Woman seen waving knife near children during Cambridgeshire school rush hour

A woman who was seen waving a knife in the street as primary-age children made their way to school has been jailed for more than a year.

Officers came across Emma Hamilton on the morning of 18 September after a worried Cambridge resident saw her waving the blade near the school, as children walked and cycled nearby.

They called 999 and described how a woman was arguing with a man while holding a large knife and banging on the window of a flat in Akeman Street.

The woman was identified by an officer and, after a search, arrested at her home less than an hour later.

In police interview Hamilton, 43, claimed the man she had argued with had thrown the knife at her and, scared for her own safety, she had picked it up.

She said the argument was about the man owing a family member £30 and that she was punched by the man, but dropped the knife as she left the area.

However, when she was shown footage of her threatening the man, saying he would be “f***ing dead”, she claimed it was not meant in the way it sounded.

Hamilton answered no comment to all further questions, but was later charged with affray, possessing a knife in a public place and breaching a suspended sentence order previously imposed by the court.

She admitted the offences at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court in September and was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday, where she was handed one year and one month behind bars.

Det Con Charlotte Anderson-Chapman, who investigated, said: “Hamilton brandished a large knife in very close proximity to a primary school around school arrival time.

“In the dashcam footage, schoolchildren can be seen on the path and riding bikes near Hamilton while she is holding the knife.

“Her behaviour was unacceptable, and I hope the prison sentence imposed gives her time to reflect on her actions, which no doubt left many in a busy local area feeling frightened and intimidated.”

Hamilton’s sentence comes as the force launches its latest knife amnesty, allowing people to hand in knives and other items without being prosecuted.

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