Mother and children left terrified as man runs amok with machete on Boston streets

Przemyslaw Kuziel was approached by police officers following reports of an incident in Field Street in the town where he was discovered in the back garden of a family home.

Kuziel stabbed the children's football and when he was challenged threatened to kill members of the family.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, said that police were called to the scene but Kuziel ran off and was pursued into John Adams Way where a number of officers moved in on him.

Mr Howes said "He lashed out with the knife towards the officers. That was probably to keep them at bay.

"Police then fired their tasers at Kuziel but that failed to subdue him and he manouvred himself under a car which had been forced to stop because of the incident.

The 50 year old driver, who had her children inside, was ordered to lock her doors by officers as Kuziel repeatedly ignored orders to drop the knife.

Mr Howes said "The driver saw Kuziel fall to the ground and scramble under her car. He then started to stab the car body and the tyres. He also tried to cause injury to himself.

"She locked the car doors. She feared for her children and feared that he might stab through the car.

"Eventually the defendant was overpowered. He was disarmed and arrested."

Kuziel was sectioned but later released after doctors decided that he was not suffering from such a severe mental illness that meant they could continue to detain him.

Mr Howes said that the car driver and her children were left terrified by what happened. She later told police "If he had got in the car it would have been a bloodbath"

The prosecutor said that police officers were also left shocked and frightened by the incident.

Kuziel, 23, of no fixed address, admitted two charges of affray, two charges of criminal damage and a further charge of possession of a bladed article as a result of the incidents on 7 August this year. He admitted a further charge of affray relating to an incident three days earlier when he was found in the garden of a house in Spilsby Road, Boston, armed with a knife. He was jailed for a total of two years.

Judge Simon Hirst told him "This must have been terrifying for the car driver and her children as well as for the police officers. Plainly this is so serious that only a sentence of immediate custody can be passed."

Michael Cranmer-Brown, in mitigation, said "He behaved very oddly and in a way that was frightening. It is very difficult to find an explanation as to his behaviour.

"He had only been in this country for a few months. He was homeless and he was living rough. He had that knife to cut cauliflowers in the fields."

He said that Kuziel, who had no previous convictions, plans to return to live in Poland when he is released from his sentence.