one that Michael shot.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27We're going to load it into the magazine,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29and then we're just going to...
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Slide goes forward. Ready to go.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Josh was the range safety officer that attended to Michael.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Honestly, there was nothing off of him
0:23:39 > 0:23:41when he came in.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43He shot 20 rounds.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48He was shy, he was nervous, just like any other customer.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50But I would have never thought
0:23:50 > 0:23:52that he was practising for an assassination, ever.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59Glock 17s are standard issue for law enforcement here in this country.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03An experienced shooter, they don't anticipate the rounds,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06you don't shoot down. You're pretty much just keeping that gun forward.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Which will look something like this.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10You're forward...
0:24:11 > 0:24:12GUNSHOT
0:24:12 > 0:24:15When Michael was shooting, I'll see if I can get it right.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I'm going to miss on purpose.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21He was doing this.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27GUNSHOT
0:24:27 > 0:24:29He was shooting the ground. He was not a good shot, of course,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31just like any other shooter who has never shot
0:24:31 > 0:24:34and has adrenaline kicking in and is really nervous.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37They usually shoot really low because you're flinching,
0:24:37 > 0:24:38you're so nervous.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45He was just an ordinary customer. He seemed like a good kid, actually,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48he just looking like he had innocence in him, you know,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50like he couldn't hurt a fly or anything.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53He seemed like a really nice guy, you know?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14After a ten hour flight, Paul has arrived in Las Vegas
0:25:14 > 0:25:16for Michael's sentencing.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21He is meeting Lynne and the rest of Michael's family at the airport.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Quite nervous about everything now, and I can feel myself getting
0:25:24 > 0:25:26more and more nervous the longer I've been here,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and I'm sure Lynne's going to be the same.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The nerves will start when she gets here and then, I think,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34as the day progresses, thinking about tomorrow,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36it's going to be hard for both of us.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38And I think Lynne, Lynne is going to start struggling.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45What's your relationship like with Lynne?
0:25:46 > 0:25:47'Lynne and I get on really well,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50'we always have done.'
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Hello, Jessie, hello!
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'Even when we split up, we got on quite well.'
0:25:55 > 0:25:56Hello!
0:25:56 > 0:25:59'That's one of the things with the issues you get with Michael,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01'it does bring you closer together. You haven't got the choice.'
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Hi, Paul.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- You all right?- How are you?
0:26:04 > 0:26:06'You've got to be there for Michael,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08'you've got to work together for Michael.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Car's out this way, it's level one, the car park, at the back, so...
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- Right.- Come on, then.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17There we go.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19One big family, Jessica, eh?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29LYNNE:
0:26:36 > 0:26:37So how you been, then, all right?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Yeah, yeah, it's been hard.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- You know, really, really tiring and stressful.- You sleep any better?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45No, no. Nor eating better.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48At least we'll have some sort of closure for tomorrow, won't we?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50That's it, it's been a long time coming, hasn't it?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53You know, and I know it's been weighing hard on Michael,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55just the waiting and not knowing.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Do you remember where I said that we're going to go tomorrow?
0:27:04 > 0:27:05Court!
0:27:05 > 0:27:07That's right, yeah.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Who's going to be at the court, and why are we there?- Michael!
0:27:11 > 0:27:16Because we have to find out how long he has to stay there again.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18That's right, yeah.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21So there's going to be a special person...
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- The judge.- The judge, that's right.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25And he's going to listen to lots of things about Michael
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and decide how much longer Michael has to stay here, isn't he?
0:27:28 > 0:27:33I'm a bit...a bit nervous of the judge, because I...
0:27:33 > 0:27:34I've never seen him before.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36No.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38- Do you think you can be on your best behaviour?- Yes!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40And of course Michael would like to see
0:27:40 > 0:27:42how well you can behave, as well, wouldn't he?
0:27:42 > 0:27:45What would you like to say to Michael if you get the chance?
0:27:45 > 0:27:46I love you.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Aww.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53- You all right?- Yeah.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- ON TELEPHONE:- Hi, son. How are you?
0:28:04 > 0:28:05OK, did you?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07And what did she have to say?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Well at least you get to have your say, anyway.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Are you going to read it to me?
