Armed officers stormed Leeds man's flat during knife stand-off and Tasered him four times
Police had to Taser a man four times after storming his flat during an armed stand-off in which he threatened to decapitate officers.
Armed-response teams had to be called to Bodmin Crescent in Middleton as Paul Magee waved knives around from an upstairs room.
Magee had been suffering from drug-induced psychosis, Leeds Crown Court heard today.
Wearing riot gear and using a shield, the three-man team eventually forced their way inside, deploying the 50,000-volt Taser repeatedly as the 56-year wildy swung at them with the knives.
He was initially charged with three counts of attempted murder of the officers, but this was reduced to one count of Section 20 GBH without intent, two counts of threats with an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis, which he admitted.
The judge, the Recorder of Leeds Guy Kearl KC, handed him a suspended sentence, acknowledging it was a “psychotic” episode or a relapse of previously-diagnosed bipolar affective disorder.
Prosecuting the case, Jayne Beckett said Magee had made several 999 calls on the evening of September 9, 2024, saying he wanted a police escort because he feared he was going to be attacked.
Tracing his call to Bodmin Crescent, officers went to his first-floor flat but he refused them entry.
Magee then came to an upstairs window with a knife in each hand, crossing them over his head, shouting that if they tried to enter, it would be “at their peril”.
At 11.21pm, firearm officers arrived at the scene but he remained in the flat.
Officers formed a plan to enter the building utilising three officers, with one carrying a riot shield and another armed with the Taser.
They were able to saw through the entry door to gain access to the bottom of the stairs.
Magee then appeared at the top of the first flight of stairs, hidden behind the bend to the next flight.
He showed them both of his hands to prove he did not have any knives in his hand, but said he would cut decapitate them if they came any closer.
He appeared and tried to kick the shield but the Taser was deployed and he fell with the officers pressing the shield against him.
He was able to grab the knives from the floor and swing at the officers. He was Tasered twice more, but continued to struggle and was Tasered a fourth time before being handcuffed.
Luckily, only one of the officers was injured with a slash wound to his side, the court heard.
Cannabis was found in Magee’s flat.
Ms Beckett said Magee was “rambling” during his police interview, but maintained he was protecting himself because officers were breaking into his flat.
Initially charged with attempted murders, questions were raised over his fitness to plea.
Psychiatrists concluded he was clearly suffering from a form of mania and psychosis, possibly induced by his use of cannabis.
However, it was said Magee, who has been held in a secure hospital since his arrest, had responded well to treatment and that a hospital order was not required which would see him detained.
Recorder Kearl gave him a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years, with a 12-month hospital treatment requirement and 30 days of rehabilitation with probation.