Man jailed for 15 years after holding flatmate hostage

A man who falsely imprisoned his flatmate holding a knife to her neck has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Christopher Antill was found guilty at a trial in January of false imprisonment, blackmail and section 18 grievous bodily harm wounding with intent.

The 38-year-old was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court today (Tuesday 8 March) to 15 years in prison and issued with a five-year extended licence.

Police were called to a flat in Bull Head Street in Wigston by East Midlands Ambulance Service at 5.14am on Thursday 29 July last year.

They were in attendance to treat a man who had been assaulted and had sustained a broken eye socket and a knife wound to his arm.

While officers were travelling to the address, it became known that Antill was responsible for the stab wound after assaulting his flatmate.

When officers arrived at the address Antill, still armed with a knife, barricaded himself into another flatmate’s room with her and was refusing to let her leave.

Trained negotiators arrived at the scene and after three hours of speaking to Antill, he surrendered and left the room. The woman was not physically harmed.

In the investigation that followed, it was found that the incident began after Antill (pictured) had attempted to force his flatmate to transfer £1,000 into his bank account and when the victim was unable to do this, Antill punched him several times in the face and slashed his bicep with a knife.

Detective Sergeant Alex Horwood, who investigated the crimes, said that Antill is a dangerous individual who has left his victims deeply affected by what happened.

He said: “This was clearly a traumatic incident for the both victims but in particular for the woman who was held captive. At times Antill held her as a human shield with a knife against her throat threatening to stab her in the neck if officers entered the room. She could well have sustained some serious physical injuries had Antill carried out his threats and it was extremely disappointing that he chose to plead not guilty leaving her to relive the event giving evidence in court.

“Both her bravery and that of the other victim who managed to text her and others in the building to warn them about Antill should be recognised.

DS Horwood added: “The fact it took the jury less than an hour to deliver a guilty verdict on all three charges shows that the evidence against Antill was overwhelming and is testament to the officers who responded on the day as well as all those involved in the investigation.

“This was a complex and fairly horrific incident with some far-reaching impact that was only mitigated in part due to the superb actions taken by our officers. It was the professionalism and above all team work shown that made the outcome of the case a positive result.”