WOODFORD GREEN: Judge apologises to crazed knifeman

5:47pm Friday 22nd August 2008

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A JUDGE has said sorry to a man who stabbed three police officers during a drink and drug-fuelled rampage.

As violent Jonathan Eade, 20, stood in the dock at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Wendy Joseph QC took the surprising step of apologising for the length of time it would take to prepare pre-sentence psychiatric reports.

This was after the court heard how a crazed Eade stabbed a young policeman in the neck, narrowly missing his jugular vein, and then attacked two others after being thrown out of a pub.

One of the policeman was saved by his protective body armour when he was knifed in the chest as he came to his colleague’s aid, and another suffered deep gashes to his hands after trying to intervene.

Eade, who was drunk and high on cocaine at the time, launched the savage attack after being thrown out of The Old Maypole Pub, Hainault, in February, after threatening bar staff.

The rampage was only brought to an end when he was pinned to the floor by six officers who chased him down Fencepiece Road.

Ms Joseph said: “I know how frustrating this (delay) is. I’m not going to pretend that you won’t receive a long prison sentence but it could be a determinate or non-determinate sentence and so there’s a difficulty here and we must get this right.

“I would be extremely annoyed if the reports were not ready in time for the next date in court.”

Eade pleaded guilty to wounding with intent on a police constable, attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm on another, and occasioning actual bodily harm on a third.

Ms Joseph added: “On the face of it (Eade) would appear to be very dangerous, but the other side of the coin is that all his violence tends to be directed towards particular sorts of people, and that may be easier to control than widespread violence that explodes everywhere.

“Because of the other problems that you have had there is a chance that the court will pass an indeterminate sentence and so it is vital that the court has all the information that it could have.

“I apologise not only to the defendant, but also his family and also the victims and their families as its a massive strain on them all.”

Eade, of High Road, Buckhurst Hill, will return for sentencing on October 3.