0:28:15 > 0:28:16Yeah, that would be nice.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Yes, please.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Right, now, when we get in, it's bed for you, Jessica.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57- ON TELEPHONE:- Mm-hm.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58I don't think you should say, though,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01that you deserve to be in prison for the rest of your life.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Because that's not true. I mean...
0:29:06 > 0:29:10I know, but you didn't mean to and you didn't intend to, did you?
0:29:11 > 0:29:12And...
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Just before midnight, nine hours before the rally was due to start,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Michael made his way to the Treasure Island casino
0:29:48 > 0:29:50and took fourth place in the queue.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01Greg Donovan, a staunch Trump supporter, was next in line.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04I asked this young man,
0:30:04 > 0:30:08I said, "Would you mind holding my space while I go change?"
0:30:08 > 0:30:10He said, "Oh, yeah."
0:30:10 > 0:30:12I heard the British accent, I remember it.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16I was in my full red thing and black top hat.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19But when he saw it, he seemed kind of repulsed.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23I found that odd, because I thought he would like it, you know?
0:30:24 > 0:30:29It just didn't seem like a regular Trump supporter.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31It didn't seem like that.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33That was my feeling.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39I was in the fifth row, I got very close to Mr Trump.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41I was so close to him. Look at that.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45There's something about the rallies.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48It's just euphoria.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Donald J Trump.
0:30:55 > 0:30:56CHEERING
0:30:58 > 0:31:01As the auditorium began to fill up,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Cole Bartiromo, another Trump fan,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07took his place in the crowd.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10The crowds are just so high energy, feeding off his energy.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16So passionate, start chanting things over and over again.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Thank you very much. Oh, I love you people.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21I love Las Vegas.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23I love this state.
0:31:23 > 0:31:2630 seconds into Trump's speech, with all eyes on the stage,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30Michael approached a metropolitan patrol officer.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34..and borders, generally, that are strong and powerful.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37We are going to get rid of Common Core
0:31:37 > 0:31:40and we are going to bring our education locally.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45When we get 37 states...
0:31:46 > 0:31:49CLAMOURING
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Uh... We love our police.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Thank you. Thank you, officers.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15I started filming when I saw guards tackling somebody.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17BOOING
0:32:20 > 0:32:23And they were just dragging him out like he's a rag doll.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Thank you. Thank you, officers.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28I was like, "Whoa, like, what did he do?"
0:32:30 > 0:32:33'There is this anger.'
0:32:33 > 0:32:34BOOING
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Protesters, boo!
0:32:36 > 0:32:38'Because Michael Sandford'
0:32:38 > 0:32:41could have altered the course of American history.
0:32:45 > 0:32:46Thank you.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48He didn't look like murderer.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50He was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Maybe he got radicalised.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Somebody can come in here and they have the opportunity
0:32:58 > 0:33:03to kill our future president of the United States.
0:33:03 > 0:33:04That's very nice, thank you.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09I think you have to send a strong message, Donald Trump-style,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11the judge has to give him the maximum.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20On his arrest, Michael told detectives that the greater good
0:33:20 > 0:33:23would be to lose his own life rather than have Trump as president.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28He stated that it wasn't a cry for help,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30only the right thing to do.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57It's the morning of Michael's sentencing.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05The family are on their way to meet the legal team for a final briefing.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Good morning.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13How are you? It is good to see you.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15- Remind me his name again.- Timmy.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- Timmy. And the other one is? - Tiggles.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Tiggles. Yes.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25- How are you, Brenda?- I'm good. Hi, Lynne. Good to see you.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Hi. Good to see you.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Good to see you.
0:34:28 > 0:34:29When you see Michael come into the courtroom,
0:34:29 > 0:34:31I just don't want you to be surprised.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33He is going to be shackled, right?
