Man jailed for pregnant woman and standoff threats

Geoffrey Burn admitted several offences

A man who pulled a knife on a pregnant stranger and later told police he would kill hostages during a standoff has been jailed for almost two years.

Geoffrey Burn, 37, threatened a woman who was surveying a street in Washington for broadband services, forcing her to flee in her van, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Weeks later, he brandished a knife at police and claimed he had four hostages he would kill at his home.

He admitted two counts of affray and one of possession of a knife and was jailed for 22 months.

Prosecutor Michael Bunch said a Virgin Media field technician was surveying Bink Moss at about 11:00 GMT on 7 November when a lump of coal was thrown at her.

He said the woman, who was 23 weeks pregnant, looked in the direction it had been hurled from and saw Burn in a garden.

Burn started shouting at the woman and told her to leave, then disappeared into a kitchen and returned with a knife.

'Extremely frightening'

The woman got into her van and locked the door as Burn approached, while still shouting and swearing at her.

She took a picture of him on her phone, which seemed to enrage him further, with Burn then punching at the driver's side window while attempting to pull the door open, Mr Bunch said.

She was able to drive away as Burn pulled the knife from his waistband, but she stopped to warn pedestrians approaching the street about him.

In a statement read to the court, the woman said it had been "extremely frightening" and she had feared for the safety of herself and her unborn child.

Burn was arrested and told police the woman had "tried to run him over", before becoming aggressive in the interview and calling an officer a "dirty slag", Mr Bunch said.

'Shame and remorse'

Shortly before 06:00 on 9 January, police were called to Burn's home on Stridingedge in Washington amid reports he was brandishing a knife.

Officers saw him through the patio doors holding a large blade, with Burn becoming "highly agitated" and shouting at police that he had hostages in the house, Mr Bunch said, although there was no-one else inside.

He made multiple references to killing a hostage and said he had bombs and a machine gun with which he would shoot the police.

After a 25-minute standoff, officers forced entry into the house and then a locked bathroom where Burn had sought sanctuary.

Mr Bunch said Burn had to be shot with a Taser twice before dropping the knife, which he had stabbed through the door in an attempt to get to officers.

In mitigation, Andrew Walker said Burn had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol and now, upon "sober reflection", felt "shame, remorse and embarrassment" about his actions.

Recorder Nathan Moxon said heavily convicted Burn had a "poor history of mental health" and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after being shot in 2007.