THE son of a Hampshire man has been named as the protester who allegedly tried to shoot Donald Trump.

Michael Sandford, 20, is accused of attempting to grab a police officer's gun in a bid to kill the US presidential candidate.

His father from Havant  has described him as a "quiet and insular boy" who has "never been interested in politics".

Sandford, from Dorking in Surrey, was arrested at a rally in a Las Vegas casino on Saturday after going for the weapon as he asked for the presidential hopeful's autograph.

The 20-year-old, who was in America without permission, later told police he wanted to kill the presumptive Republican nominee, according to the Secret Service.

Sandford, who is said to have autism, told investigators he expected to die in the attempt, which he had been planning for a year.

Speaking from his home in Havant, father Paul Davey told MailOnline: ''He's never shown any violent tendencies before, he's never been a bad person, he's a nice kid and literally wouldn't hurt a fly - he used to tell us not to use fly spray because he didn't want any flies to die."

On Monday, Sandford was denied bail at a district court in Nevada, where he appeared charged with an act of violence on restricted grounds.

Federal Magistrate Judge George Foley declined to release Sandford, who appeared before him in shackles, over concerns that he was a potential danger to the community and a flight risk.

He will appear in court again on July 5.