Hospital order for knife-brandishing woman in Stamford street

A woman who brandished a knife at people in the street in Stamford as they shopped on a quiet Sunday afternoon has been given a secure hospital order.

Officers were called to reports that a woman had the weapon outside of Wilko's shop in High Street on January 28, 2024 and was complaining about the car parking spaces - this was Ceire Clery, 33.

When asked if she was okay, she began to wave the knife around, leaving people in the area fearful they would be attacked.

Officers were immediately dispatched, and found Clery in possession of a serrated edge kitchen knife and a yellow handled craft knife.

Clery, of Abbotts Close in Stamford, was arrested and later that day charged with two counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place. She was remanded into custody.

Following assessments by psychiatrists, she was deemed not fit to plead, and a finding of fact hearing was held before a jury in June last year, which found she had committed the act of being in possession of two bladed articles.

She was sentenced on Tuesday morning (April 1) where she will be detained for further medical treatment.

She will remain there until staff are satisfied that she can be released back into the community.

This week's court outcome is only part of the story, and we're giving you some more background to help you understand the unseen work which our Neighbourhood Policing Teams do.

Sergeant Emma-Jane Crisp explained: "This has been a really difficult and long-running case, and one that has had a much broader impact on the local community. Our officers had been called to deal with ninety incidents relating to Clery in just a three month period from October 2023 to January 2024. "The incidents ranged from reports of criminal damage and public order to assault, and had led to 29 arrests and nine assessments due to concerns over her mental health. We knew this was someone who needed significant help, but also posed a risk to the public - and I am extremely thankful that nothing more serious happened when she took a knife out. "We, along with metal health services repeatedly attempted to have her engage with the mental health teams so she could get the help which we clearly saw she needed; but she refused to engage and there was no legal way to enforce it. This meant that officers were instead repeatedly called to incidents involving Clery, and the local community were feeling the impact of her behaviour."

The team gave her Community Protection Notices issued by South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) which are used as tool to address unreasonable behaviour that negatively impacts the quality of life in a local community, but these were ignored.

Following her arrest and charge in January, the work then started to evidence the impact of her behaviour, gathering witness statements and CCTV footage to show the incident.

Sgt Crisp added: "This work to build a solid case file, along with details of her previous interactions with police, secured the outcome. It means that Clery can continue to receive the help needed - and most importantly, our community is protected.

"I want to thank everyone in that local community who have shared their experiences, and remained patient while we did the work needed to get to this point."