Man jailed for breaking into South Yorkshire police station armed with a knife

Craig Hodson, of Wells Road, Wheatley, pleaded guilty to burglary and possession of a bladed article and was sentenced to a total of 25 weeks in jail on Thursday, July 28 at Doncaster Magistrates' Court.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154.

The court heard how, in the early hours of Sunday, June 26, officers inside the British Transport Police station in Doncaster were alerted by a banging sound in the building.

A search revealed extensive damage to exterior and interior doors and Hodson was found hiding in the chief inspector's office.

An attempt had been made to cut the security cable from a police laptop among other damage.

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CCTV footage showed Hodson waving a seven-inch knife around as he approached the station.

The knife was found hidden behind a wardrobe in the office.

When interviewed by police, Hodson claimed he had a bounty on his head and broke into the police station to hide and seek help.

Investigating officer PC Peter Hogg said: "Hodson claimed he was carrying the knife for protection and broke into the police station to find a place of safety.

"Why he chose not to contact the police in a more orthodox manner remains a mystery, although the fact that office equipment had been tampered with and damaged renders this excuse somewhat unbelievable.

"I would not recommend forcibly entering the station unless you're prepared to pay the consequences with a jail term."