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25
Nov 2022
Three-month jail term for 'confused' man found with bayonet in Kirk Hammerton
A man was caught wandering the streets of the Harrogate district with a bayonet after he went looking for spies he thought were bugging his home.
Christopher Graham, 58, from Harrogate, was found with the large, sheathed military-style blade in Kirk Hammerton after his daughter called police saying she was concerned for her father’s welfare, York Crown Court heard.
She told police her father’s mental state had “deteriorated in recent days, to the extent that he thought his [home] was being bugged”, said prosecutor Brooke Morrison.
Graham left his house “saying he was going to kill [the people he thought were wiretapping his home]”, she added.
Police went looking for him and eventually received reports of a man matching Graham’s description looking “disorientated and confused” at a local petrol station.
Officers found him on York Road, Kirk Hammerton, where he appeared “quite confused, had no shoes or socks on and was attempting to hitchhike”. Ms Morrison said:
He was taken in for questioning and told officers he had become “more and more anxious in recent days”. The prosecuting barrister added:
Graham, of Butler Road, Harrogate, was arrested and charged with carrying a bladed article in public. He admitted the offence, which occurred on September 25, and appeared for sentence today.
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Ms Morrison said there was no evidence that Graham had taken the bayonet out of the bag while he was wandering the streets.
He hadn’t been taking his medication at the time and had been detained in hospital in the past for mental health issues. He was said to suffer from a chronic relapsing psychotic disorder.
The court heard he had 19 previous convictions for 42 offences, including burglaries and drug-related matters, most of which occurred in the 1980s.
His most recent conviction was in 2009 for an offence of false imprisonment for which he received an 18-month jail sentence.
Ms Morrison said Graham had a drug habit at the time of that offence.
'No intention of harm'
Defence barrister Victoria Smithswain said Graham had been remanded in custody since his arrest and had therefore already served the equivalent of a four-month prison sentence.
Recorder Tahir Khan KC told Graham:
He said it was evident the bayonet blade was never brandished, adding:
Graham was given a three-month jail sentence which triggered his immediate release from custody due to the amount of time he had already spent on remand.
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