A judge has demanded an explanation from a police force after a “very dangerous” man accused of raping a woman was released on bail – despite his threats to “chop her into little pieces”.
Martin Edwards, 41, was arrested in March, and told North Wales Police staff: “I’m not having her saying I raped her”, threatening to “find her” and “bury her”.
He was bailed and went on to threaten to murder the woman while in possession of a knife in Llandudno, Conwy, before a former solider intervened.
Dep Ch Con Nigel Harrison said the force was “aware of the judge’s comments in this case which are clearly concerning and we are actively reviewing the full circumstances surrounding this incident”.
While in custody, Edwards, of no fixed address, repeated threats saying: “As soon as I get out of here on bail I am going to find her and chop her into little pieces” and that he would “bury her”.
At Caernarfon Crown Court, Judge Simon Mills 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.
“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 him not to make the threats but Edwards replied “I don’t care”, going out with a large kitchen knife within a “short time of making those threats”.
During the incident a former soldier stepped in, removing the knife from Edwards to deescalate the situation. He contacted police to report a “threat to life”, but said he felt “ignored”.
Prosecutor Selda Krasniqi said there was a delay of more than 24 hours before officers attended and the soldier still had “a potential murder weapon”.
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 due to the seriousness of the situation and lack of response, the soldier had made a formal complaint to North Wales Police and contacted his MP.
He described how what happened has “affected my confidence in relying on emergency services where there’s an immediate threat to life”.
Edwards admitted making death threats, affray and having a knife in public.
The judge said no further action had been taken following the rape allegation.
His defence said he had a brain injury and paranoid schizophrenia, and that his mental condition affected the way he viewed being slighted.
Mills said: “I need to have some satisfaction that nothing like this can happen again.”
Edwards was jailed for three years and eight months. Describing him as “very dangerous”, the judge added five years to his license period.
A 15-year restraining order was also made.
Det Ch Con Harrison 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.”