0:34:33 > 0:34:35So he is going to have handcuffs
0:34:35 > 0:34:36and he is going to have some leg cuffs as well.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39The leg cuffs are going to remain on him.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43He'll be wearing, you know, a detainee garb, jumpsuit of sorts.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46So, I just don't want you to be shocked by that.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49That's how you're going to see Michael.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50Judges do these differently,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53but they will often hear from both sides.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Sometimes they will ask questions.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Then the judge will often ask the defendant to speak, Michael.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01So we would plan on having him talk to the judge.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04At the conclusion of this hearing, we will know -
0:35:04 > 0:35:07the judge will actually announce what Michael's sentence is,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09and he will give the reasoning as to why
0:35:09 > 0:35:12he decided to impose a particular sentencing.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15So, we are hoping for the best, but, of course,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17we don't know what's going to happen.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20He can ultimately impose the sentence
0:35:20 > 0:35:22that he believes is fair and just.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Unless the Republican judge is sympathetic
0:35:30 > 0:35:33to Michael's mental health disorders,
0:35:33 > 0:35:34he faces a lengthy jail term.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Michael Sandford is only now dressed in an orange jumpsuit.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41He is tethered at the ankles.
0:35:41 > 0:35:42The last big building.
0:35:42 > 0:35:43His family say that he is someone
0:35:43 > 0:35:46who has had a lifetime of mental health issues,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50and therefore they are asking the court to show some leniency.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51That is now in the hands of the judge.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54We are expecting that verdict sometime in the next hour.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01What's done is done. We can't change what happened.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06But our worries are that we won't get him back.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09- Which way we are we going? - I think it is just around here.
0:36:09 > 0:36:10Have you been able to talk with him?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20He needs to get psychiatric care.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22He needs to be back in the UK.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25I don't, for one minute, think Michael would be in the position
0:36:25 > 0:36:29he is in now if he had got the intervention he needed soon enough.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Where is all the hate coming from?
0:36:32 > 0:36:36I asked for help so many times, but I didn't get it.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48No, I understand that. Do you think what you are doing is right?
0:36:49 > 0:36:53It's not. If you want to kill somebody, it makes you wrong.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00That makes you wrong. This is America, land of the free, right?
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Everybody should be entitled to do what they want to say and do, right?
0:37:05 > 0:37:06No, everyone is entitled.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09This is America. That's the rule.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Everyone is entitled to say what they want to say.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Freedom of speech.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17OK, you know what? Then you need to change the Constitution.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22I am not here to debate. I am telling you that violence is wrong.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30There is life for him the other side of this, whenever that may be.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I know that, although he attempted to do a bad thing,
0:37:33 > 0:37:34he is not a bad person.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37I know we have to get him back.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Tell us about this sentencing, what did you think?
0:37:55 > 0:37:58The judge recognised that the unique circumstances
0:37:58 > 0:38:02justified a sentence below the usual sentencing guidelines.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05The important thing is that he wants to go home.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09He wants to go home as soon as he can and, you know,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11the light is at the end of the tunnel here,
0:38:11 > 0:38:13so he is happy about that.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24The prosecution argued that Michael, by his own admission,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28had planned to carry out the attack for over a year...
0:38:33 > 0:38:37..but the judge was sympathetic to his mental health
0:38:37 > 0:38:40and handed down a shorter-than-expected sentence
0:38:40 > 0:38:42of 12 months and a day.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44Was it good to see Michael?
0:38:46 > 0:38:51He was so frightened in court. You know, he was shaking really badly.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54He was choked when he spoke to the judge.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55He was breaking down,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and I just feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02All the uncertainty and worry of the last few months...
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Now to know that it is such a relatively short time still to go
0:39:06 > 0:39:08before we get him back is just, you know...
0:39:08 > 0:39:11I'm just bubbling with joy inside.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- MAN OFF-CAMERA:- I don't think I've ever seen you smile.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17I haven't had a lot to smile about for quite a long time.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22He apologised to the judge for what he had done,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25he apologised to the judge for wasting people's time,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27and the judge turned round and said,
0:39:27 > 0:39:29"You've got nothing to be sorry for."
0:39:35 > 0:39:37- VOICE BREAKING:- Erm...
0:39:39 > 0:39:42He said, "You've got a condition.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49"If it had been a heart condition, he would take medication for it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52"Nobody would think anything about it."
0:39:52 > 0:39:53Wave.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59"It's nothing to be ashamed of."
0:40:12 > 0:40:16The judge realised what everybody else has always said about him.