A father who barricaded himself inside a flat during a four-hour stand-off with police has been jailed. Kiernan McAleny, 45, armed himself with a knife and lunged at an officer during the incident in Halewood, Liverpool.
The Incident
Liverpool Crown Court heard that on November 3 last year, McAleny called 999 at around 10.30am, claiming his girlfriend had slashed him. Police attended an address on Camborne Avenue in Halewood, where they found his partner in a distressed state. Prosecuting, Martyn Walsh said she reported that McAleny had been behaving erratically, had harmed himself with a knife, and barricaded himself inside the property.
Officers spoke to McAleny through a gap in the front door. He threatened to cut off his own fingers and throw them out, and also threatened to cut off the dog's head. He stated he would set himself on fire and held a large bread knife to his throat. At one stage, he lunged towards a female officer with the knife when she attempted to film around the door with a mobile phone to assess his injuries.
Armed officers tried unsuccessfully to gain entry, but police negotiators eventually persuaded McAleny to remove the barricade after around four hours. While being taken to a transport van, he racially abused one police constable and later spat at another officer at Belle Vale Police Station.
Court Proceedings
In interview, McAleny said he did not want to cause harm to the officer he lunged at and apologised for any offensive words, but denied spitting at police in custody. He has six previous convictions for 11 offences, including a suspended sentence for possession of a bladed article in November 2024.
Defending, Rebecca Smith told the court: 'Nobody, including the defendant, can suggest anything other than that this was disturbing, upsetting and, to some extent, terrifying. The defendant acknowledges that his behaviour towards those officers was unacceptable. He seeks to apologise to those officers because of his behaviour.'
She added: 'Your honour reads the complex history of Mr McAleny. I have represented him throughout his offending history. His mental presentation and his mental health reaches such a low when his offending occurs that everybody around him, including the police, are concerned about the safety of himself, as well as others.'
Smith said McAleny has a more positive outlook on life due to talking therapies and stable medication, and is making plans for his release, including spending time with his son and finding stable accommodation. She noted he has served the equivalent of a 14-month sentence and knows he must deal with his demons without reoffending.
Sentence
McAleny admitted two counts of assaulting an emergency services worker, racially aggravated harassment, and breaching a suspended sentence order. Appearing via video link from HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for a total of 18 months. Sentencing, Recorder Mark Cooper said: 'In my judgement, appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody. The risks identified in the pre-sentence report are too serious to warrant a community based sentence. I wish you every success in the future.'
