Beeston man confronted police officers with machete after drunken rampage around parents' house

A sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard that Jamie Chadwick, 29, of Grovehall Drive, Beeston, had arrived home at the house he shared with his parents on the evening of November 21, 2021, after an afternoon of heavy drinking while watching a Leeds United match.

After arguing with his mum, he then went to his bedroom where he began playing loud music. His dad asked him what was wrong and he said he had "a lot going on" in his life, following the recent ending of a relationship and becoming unemployed.

He then became agitated and threw a coffee table across the room before being restrained by his dad. After being let go, Chadwick then accused his mum of breaking his phone, before entering her bedroom and destroying her phone and smashing up a television.

After his mum called the police, officers arrived to find Chadwick hiding behind his front door holding a machete.

The court heard Chadwick then raised the weapon above his head, shouting "you are not coming in here", before aproaching the officers.

After telling Chadwick to drop the weapon, and fearing he would be seriously injured, one of the police officers then tasered Chadwick, causing him to drop the weapon and fall to the floor.

Mitigating for Chadwick, Imran Khan said: "He lost his job and his girlfriend and also had a recent bereavement.

"He has a job working for a recycling firm for five weeks now, and is now stable in getting on with his life."

He added Chadwick was also receiving help from Andy's Man Club - a voluntary organisation which helps adult males talk through their mental health struggles.

Chadwick had already pleaded guilty to one count of criminal damage and one count of affray.

Sentencing, Recorder Ian Mullarkey said: "You accept responsibility for what you did. You used alcohol as a coping mechanism for your problems, and you had an unexpected bereavement.

"It appears you now have a stable relationship, and you are seeking support for your mental health.

"I accept you are remorseful for what you did, and you had problems at the time.

"Any assault on a police officer of this kind is a serious matter - it's only the support you have been receiving that causes me to think you can be rehabilitated."

He sentenced Chadwick to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, as well as 90 days alcohol abstinence monitoring and 150 hours unpaid work.