A Ryde man who called 999 and made threats to stab and kill Police officers, later going on to repeat these threats to the ambulance control room, has been given a 12-month community order.
Richard Wetherick, 44, of Vernon Square in Ryde, previously pleaded guilty to sending an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message via public communication and using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment/alarm/distress. The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be compiled, with Wetherick appearing before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court via video link last Friday (7th September) for sentencing.
Liz Miller, prosecuting, explained to the court that Wetherick had called Police on 28th July this year and made numerous threats to stab serving police constables. The court then heard that he later made a call to the ambulance service and repeated the threats to Police, this time saying he was going to leave his property, find a Police car and kill the officers inside.
6 officers attended Wetherick’s address in Ryde and arrested him, during which he became threatening towards the detaining officers.
Oscar Vincent, defending, said his client was suffering from low mental health at the time and that the incident came just days after Wetherick had been sectioned and taken to Sevenacres. Mr Vincent highlighted to the court that during the threatening phone calls, Richard Wetherick stated that his mental health was awful.
Magistrates handed down a 12-month community order with 10 rehabilitation days attached. They also ordered Richard Wetherick to stick to a 20:00-07:00 curfew for a period of 8 weeks, as well as paying costs of £85 with a £95 surcharge.
This just proves the value the courts give to our emergency services. Disgraceful!
Once again Oscar Vincent playing devil’s advocate. This petson makes an absolute fortune at the taxpayers expense.
If Mr Vincent received a threat to kill him he would rely on Police protection
He obviously put up a good defence but anyone who threatens to kill anyone should go to prison to send out a message to others and to allow for a period of reflection
It is not acceptable behaviour
Pathetic!…perhaps when his threats become a reality the idiots will learn something about this case…
the bloke is a pathetic whiner whose own actions have led him to this pitiful state – perhaps he should take a long hard look in the mirror and realise that the pathetic, whiny, self centered, weak reflection is actually him.
another attention seeking nobody
So, if this person now goes onto stabbing someone, does it make the court liable as being responsible for not giving him a suitable sentence?
If they were, we might then start to see proper sentencing.
I wonder if he’s classed as “underprivileged” or “vulnerable”? In other words, if he’s typical lowlife, but meaning the do gooders will describe him as “disadvantaged”? If he’d been an otherwise decent person who threw a wobbly because of extreme stress and anxiety, maybe even because of having to cope with the type of people the do gooders class as “vulnerable”, they’d throw the book at him and the punishment would be much harsher.
He’s probably cooked meals for a lot of you if you ate where he used to work.
Not me. I don’t eat out. Don’t even know where he used to work. It doesn’t say where he worked in the news report here.
Maybe these Magistrates should try to put themselves in the victims shoes. This Moron is quite capable of carrying out his threats to kill someone, God forbid it would be a Magistrate, or one of their family, but if they could climb down from their Ivory Towers for a few days and spend some time in Ryde, Newport, Ventnor or Cowes they might see how bad the situation can be! Failing that, maybe they should step down for being totally ineffective in protecting society and new magistrates could be selected from somewhere other than the Golf Club or Rotary or the society of funny handshakes, you know….. somewhere normal!!
The judges who decide the punishment for these low life need sacking. They are useless. They obviously have no regard for human life and our Police force. Disgusting.
Simply Either he is a dangerous aggressive criminal so needs locking away for good.
OR, he is a mentally deranged person who is clearly a threat to other innocent people, and who needs locking up for life.
IF as our jails are full of the worlds crims now so they can’t jail such, then a collar should be fitted which can’t be removed containing a ‘nail gun’ device aligned with the spinal cord, which IF needed the police could send an auto code to activate ending its costly, useless life and saving others in a second.