Man tried to kill police officer over grudge with authority

A man has admitted trying to kill a police officer in an attack motivated by anti-government ideology.

Alexander Dighton, 28, admitted attempted murder with a knife outside a police station in south Wales.

Dighton, from Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, had represented himself and was also charged with six other offences after three officers in total were injured at Talbot Green police station, with two taken to hospital and treated for their injuries.

Police said there was a violent struggle after officers challenged a man allegedly damaging cars at about 19:00 GMT on 31 January.

Both have now been discharged and Ch Supt Stephen Jones said they were "shaken" but did not sustain any major injuries.

Appearing at the Old Bailey, Dighton also admitted attempted arson, attacking two other police officers, and threatening a third, pleading guilty to a total of 10 charges.

He had refused the help of a lawyer saying at a previous hearing that he "doesn't consider the profession to be a respectable one".

When Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb suggested he had a problem with authority, he told her: "Authority is not my problem... but the use of authority that I have seen since I was 15, that is my problem."

A psychiatric report said he was fit to plead to the charges. "I don't think I have Asperger's," Dighton told the court, using a name sometimes used to describe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

His attack on the police station began when he threw a Molotov cocktail at a police van. It failed to ignite, but he then poured the petrol from a second Molotov cocktail bottle on to the bonnet of another police van and set it alight. He then started a fire under the van.

He used a long wooden pole with metal attached to the end to smash the van's windows and to start attacking a police car.

Much of the attack was recorded on CCTV cameras.

When PC Stephanie Fleming came out to confront him he turned towards her with his weapon raised saying: "I'm fed up. I'm done."

When she tasered him it had no effect and he moved to the foyer of the police station and started attacking Sgt Richard Coleman.

Sgt Coleman used PAVA spray on Dighton, but this also had little effect, and Dighton hit the officer around the head with the pole, leaving him with a head injury. When Det Con Joshua Emlyn tried to help, Dighton punched him in the head.

At this point three police officers attempted to restrain Dighton and he stabbed Det Con Jack Cotton in the leg, leaving him with a wound,

When officers searched him they found Dighton was wearing body armour and was carrying a hatchet in his bag.

When he was arrested he said: "I've been damned from birth."

Searches of his home after arrest revealed journals containing anti-immigrant ideologies around a return to "traditional" society, said the CPS.

He pleaded guilty to attempted arson, attempting to murder Det Con Jack Cotton, assaulting Sgt Richard Coleman, threatening PC Stephanie Fleming, assaulting Det Con Joshua Emlyn, having an adapted wooden pole as a weapon, having a knife, having a hatchet, damaging a police van, and damaging a second police van.

Three years ago Dighton disappeared from his home at the time in Preston.

Appealing on Facebook, his sister Heather Dighton described him as "very vulnerable".

She said he had "left a concerning note" and had "wiped his history on his laptop".

She said he was a "wonderful, kind, quirky guy".

He re-emerged a few days later.

At a sentencing hearing on 13 May, the court will determine whether Dighton's attack had a terrorist purpose or connection after hearing evidence of his motivation from the CPS.