‘Night of terror’ siege man jailed for 17 years
AMAN who subjected a woman to a ‘night of terror’, holding her hostage for 26 hours while threatening to kill her, has been jailed.
Marc Leigh Schofield, armed with an axe, kitchen knife and what was later found to be an imitation revolver, attacked his victim in a prolonged and horrific ordeal which saw more than 60 police officers surround a house in Shaw, a court heard.
Residents of 50 nearby homes had to be evacuated in the middle of the night as cordons were placed around the property.
During the horrific incident, Schofield, 30, also held a gun to a child’s head. The weapon was later found to be an imitation firearm.
He also threw a pair of scissors at the woman, but they hit a child, also in the house, causing a cut to the head.
Schofield, of no fixed address, refused to leave his cell at Forest Bank prison to attend the sentencing at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday, but was handed 17 years in prison in his absence.
Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, detailed the terrifying events that unfolded on the night on July 24.
At around 11pm an argument broke out, with Schofield becoming ‘aggressive’, it was heard. He grabbed the woman by the hair.
Neighbours overheard the scuffle and called police. He was taken to another area in Greater Manchester by police. But a few hours later – at 3am – he smashed his way back into the woman’s home and grabbed a carving knife from the kitchen.
Ms Boocock said he stabbed the woman’s neck and back. Police were called a second time and when they entered the home he pointed the imitation gun at an officer, who fled from the house.
Ms Boocock said the defendant held a young child in his arms and pointed the gun at their head.
Schofield then barricaded himself and the woman in an upstairs bedroom.
Ms Boocock added: “He said he would kill her and she genuinely believed he would do that.”
Schofield then went downstairs and cracked open the gas pipes with an axe and later tried to the ignite the fumes with a lighter. Luckily, gas operators had turned off the mains to the home, as well as 66 other houses in the area for 24 hours as a precaution.
At 5am on July 26, police smashed their way into the house and he was arrested.
Schofield pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an imitation firearm, false imprisonment, wounding, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.
Marc Sullivan, defending, said Schofield was ‘remorseful’.
He has previous convictions including attempted arson, common assault and possessing an offensive weapon.
Passing sentence, Judge Tina Langdale said: “It was a night of terror.”
Schofield was also given a restraining order against his adult victim and must not enter Shaw on his release from prison.