Shot crossbow intruder had been spared a prison term for stalking

‘He smoked weed quite heavily, through a bong. It would go straight to the brain’

‘A man has died after being shot by police, our role is to investigate what happened’

A MAN, who was shot dead by police after breaking into a woman’s home with an arsenal of weapons, was a reclusive cannabis smoker who had been spared jail for stalking her last year, The Telegraph can disclose.

Bryce Hodgson, 30, originally from Middlesbrough, was killed by armed officers in Southwark, in south London, on Tuesday morning when he tried to force his way into a property while armed with crossbows, a knife, a hatchet, a sword and body armour.

It has since emerged Hodgson had been convicted of stalking the woman, 31, in Southwark last June and was subject to a five-year restraining order.

He had been banned from entering Bywater Place, the quiet cul-de-sac where he was shot twice by officers.

Croydon magistrates’ court heard he entered the woman’s bedroom without consent, sent text messages demanding she open her door to him and described his “vivid sexual fantasies” to her.

He pleaded guilty but was spared jail with a 16-week suspended prison sentence and ordered to undergo 12 months of supervision and carry out 120 hours of community service.

Hodgson was a heavy cannabis user who smoked 7g of marijuana a week, and spent most of his free time in front of his computer, according to an ex-flatmate.

Mia Trutwein, a building manager from Birmingham, lived with Hodgson for two years in a three-person flat in south London until a month before the first Covid lockdown.

She said: “He was a lovely guy, he was as timid as anything, a bit of a boffin. He did not have any sort of animosity, he used to go to work and come home. It took me a while to get to know him.

“He smoked weed quite heavily, through a bong. It would go straight to the brain, he would be buying a quarter of an ounce every week.”

Ms Trutwein said Hodgson was a “highly eloquent and intelligent” loner who spent much of his free time playing shooting games on his computer which had three monitors attached.

The only time he would leave his bedroom would be to use the bathroom or for food, she added, saying: “We used to try and pry him out.”

Hodgson is believed to have been a student at Aberystwyth University who moved around between Manchester and Leeds before settling down in south London around 2018.

A spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, which investigates all firearms incidents, confirmed crossbows, a sword, a knife and body armour had been recovered from the scene on Tuesday morning.

Mel Palmer, the IOPC regional director, said: “Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this tragic incident. The man’s next of kin have been informed. We will keep them regularly updated throughout our investigation. Given that a man has died after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident.

“We appreciate that the community will want answers quickly, and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts.”