A man who stormed the A&E department of a hospital and made threats with an axe that could have "split someone's head open" has been jailed for 14 months. John Proctor, 44, was homeless and using drugs when he was found at Hull Royal Infirmary with a "fearsome" and "highly dangerous" wood splitter axe that could have been used to "split someone's head open". He was also armed with a kitchen knife when he started threatening two women and a man.
Proctor admitted two offences of possessing a blade in public on January 8, Hull Crown Court heard. Billy Torbett, prosecuting, said that a woman who worked at Hull Royal Infirmary was on her break at about 1.45am and was smoking outside the hospital's front entrance when Proctor approached the main entrance of Accident and Emergency and began threatening to kick someone's head in. "She saw and alerted police officers, who were on their way inside," said Mr Torbett. Two constables asked Proctor to step outside because of reports about him having a weapon. "The defendant was found with a large metal object concealed within his jacket," said Mr Torbett. "He moved his hand towards his jacket so the object was removed.
"The item found was a large wood splitter – referred to as an axe." He was arrested and it became apparent that he was in possession of a knife and the wood splitter at the time that he made threats to two women. The person who made the initial complaint said that Proctor had thrown the knife behind a bin outside the hospital. The wood splitter measured roughly 20cm in length and width, and was rusty and heavy, weighing 5 to 7kg. The black-handled knife was about four inches long and was lodged through the inside of a metal bar.
Proctor later told police: "It's an axe. It's to do my wood. I don't need no weapons but I'll stab any c*** up, mate." Explaining the reasons he was armed, the defendant claimed it was a potato knife, and that he used the axe for chopping wood as he lived in a tent. He added that he was at the hospital for a check-up because he had been assaulted a couple of days earlier. Proctor had convictions for 20 previous offences, including possessing an offensive weapon, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and wounding with intent in October 2013. Holly Thompson, mitigating, said he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had not been in custody for about three years. He had been on a community order at the time of the offences.
A few days before the incident, his tent was burned down and he suffered burns because he was inside it at the time. He was later assaulted by some males. Proctor had the weapons with him at the time for his own protection but, without any logical thinking, he threw the knife away. He was homeless at the time and he had suffered problems since 2022. He had been in custody since January 9 but at least he had a roof over his head, said Miss Thompson.
Judge Mark Bury said that police found the wood splitter in Proctor's jacket and there was also a home-made sheath and some form of strap over his shoulder where he would have kept the knife. He disposed of the knife behind a bin. Proctor was "acting aggressively outside a hospital" and he then went inside with a "fearsome" and "highly dangerous" splitting axe. "You could split someone's head open with it," said Judge Bury.
