Shoppers left 'frightened and concerned' following armed man's 'alarming' behaviour in Rotherham town centre

David Pickford’s offending unfolded at around 11am on August 22 last year, when he began ‘alarming people’ while walking around Bridge Street and other parts of Rotherham town centre armed with a knife, said Recorder David Brooke QC.

During a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on April 7, Recorder Brooke told Pickford: “It was a series of behaviour that was very frightening and concerning for people.”

Prosecuting barrister Lucy Brown said Pickford, aged 46, was ‘seen by a number of members of the public wandering around with a knife,’ which prompted four calls to the police ‘expressing concern for his behaviour’.

Upon approaching a man in the street, ‘the defendant said give me £2.50 or I’ll f****** kill you’, Ms Brown told the court.

A short time later, Pickford caught the attention of members of public and workers while he was sat on a bench near to Cash Converters on Effingham Square, Rotherham.

Ms Brown said a Cash Converters staff member and two people sat in parked cars near to the store observed Pickford ‘stabbing’ the bench with a knife, which looked to be a ‘steak knife or something similar’.

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The door at Cash Converters was locked as a result of Pickford’s behaviour, preventing him from gaining access when he subsequently attempted to enter the premises.

Police officers called to the scene arrested Pickford, of Princes Street, Rotherham, a short time later, and noted that he seemed to be mentally unwell.

In a statement to the court, one of the people affected by Pickford’s offending said he ‘no longer feels safe’ coming into Rotherham town centre, something he said has ‘shocked him to his core’.

Following his arrest, Pickford initially was ‘not in a position’ to enter any pleas due to his mental state, Ms Brown said, but he subsequently pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and affray during a hearing held in February 2022.

Dr Gwilym Hayes, of Wathwood Hospital, told the court that Pickford had been given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, and was experiencing a period of psychosis at the time of his offending.

Passing sentence, Recorder Brooke said ‘drugs may be the underlying reason’ for Pickford’s ‘relapse into psychosis’.

He sentenced Pickford to a Section 37 hospital order, under the Mental Health Act 1983, with a Section 41 extension, which means he could be recalled to hospital for taking illicit drugs or for failing to take prescribed medication.

A Section 37/41 hospital order lasts until a defendant is discharged, either by a mental health tribunal or their responsible clinician, according to guidance from mental health charity, Mind.