A young man who walked into a Chester bank armed with an axe and a knife has been sentenced to a hospital order with a restriction because of the ongoing risk to the public.
Ryan Seddon, 23, walked into Barclays bank, St Werburgh Street, by Chester Cathedral, on Tuesday, October 28 last year in the hope police would shoot him dead.
Judge Raj Shetty told Chester Crown Court that Seddon’s intended scenario was referred to in the US as ‘suicide by cop’.
Seddon, from Paradise Street, Rhyl, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of being in possession of a bladed article.
His lawyer Peter Barnett did not resist a hospital order because of his client’s personality disorder but argued against a restriction order saying Seddon’s behaviour indicated he only ever intended to harm himself not others.
A restriction order would make it difficult for friends and relatives to visit him in hospital and a transfer to another medical centre could only be by approval of the Secretary of State.
But Judge Shetty accepted the recommendations of a report by consultant psychiatrist Dr Rajvinder Sambhi who said the defendant had the potential to harm others through the consequences of his actions even if this was not his intention.
Only ‘a robust’ regime, with intensive nursing observations, was sufficient to protect Seddon’s interests. The defendant had only recently requested a belt at night which Dr Sambhi believed was an indication of suicidal tendencies.
Judge Shetty said Seddon’s record showed he did have the ability to harm others as well as himself. But it was the fear the public could be put at risk, even if unintended, which was uppermost in his mind.
The judge, who praised the humanity and calmness of bank staff in dealing with the Chester incident, said: “Incidents such as the one in question could have led to much greater harm to members of the public, certainly if those interacting with you had reacted differently.”
'Exceptional course'
The judge accepted the hospital order with a restriction was an ‘exceptional course’ and he hoped ultimately Seddon could be released back into the community following treatment.
Seddon was armed when he entered Barclays bank, St Werburgh Street, in October last year.
Prosecutor Caroline Harris said staff recalled Seddon was crying when he asked for pen and paper before writing that he ‘didn’t want to harm anyone or request any money’ but wanted police to ‘come to the bank and kill him’.
He was ‘disappointed’ when normal police turned up equipped only with tasers as he wanted the armed response unit.
Miss Harris told the court Seddon’s previous convictions included possession of an air gun with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of a knife or bladed article in a public place, namely a meat cleaver and a machete.
An offence of arson led to a lengthy hospital order from which the defendant had been released in the January before the incident in Chester.
Peter Barnett, defending, argued his client had been failed by the system. After being released into the community he had lived with his sister but was ‘left to his own devices’.
He had gained a part time job as a security official and developed interests.
He said: “Towards October he sought assistance from hospital and was effectively turned away because he self-reported and was deemed not suitable for a section. He found himself acting rashly and impulsively.”
Seddon, dressed in black, simply nodded when the sentence was announced.
