Man armed with axe at Tyne Dock Metro Station tells police officers 'I'm a bit psycho'

A man told officers "I'm a little bit psycho" after he was caught carrying an axe at a train station.

Jamie Graham, who has previous convictions for carrying weapons and knives, was seen by police holding the sharp tool behind his back as he spoke with members of the public at Tyne Dock Metro station, in Newcastle, on 5 April 2023.

Police received a 999 call about a man carrying an axe along Stanhope Road, in South Shields at around 5:45am.

They then received further information that the male was at Tyne Dock Metro Station and an officer attended.

Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said: "The officer noticed that, on one of the platforms, the defendant was holding an axe behind his back and was speaking to members of public while holding the axe behind his back.

"Other officers were tasked to go to the location. The officer approached the defendant with his taser out. As he approached, he shouted 'get on the floor' with the taser pointed at the defendant."

The court heard that the 26-year-old did as he was told after throwing the axe onto the train tracks.

Graham, of no fixed abode, was arrested but told officers "I'm a little bit psycho" and "I'm only after one person."

While being transported to custody, Graham claimed "I will bang him with the axe, he threatened my mother."

Fiona Lamb, mitigating, told the court that Graham had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and was carrying the weapon after being threatened himself.

She added: "He can't recall making those comments to the police - he was, in his own words, absolutely mortal. Someone had come to his house with a machete and he had taken the axe in order to protect himself."

Graham has been sentenced to 14 months in jail after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

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