Surrey Police: Man threatened to execute officers, court hears
- Published
Swansea Crown Court heard that Steven Delahunty told Surrey Police he was "seriously thinking of killing" a police officer
A man has appeared in court charged with threatening to shoot police officers.
Steven Delahunty, from Westgate Hill in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, left messages saying he would "execute" Surrey Police officers, a court has heard.
He is also accused of leaving 10 voice messages at the office of Surrey's police and crime commissioner in April 2022, and tweeted the force 10 times in August threatening to "shoot" officers.
Mr Delahunty denies all charges.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Mr Delahunty had a long running dispute with Surrey Police after they did not investigate allegations he had made about historical child sex abuse.
The jury heard the first voice message to Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend, left at about 08:30 BST on 8 April, in which he said he had been abused and "no-one has helped me", adding his life had been destroyed.
'Seriously thinking of killing a police officer'
"If I did take the law into my own hands and kill a Surrey Police officer, I would get a reaction," he added.
On another voice message, he said: "I am seriously thinking of killing a Surrey Police officer."
The court heard further voice mail messages in which Mr Delahunty accused Surrey Police of "destroying his life" after not pursuing his allegations.
Thomas Scapens, prosecuting, read out 10 tweets to the court, which were sent to Surrey Police and its chief constable.
One tweet, sent on 7 August, read: "If I want to go to Surrey and execute Surrey police officers, I can."
Another of the tweets, sent on the same day to the force and its chief constable, said: "If I had an automatic rifle, I would go to Surrey Police HQ in Guildford and shoot the place up."
Mr Delahunty sent tweets to Chief Constable Gavin Stephens
An additional tweet said: "When you take away a man's dignity, you take away a man's soul."
Further tweets read to the court by the prosecution included threatening language such as "when I arrive in Surrey I will kill the police", while another referred to the chief of police as a "glorified gangster".
Mr Scapens told the court: "Mr Delahunty says these weren't meant to cause distress or anxiety but a cry for help to get the police to react to his allegations and investigate them.
"But the prosecution say it must have been to cause distress and anxiety."
The prosecution also called investigating officer Huw Adams, a civilian working for Dyfed Powys Police, to read a transcript of a police interview he conducted with Mr Delahunty on 7 August.
In the interview he accused Surrey Police of not taking him seriously.
He said: "They didn't do anything. They exacerbated the situation. My actions were a cry for help because I've been stone-walled by the authorities."
'At the end of the day, I am sorry'
Mr Delahunty, representing himself, told the court: "I filed my complaint in September and for 10-and-a-half months I rang the police and no response.
"I was made to feel like an idiot. I was told not to contact the police again after sending abusive and threatening communications and that's when my head popped."
Judge Huw Rees asked Mr Delahunty if he meant to cause any distress or anxiety. He replied: "No, absolutely not."
He told the court he was suffering with alcohol issues and mental health issues.
"I was having dark thoughts. I was thinking about setting myself on fire outside Surrey Police Station. I didn't care about what the consequences were," Mr Delahunty said.
He also told the court the prosecution he had very few followers on Twitter who would have seen the threats.
He concluded his defence by saying: "At the end of the day I am sorry."
Mr Delahunty denies two counts of sending a letter, communication or article conveying a threatening message.
The trial continues.