Man smashes up police station in Red Bull frenzy
‘WILD-EYED’ ATTACKER ARMED WITH HAMMER CAUSES £1,300 DAMAGE
A MAN who drank a “very large quantity” of the energy drink Red Bull launched a frenzied hammer attack on a Derby police station.
“Wild-eyed and snarling” Liam Chambers smashed windows and damaged police cars at the Pear Tree station after consuming a combination of Red Bull and medication to help him stop smoking.
He caused £1,300 of damage.
A HAMMER-wielding Derby man tried to smash up a city police station after he had drunk too much Red Bull.
A court heard how officers working inside Pear Tree station thought the bangs they heard “might have been some kind of explosion”.
But when they looked out of the windows they saw Liam Chambers clutching a hammer and attacking two marked patrol cars.
The officers rushed outside to confront the 28-year-old as he screamed “come on then” at them while “snarling” and with what the prosecutor said were “wild eyes”.
Following a struggle, which was witnessed by a gathering crowd of onlookers, the officers were able to restrain Chambers, who caused more than £1,300 of damage to Pear Tree station by smashing six windows and two car windscreens in the rampage.
Andy Cash, mitigating, said: “This incident was not down to him consuming too much alcohol but a combination of the medicine he was on to help him stop smoking and the very large quantity of Red Bull caffeine drink which took him to a heightened state of almost paranoia.” Emma Heath-Tilford, prosecuting at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court said the offence took place shortly after 7pm on July 3.
She said officers inside the station, in Pear Tree Road, first heard two loud bangs outside the station.
Miss Heath-Tilford said: “They looked outside and heard a further two loud bangs. They were concerned it might be some kind of explosion so went outside and saw two police cars had their back windows smashed.
“They deduced someone was attacking the vehicles and came face to face with this defendant, who was brandishing a hammer above his head.
“He was asked what he was doing and replied ‘come on then’ and started walking towards them.
“They described him as snarling with wild eyes that seemed to be looking straight through them.”
Miss Heath-Tilford said officers scuffled with Chambers, of Lower Dale Road, Normanton, and he continued to struggle when they tried to put handcuffs on him.
He was then arrested and answered “no comment” to the questions he was asked in interview.
But he later pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon.
Mr Cash said his client had previously been diagnosed with mental health issues but a report prepared for the court hearing concluded he was not suffering from any diagnosed condition at the time he attacked the police station.
The court was told he has a previous conviction for possessing an offensive weapon from when he was a juvenile and one from assault occasioning grievous bodily harm from 2012.
Magistrates jailed Chambers for 26 weeks, suspended for two years.
They also ordered him to undertake 15 rehabilitation days with the probation service and pay £1,361.14 compensation to Derbyshire police.
Philip Hickson, chair of the bench, said: “The officers heard bangs and thought it might have been an explosion. They rushed out to see you brandishing a hammer smashing windows.
“The custodial threshold has clearly been passed and this is your second weapons conviction.
“You must understand you are skating on thin ice and that any repetition of this type of behaviour will see you jailed for 26 weeks at least. This is last chance saloon for you.”