Convicted murderer jailed for 'horror' hammer attack on police

A convicted killer jailed in the Netherlands for slitting the throat of his female tenant has been locked up for life in Britain for a "horror film" hammer attack on two police officers.

Afghan-born Jamshid Piruz lashed out as he was corned by officers after a string of burglaries.

Dramatic police bodycam footage shows him attacking the officers, hitting one of them in the neck.

Piruz was Tasered three times but to no effect, because of the thickness of his clothing, other than to make him angry.

Pc Stuart Young, who was hit in the neck, described it as "akin to a horror film".

Another officer, Pc Jessica Chick told the court: "I have never been so scared in my life, I have never been in a situation where I thought 'This is it, I am going to die or I am going to be brain dead".

Piruz, 35, had served six years of a 12-year jail term imposed in Holland in August 2007 for the "cold-blooded" killing of his tenant a year earlier.

He arrived in Britain in December 2015 to visit relatives but missed his flight home on 4 January 2016.

He went on to be prosecuted for assault after spitting at a member of easyJet staff who told him he would have to buy a new ticket.

After appearing in court, he burgled some garages in Crawley, West Sussex, where he stole tools including a hammer.

Simon Blackford, defending, said his client, who sobbed in the dock, was remorseful for his actions.

He added: "He suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after he witnessed the murder of his parents by the Taliban when he was 11 years old and subsequent experiences living in Kabul during the war."

The court heard Piruz was granted asylum in the Netherlands when he was 16 following the death of his parents.

The case raised questions over Britain's ability to protect itself from high-risk offenders who travel across borders, and over the sharing of information about criminals among countries.