'Dangerous' Leeds prisoner who spat in officer's face tried to torch hospital in cry for help
A Leeds prisoner who spat in the face of an officer has been deemed as “dangerous” after he later tried to set fire to a hospital.
Darren Smith was given an extended jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court for a raft of offences, which culminated in an A&E department having to be evacuated when he locked the toilet door and began lighting toilet paper.
He has a staggering criminal record with more than 220 previous offences to his name. Deemed to be dangerous, he was given an extended jail sentence of more than eight years.
Prosecutor Jordan Millican said that 47-year-old Smith had been moved to the mental health wing at HMP Leeds last year and on June 6, attacked the officer who came to deliver his meal to his cell.
Smith was told the face the back wall as the cell was unlocked, but as the food was put down, he turned around and spat a mouthful of spittle in the officer’s face.
However, Smith went on to commit further offences after his release, starting on October 8 last year when he threw a cup of tea and a sharps bin at a doctor at Bradford Royal Infirmary and smashed a computer monitor.
Smith had been admitted due to self-harm injuries, but was later released. He became agitated when a homeless charity was delayed in reaching him as he waited at the hospital in the early hours.
But he went on to commit arson at the Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax five days later. Again he was admitted with mental health complaints, was assessed and discharged.
At around 3am, the fire alarm was triggered in the men’s toilet near A&E. A nurse tried to get into the toilet which was locked, and eventually used a pair of scissors to open the door. She saw flames and Smith sat on the toilet lighting bits of paper and putting them into the bin.
A&E had to be evacuated and the nurse dragged Smith out of the building. Finally, on November 14 last year, he smashed a window at a police station in Bradford before threatening to spit at a female officer.
Appearing in court via video link from HMP Liverpool, he admitted three counts of assault on emergency workers, two of criminal damage and one of arson. He has 96 convictions for 226 offences, including arson from 2020 when he tried to torch a flat and received a 20-month jail term.
Mitigating for his latest offending, Nicholas Leadbeater said the majority of Smith’s offences are committed because he is homeless.
He said: “His modus operandi has been to go and cause criminal damage at or near a police station so the police can arrest him and put him in the cell for the night and have a roof over his head.”
For the arson, he said it needed to be “put into the context of his mental health at the time”.
Judge Tom Bayliss KC said he understood that Smith was frustrated but said starting a fire would have “at least caused serious damage to the hospital”.
He said that he needed to impose an extended jail sentence in order to help address Smith’s underlying issues, acknowledging he was suffering from psychosis and has an emotional unstable personality disorder.
He gave him a 56-month jail period, and an additional four-year extended licence period.