Man jailed after attacking elderly neighbour with hammer
- Published
A man from Surrey who attacked his neighbour with a hammer and caused a police stand-off has been jailed.
The neighbour tried to intervene when Frederick Livermore smashed car windscreens and the windows of several homes during a "rampage" in Staines-upon-Thames, police said.
Livermore, 56, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm at Guildford Crown Court.
He also pleaded guilty to eight counts of criminal damage.
The court heard how on 24 August 2022 at about 05:20 BST police received reports of a man brandishing an implement and smashing vehicle windscreens and windows of homes in Bingham Drive and Monks Way.
Police said the elderly neighbour was attacked with a claw hammer and sustained multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, after attempting to intervene.
When officers attended, Livermore barricaded himself into his home, resulting in a stand-off with police for about five hours before he was arrested, the force said.
Livermore was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday.
Det Con Michael Bambrough said: "Livermore was found to have been suffering from psychosis triggered by consumption of controlled drugs on the morning he went on the rampage."
He added his behaviour would have been "terrifying" for those affected by it, as well as those who witnessed it.
"People need to not only be safe but feel safe within their communities and Livermore took that right away from them that day," he said.
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