Judge seeks answers after man who threatened woman was bailed

A judge has demanded an explanation from North Wales Police after Martin Edwards, 41, was released on bail despite threatening to “chop her into little pieces” and “bury her”. Edwards, who was accused of raping a woman, later went on to threaten her again while carrying a knife in Llandudno, Conwy, before a former soldier stepped in.

Edwards admitted making death threats, affray and having a knife in public. He was jailed for three years and eight months, with a further five years added to his licence period and a 15-year restraining order imposed.

What happened after the rape allegation?

Edwards was arrested in March after the allegation and told North Wales Police staff:

I'm not having her saying I raped her

He also threatened to “find her” and “bury her”.

While in custody, Edwards, of no fixed address, repeated the threats, saying:

As soon as I get out of here on bail I am going to find her and chop her into little pieces

He also said he would

bury her

.

The court heard that despite those threats, he was bailed. Later, while in possession of a large kitchen knife in Llandudno, he threatened to murder the woman before a former soldier intervened.

Why did the judge criticise the police response?

At Caernarfon Crown Court, Judge Simon Mills said the woman alleging rape should have been protected and expressed disbelief that Edwards was released from custody after making threats to kill. He said:

A person alleging rape needs to be protected and shouldn't have people free to walk from a police station having said to a police officer 'I am going to kill them'.

He added:

There seems to have been a wholesale failure in this case.

and also said:

I can't understand how this man came to be released from custody, having said he was going to murder a person who was alleging rape.

The judge said the force had warned Edwards not to make the threats, but that he replied

I don't care

before going out with the knife within a

short time of making those threats

.

How did the former soldier intervene?

A former soldier stepped in during the incident and removed the knife from Edwards in an attempt to deescalate the situation. He contacted police to report a

threat to life

, but said he felt

ignored

.

Prosecutor Selda Krasniqi told the court there was a delay of more than 24 hours before officers attended, by which time the soldier still had

a potential murder weapon

.

Judge Mills said the witness was

very public-spirited

and

quite possibly saved the target of Edwards's behaviour from serious harm

.

The prosecution said that because of the seriousness of the situation and the lack of response, the soldier made a formal complaint to North Wales Police and contacted his MP. He said what happened has

affected my confidence in relying on emergency services where there's an immediate threat to life

.

What has North Wales Police said?

Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Harrison said the force was aware of the judge’s comments and was reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident. He said:

We will reply directly to the court in due course, and as such it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.

He also said:

We are aware of the judge's comments in this case which are clearly concerning and we are actively reviewing the full circumstances surrounding this incident

What was said about Edwards’s mental health?

Edwards’s defence said he had a brain injury and paranoid schizophrenia, and that his mental condition affected the way he viewed being slighted. The judge said no further action had been taken following the rape allegation.

Mills said:

I need to have some satisfaction that nothing like this can happen again.

He described Edwards as

very dangerous

and said the sentence included the additional five years on his licence period. A 15-year restraining order was also made.

Key Facts

• Martin Edwards, 41, was arrested in March after a rape allegation.
• He told police:

  I'm not having her saying I raped her

  and later threatened to

  chop her into little pieces

  .
• He was jailed for three years and eight months, with five extra years on licence.
• A 15-year restraining order was imposed.
• North Wales Police says it is actively reviewing the full circumstances.