Police could have been killed in knife incident

Although Judge Patricia Smyth ordered Gareth Hyndman to serve half that sentence in custody and half on licence, with time spent on remand the 45-year-old will be freed in less than two weeks.

Sentencing the Kilrea man at Antrim Crown Court, the judge told an apologetic Hyndman “this could have ended in catastrophe for either of the officers or for yourself.”

“I understand that things have been hard for you and that life has left you with a lot of issues but you have to understand that you cannot use a knife in the way that you did,” said the judge. “You could’ve killed someone.”

Last month Hyndman, from Coleraine Street in the village, admitted having a large kitchen knife with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts each of assaulting two male officers and threatening to kill them both on 2 November last year.

Rehearsing the facts of the case on Friday, Judge Smyth outlined that just after 02.30am, police called at his home over an alleged breach of bail and when told he was going to be arrested Hyndman “ran to the kitchen” where he armed himself with a large knife which he “swung deliberately and aggressively” at police.

Hyndman shouted “I’m not going to f****** jail - I’ll f****** kill you,” leading the officer to shout a warning to his colleagues that Hyndman was armed “while simultaneously drawing his Glock piston and aiming it at the defendant

“Police repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife but each time he refused to cooperate and he made threats that that they either shoot him or he would stab himself,” said Judge Smyth adding that as he “advanced rapidly, lunging at the officer, they withdrew and were able to drag a sofa to form a barrier between them and Hyndman.

He repeatedly stabbed the kitchen door shouting to police “I’m going to stab you’s b*******” before throwing it at them, the blade passing between them and striking the living room curtains.

With the officers retreating and locking Hyndman inside, they waited for an Armed Response Unit to arrive snd Hyndman was arrested after he was incapacitated with a Taser.

Hyndman has amassed a total of 195 criminal convictions including relevant entries for assault, assaulting police and male threats to kill.

She said despite his previous offending, Hyndman had not been assessed as posing a danger to the public and “on balance I’m prepared to accept that but you have to realise how serious this actually was - it could’ve resulted in the death of an officer or your death,” she told Hyndman.

Sporting a black eye which he said was from an assault from a fellow prisoner, Hyndman told the judge “I can only apologise” and claimed he had been “spiked with Crystal meth and acid but I do apologie to the officers.”