Halifax father armed with two knives tasered by police after Christmas Eve stand-off

A judge heard today (Mon) how paranoid David Kenyon armed himself with two knives and barricaded himself into the kitchen of the property after downing whisky and making threats toward his ex-partner.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the couple had separated last summer, but the 39-year-old had been invited round on Christmas Eve to have some food.

Prosecutor Giles Bridge said Kenyon became more irate as he drank and ignored attempts to calm him down.

Kenyon, of Melrose Street, Halifax, made threats to kill his ex-partner before picking up two knives and saying he was ready for a fight.

"He barricaded himself in the kitchen," said Mr Bridge.

"The police were called and there was a stand-off for two hours."

Kenyon told police negotiators that they were "going to need bullets to take him down" and threatened to stick a knife through an officer's neck.

"Eventually the police forced entry and had to use a Taser to subdue him," said Mr Bridge.

Drug-user Kenyon, who had 40 previous convictions for 102 offences, pleaded guilty at his first appearance before the courts to charges of affray, criminal damage and common assault.

Barrister Rebecca Young said his pleas were an indication of his genuine regret and remorse for his actions that night.

She said Kenyon's pre-existing mental health problems had been exacerbated by his misuse of drugs.

"He does have real insight into his offending and also the effect that his behaviour has on those around him not least his long-suffering partner," she added.

"He is also aware of how frightening and disturbing his actions would have appeared to the police officers attending on the night in question."

Miss Young said her client realised his mental health was deteriorating prior to the incident, but he didn't have the strength to stop taking drugs.

"He was concerned he was feeling out of control and on two occasions he took himself to the hospital asking that he be voluntarily sectioned, but unfortunately the resources are such that that didn't happen."

Miss Young said he was sent away with medication to calm him down adding:"Essentially he wasn't bad enough to receive the intervention that he clearly needed."

Judge Neil Davey QC told a tearful Kenyon that he had been in such a state of drunken paranoia the police had no choice but to Taser him in order to bring the incident to an end.

The judge recognised that Kenyon had been making efforts to address the root causes of his offending while in custody, but he said only an immediate prison sentence could be imposed for the offending.

Kenyon would have been jailed for 21 months following a trial, but his early guilty pleas meant he was entitled to a third off the prison sentence.

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