Bodycam footage released by Greater Manchester Police shows the moment an asylum seeker armed with a hammer, hatchet and kitchen knife was tackled to the ground by officers at a school. Both Douk Deng, a 21-year-old South Sudanese national, was apprehended after workmen confronted him on the grounds of Edgar Wood Academy in Heywood, Greater Manchester, on 6 August last year.
Concerns Raised Before Incident
A member of the public had earlier alerted authorities after noticing Deng “behaving oddly” in a nearby street while carrying a petrol can with a hammer attached to his belt. He was seen “mumbling” as he completed a “full circuit” around the closed secondary school, scanning the building before approaching it. Builders working on site became alarmed and contacted police.
CCTV footage shows Deng kicking over a traffic cone as he entered the school’s premises and aggressively stamping on another road sign. He is also seen appearing to wave, holding the green petrol can, at the workmen who approached him.
Police Arrest
A police car arrived near the school, and bodycam footage shows Deng wailing as he is wrestled to the ground by an officer. The officer tells Deng to “stop there,” then orders him to “get on the ground now” as he tries to flee. Another officer is heard saying: “He does have a hammer with him as well. And a hatchet.” Deng is then escorted away in handcuffs to a police van.
In addition to the hammer and hatchet, Deng was found to have a seven-inch kitchen knife and a jerry can containing half a litre of petrol.
Defence and Sentencing
Deng, who has a wife and children, was placed in multiple occupancy housing (HMO) on his arrival in the UK. His defence lawyer, Sara Haque, said: “He found himself in a foreign country with very limited English and unable to work because of his immigration status. He believed and felt no-one was listening to him and no-one was helping him. He felt he had reached the end of his ability to cope within the HMO where others in similar circumstances to him had been assisted by the immigration authorities. He became increasingly frustrated that the same was not happening for him. His only wish is to work and find money to support his family.”
Psychiatric reports on the defendant identified no major mental health issues. Deng, of Heywood, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to criminal damage and possessing weapons and a knife in a public place and on school premises. He was sentenced to two years, ordered to serve up to half 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.”
Police Investigation
Detectives from Rochdale CID worked “thoroughly” to investigate Deng, including examining his mobile phone, but 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.”
