DAD ‘HELD HIS KIDS HOSTAGE’
ADAD armed with a knife held two of his children hostage and threatened to blow up their home. He had to be Tasered when police found him holding the blade up to his daughter’s throat.
Simon Peter Murphy, of Tir Glas in Greenfield near Holywell, appeared before Mold Crown Court on Friday.
The 40-year-old was charged with a wealth of offences over the period of about six months.
The Flintshire man was ultimately sentenced for three of his most serious charges.
These include affray, dangerous driving and escaping from lawful custody.
Hannah Horton, for the prosecution, said that, earlier this year in February, Murphy made two of his children believe he was willing to kill them.
The police were called after the 40-year-old threatened to cut a gas pipe and slit the throats of those inside the property where his daughter and son were present.
The children had initially contacted their grandfather, the court heard. He was told how their dad “had knives” and they thought he was “going to kill them both”.
When the police arrived, Murphy shouted from the window: “F*** off or I’ll cut the gas pipe and blow you the f*** up”.
He was holding a large knife, Ms Horton said, and made specific threats to “slit” the children’s throats.
More officers arrived and had to force their way in through the front door. Murphy was found upstairs and had the knife held over his daughter’s throat but ultimately was stopped by use of a Taser and swiftly arrested.
Earlier in the year, hours after celebrating the New Year in Manchester, Murphy trashed his then partner’s flat after she wanted to end the night out.
Vicky Wheelan resorted to sleeping in her car when Murphy “ruined their night”.
She later had missed calls and found him threatening to “smash up” her property back in North Wales.
Ms Wheelan discovered that Murphy, who earlier in the night took a taxi back to the region, had carried through with his threat.
She found that he had run amok in her flat – smashing appliances, cutting electrical wires and mashing dog food into the flooring among other acts of criminal damage.
Before this, Murphy had got behind the wheel and tracked her down and drove into Miss Wheelan’s vehicle. He caused damage to the boot and also knocked the wing mirror off.
The offending that finds him brought before the courts, however, first began in August 2021.
Last summer, police officers found Murphy sat in his car on Mostyn Road with his dog having been reported for criminal damage and harassment.
He refused to leave the vehicle, Ms Horton said, when being arrested.
When a second policeman managed to open the passenger-side door, Murphy “thrust” his dog at the officer before trying to bolt off.
He was hit with a blast in the face with CS spray but this did little to stop him. He drove off “at speed” hitting the back of an unmarked police car as he did so, causing damage to its bumper.
Simon Kileen, the defence, said Murphy is “a man with significant mental health issues”.
Mr Kileen added that lengthy sentence within the community rather than prison could be an option for the judge that would help long-term, ensuring Murphy is given this “vital” help.
He accepted, however, the matter could be viewed as “far too serious” for that to be a realistic outcome.
Judge Timothy Petts, sentencing, told Murphy that his mental health does not make him “blameless” for his “terrifying” actions.
Overall, a prison term of two years was handed out.
The judge said: “In February, for whatever reason, you decided that the best way to deal with an issue about seeing your children was threatening to cause an explosion and holding them effectively hostage. Fortunately, no physical harm came to them.
“It is clear that you do have significant mental health difficulties but that doesn’t mean you’re blameless. There is limited mitigation in that respect.”
He also remarked that Murphy’s actions at New Year were “disgraceful”. He also said his conduct by putting the arresting police officer in August at risk was “unacceptable” as well.
For his driving offences, Murphy was banned from getting behind a wheel for the next three years. He cannot drive again until he passes an extended retest.