South Sudanese asylum seeker Both Douk Deng jailed two years for armed school incident

Twenty‑one‑year‑old Both Douk Deng, a South Sudanese national whose asylum claims were repeatedly refused, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment after entering Edgar Wood Academy in Heywood, Greater Manchester, armed with a hammer, a hatchet, a seven‑inch kitchen knife and a half‑litre petrol can. Police were called when construction workers observed him circling the closed school, “behaving oddly” and carrying the weapons. Deng was detained after confronting officers and was later found to have previously visited Holy Family RC and CE College in Rochdale in a similar manner.

At Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court, the prosecution argued Deng sought “attention” to highlight his frustration with the immigration system. His defence maintained he had no intent to harm anyone, stating, “He maintains that his actions were not motivated by any desire to injure or harm any person.” The court concluded the act was a dangerous, attention‑seeking stunt and imposed the custodial sentence.