Police seized Kieran Hayler’s air rifle during swoop on house

Police seized an air rifle from Katie Price’s ex-husband Kieran Hayler during a raid on his home.

Hayler was arrested on suspicion of ‘child neglect and possession of a firearm’ after officers from Sussex Police arrived at his semi-detached home around 4pm on Saturday.

It came as Price returned to the UK on Sunday and said she was home to ‘protect her children’.

The famous mother of five shares son Jett, nine, and daughter Bunny, eight, with the former stripper and personal trainer.

Price was seen at London Stansted Airport with some of her children, including the two she shares with Hayler. She was also joined by her on-off beau Carl Woods.

Price told The sun: “I’m here to protect my children,” after the same newspaper revealed that the firearm seized at Hayler’s home was an “air rifle.”

Meanwhile Hayler was photographed earlier on Sunday for the first time since his arrest. He was joined by his fiancé Michelle Penticost, 40, their son Apollo, 20 months, and her son Valentino, 12, from a previous relationship. Hayler, who wore a black top with a banana sketch, adored his youngest child when they came out of their house.

Earlier in the day, Hayler broke his silence following the arrest. He took to Instagram early Sunday morning with an informational poster about parental alienation. It explained that it involves a form of “physical abuse” where one parent eliminates the other from their child’s life through “coaching and persuasion.”

The message read: “In most cases, a previously healthy, loving relationship between the child and its parent and/or family is destroyed, resulting in severe emotional and psychological harm to the child.”

Then the alleged abuser’s “primary strategies” were listed, including limiting contact and making “false accusations” against the targeted parent.

But Hayler later seemed to be in a more jovial mood when he shared a video of his kitchen table covered in Easter goodies.

Elsewhere, Price shared a cryptic message saying, “A person’s true colors will always show in time. You may be fooled at this point, but be patient and see what happens.’

It comes after MailOnline revealed that Hayler is “assisting police with their investigation” after he was “arrested on suspicion of child neglect and possession of a firearm.”

Hayler has not been charged with any crime, police told MailOnline. A source close to him – who did not comment on the nature of the allegations – also confirmed that he is “assisting police in their investigation.”

Local residents claimed that Kieran was arrested around 4pm in a “very dramatic” scene.

“A police van and car suddenly pulled into their home’s driveway,” a neighbor recalled, adding that they later learned the “pretty terrifying” incident involved a gun.

In a statement to The Sun, Sussex Police said: ‘A man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to incite fear of violence. He has been taken in for questioning. We will not comment further.’

Hayler and Price were married for eight years from 2013 to 2021. The couple tied the knot after only six weeks of dating.

They allegedly had a messy divorce that took about three years to finalize.

Representatives for Price and Hayler were approached for comment at the time.