Machete-wielding woman threw knife at police during Chorley rooftop siege | Preston Crown Court

A machete-wielding woman who held armed police at bay for half an hour from the rooftop of her flat in Chorley has been spared jail by a judge.

Cheryl Hesketh was said to have threatened officers and thrown a Stanley knife at them in the street below during the tense stand-off, a court was told. When she was eventually talked down and arrested the 32-year-old claimed she had been hearing voices telling her to climb onto the roof and take her own life.

Hesketh, of Hall Gate near Astley Park, pleaded guilty to affray and was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

Preston Crown Court heard that police were called to Hesketh’s home in April at around 8:30pm. Six armed officers attended the scene after reports that weapons including a machete were involved. Lawyer Simon Barrett, prosecuting, said Hesketh was in her first floor flat with her brother and was threatening to harm herself.

Soon after the police arrived she came out of the flat and climbed onto the roof via a balcony. Drone footage showed her standing on the top of the building waving a 15 to 20 inch machete around above her head.

She made threats to police and warned them she had other knive. At one point she threw a Stanley knife at them from the roof, so officers told passers-by to vacate the area and instructed people in other flats to stay indoors.

Police waited for around half an hour before she eventually agreed to come down and was arrested. In interview she claimed she had little memory of what had happened saying she was suffering from mental health issues and had been having suicidal thoughts.

The court heard Hesketh had a lengthy police record including 69 previous offences. Amongst them were convictions for assault, criminal damage, possession of drugs and several for assaults on emergency workers. At the time of the rooftop incident she was in breach of a suspended sentence.

Her defence barrister Lisa Wilson said Hesketh had mental health issues after suffering significant trauma in her life. A psychiatric report to the court said she was on the threshold for diagnosis of a personality disorder which impacted on her behaviour and which she self-medicated with alcohol and drugs.

She had stopped using drugs in the month she committed this offence and she had been experiencing withdrawal symptoms. She had been intoxicated at the time after drinking a bottle of wine and had heard voices telling her to “get on the roof and commit suicide”.

“She is incredibly upset and remorseful,” said Ms Wilson. “There is no excuse, she has been heavily influenced by her past offending and alcohol.”

Recorder Kristian Cavanagh told Hesketh: “You were on the roof. You were waving a machete about. Six firearms officers attended your address. Passers-by were told to go elsewhere (during the stand-off) and at one point you threw a Stanley knife from the roof. You have had a long history of mental health problems, exacerbated by drink and drugs. At the time (of the offence) you were intoxicated and not taking your medication.”

He said her past record was a bad one, but she had suffered from “significant trauma” and a “chaotic lifestyle”. “It is clear your mental health had significantly deteriorated.”

In addition to the eight-month suspended sentence he also ordered her to complete 10 rehabilitation activity days and warned her that if she breached either the suspended sentence or the rehab requirements she would be brought back to court and would almost certainly be sent to prison.

Hesketh, who appeared on a video link from jail, was in tears as the sentence was read out and was told she would be released immediately. She thanked the judge and told him: “I appreciate that. I am sorry and you won’t see me back here.”