A man who went to a school armed with a hammer, a hatchet and a kitchen knife has been jailed for two years. Both Douk Deng, 21, a South Sudanese national, was arrested after workmen confronted him on the premises of Edgar Wood Academy in Heywood, Greater Manchester, on August 6 last year.
Details of the incident
A member of the public raised the alarm after Deng was observed “behaving oddly” in the street nearby, holding a petrol can with a hammer tied to his belt. He walked a “full circuit” around the school, which was closed for the summer, scanning the building before builders called police. CCTV footage released by Greater Manchester Police showed Deng kicking a traffic cone and stamping on a road sign. He waved the petrol can at workmen before a police officer detained him. Bodycam footage showed Deng wailing as he was wrestled to the ground. An officer noted he had a hammer and a hatchet. Alongside those weapons, Deng possessed a seven-inch kitchen knife and a jerry can containing half a litre of petrol.
Motive and background
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Deng, an asylum seeker, had become “increasingly frustrated” that immigration authorities were not assisting his bid to stay and work in the UK. He had applied for and been refused asylum on three occasions. The prosecution alleged he wanted to “create a scene for attention” to aid his cause. A day earlier he was seen “acting oddly” at Holy Family RC and CE College in Rochdale, also closed, where he kicked and damaged its intercom.
Sara Haque, defending, said: “He maintains that his actions were not motivated by any desire to injury or harm any person. This was a bizarre and compulsive act lacking in any type of maturity at a time when he was in deep distress having left Sudan and his family in traumatic circumstances.” She added that Deng, who has a wife and children, lived in multiple accommodation housing and felt no one was listening or helping him. Psychiatric reports found no major mental health issues.
Sentence and police response
Deng, of Heywood, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and possessing weapons and a knife in a public place and on school premises. He was jailed for two years, with up to half served in custody and the remainder on licence. Judge Bernadette Baxter told him: “I have no power to order the Home Office to do anything. But in my judgment, given your circumstances as a failed asylum seeker who has been in custody for the best part of a year, the Home Office should be doing something rather than nothing to deal with your status in this country.”
Detectives from Rochdale CID found no evidence of a particular motive or intent. Chief superintendent Helen Caldbeck, district commander for Rochdale, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the officers’ response to this incident. They were professional and brave in tackling a suspicious man armed with weapons and immediately confronted Deng to keep the public safe. Thankfully no one was close to coming to harm but this was nevertheless a disturbing incident.”
