Man armed with knives told Wakefield medical centre staff that he was going to kill someone - Leeds Crown Court

A man armed with Stanley knives walked into a Wakefield doctors surgery and began shouting about how he was going to kill someone.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Staff and patients at Trinity Medical Centre in Thornhill Street were left terrified after Stephen Charles Silvester entered the building at around 4pm on February 24 this year.

Read More
Drug addict threatened partner with 12 inch knife after four-day drinking binge ...

Prosecutor Jemima Stephenson told Leeds Crown Court that he was bleeding from his cheek and was shouting about how he was going to hurt someone as he pulled out the two knives.

Staff and patients at Trinity Medical Centre in Wakefield were left terrified after Stephen Charles Silvester when entered the building armed with Stanley knives. Picture: GoogleStaff and patients at Trinity Medical Centre in Wakefield were left terrified after Stephen Charles Silvester when entered the building armed with Stanley knives. Picture: Google
Staff and patients at Trinity Medical Centre in Wakefield were left terrified after Stephen Charles Silvester when entered the building armed with Stanley knives. Picture: Google
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He then threw them on the receptionist's desk from where they were quickly confiscated.

The 36-year-old was heard to say: "I'm going to stab someone. I just want these voices to stop."

He then left the building and began drinking from a bottle of gin and playing music on his phone, giving staff the chance to lock the doors.

Silvester was picked up by officers in Kirkgate a short time later, where they found a five inch Stanley knife on him and two more in his left and right trainers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He told them that he had the knives because he was hearing voices telling him to kill someone or to stab them in the head.

Five days earlier, he had been arrested after trying to attack an officer at Wakefield Bus Station.

The police had been called at around 7pm after Silvester was found unconscious under a bench in the station. He was drunk and turned abusive when officers helped him to his feet.

He removed a razor from his pocket but managed to cut himself with it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He then tried to lunge at one of the officers but was pushed away.

The court was told that he had been admitted to hospital earlier in the day for self harming, but left before he received treatment.

Appearing in court via video link from HMP Leeds, he admitted a charge of assault on the officer, using threatening behaviour at the medical centre and possessing a bladed article.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Silvester, of no fixed address, has 40 previous convictions for 67 offences, including violence, shoplifting, public order and harassment.

He also has a previous conviction from 2017 for possessing a bladed article in public.

Mitigating, Robin Frieze said: "It was very sad behaviour from somebody who is very troubled."

A probation report found he had a high risk of offending, harming the public and himself.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jailing him for 12 months, Judge Christopher Batty said: "Your own personal difficulties serve to reduce the culpability in this case but it was troubling behaviour over two separate incidents involving knives."

This article was first published by the Wakefield Express.