Exeter hammer man wanted to 'kill some Devonians'

A homeless man who armed himself with a hammer and threatened to "kill some Devonians" has been sent to a mental hospital.

Paul McLean, aged 39, was arrested in an agitated state in the centre of Exeter where he was holding a hammer and was angry about vandalism at his mother's shed.

McLean, of no fixed abode, admitted having an offensive weapon and was made the subject of a hospital order at Exeter Crown Court.

Judge Phillip Wassall said a jail sentence was not appropriate in the light of reports from two consultant psychiatrists.

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Mclean will now be treated at a unit in Milton Keynes.

Mr David Bowen, prosecuting, said McLean was arrested in Southernhay, Exeter, in February last year after members of the public saw him with a hammer and became alarmed.

He handed the weapon to police without a struggle but said he was angry because of an incident at his mother's shed and said he wanted to "kill some Devonians".

Mr Gareth Evans, defending, said McLean wanted to receive an ordinary sentence of imprisonment rather than a hospital order.

He said he is now doing well at the unit where he is being treated.