A Failed Asylum Seeker Walked Into a UK School With a Hammer and Petrol, Was Arrested by Police When He Was Asked in Court Why He Did It, His Answer Surprised Everyone

A failed asylum seeker who went to a secondary school carrying a hammer, a hatchet and a kitchen knife has been jailed for two years after telling a court he only wanted to attract attention because he was frustrated with his immigration situation.

Both Douk Deng, a 21-year-old from South Sudan, admitted taking the weapons onto the grounds of Edgar Wood Academy in Heywood, Greater Manchester, on August 6 last year. He told the court he never intended to hurt anyone and claimed he wanted to “create a scene” so the authorities would pay attention to his attempts to stay and work in the UK.

Deng had applied for asylum three times, but each application had been refused. The court heard he had become increasingly upset because he believed immigration officials were not helping him. He felt ignored and thought creating a dramatic incident was the only way to make people listen to him.

The school was closed for the summer holidays when the incident happened, meaning there were no pupils on site. Before reaching the school, a member of the public had called the police after seeing Deng acting strangely while carrying a petrol can and wearing a hammer tied to his belt.

As he walked around the school, witnesses said he appeared to be mumbling to himself while making a full circuit of the building. Builders working on the site became worried by his behaviour and quickly contacted the police.

Officers arrived and stopped Deng as he was walking away from the school. During a search, they found a hammer, a hatchet, a seven-inch kitchen knife and a jerry can containing about half a litre of petrol.

The court also heard that the day before, Deng had been seen behaving strangely outside another school, Holy Family RC and CE College in Rochdale, which was also closed for the holidays. During that incident, he kicked and damaged the school’s intercom system before leaving.

His lawyer told the court that Deng’s actions were not driven by a desire to hurt anyone. She said he had been struggling emotionally after leaving South Sudan and being separated from his family. According to the defence, he was in crisis, wanted someone to notice his situation and was not motivated by hatred towards children, teachers or the public.

The court heard Deng has a wife and children who remain abroad. After arriving in the UK, he was placed in shared accommodation and found life difficult. He spoke very little English and was not allowed to work because of his immigration status.

His lawyer said Deng became increasingly frustrated after seeing other people in similar situations receive help from immigration authorities while he believed nobody was listening to him. She said his only goal was to find work so he could earn money and support his family.

Psychiatric reports presented to the court found no evidence that Deng was suffering from a serious mental illness.

Deng, from Heywood, admitted several offences, including criminal damage and possessing weapons and a knife in a public place and on school grounds. He was sentenced to two years in prison and will serve up to half of that sentence in custody before being released on licence.

During sentencing, Judge Bernadette Baxter said she had no authority to tell the Home Office what action to take regarding Deng’s immigration case. However, she said that after he had spent almost a year in custody as a failed asylum seeker, she believed the Home Office should be taking steps to deal with his status rather than leaving the matter unresolved.

Police later confirmed that detectives carried out a detailed investigation, including examining Deng’s mobile phone. They said they found no evidence that he had planned to target anyone or that he had any wider motive beyond what was presented in court.

Chief Superintendent Helen Caldbeck praised the officers who responded to the incident, describing their actions as professional and brave. She said they quickly confronted an armed man to protect the public and prevent the situation from becoming more serious. Although no one was injured, she said the incident was extremely disturbing and could have had much more serious consequences.