Life sentence for man who admitted trying to kill Army officer near Brompton Barracks
A man has been jailed for life and ordered to be detained in hospital "for as long as necessary" after trying to kill an Army officer near Brompton Barracks in Kent.
Anthony Esan was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to life imprisonment after admitting the attempted murder of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton.
The court heard Esan repeatedly stabbed Lt Col Teeton at Sally Port Gardens, near Brompton Barracks in Chatham, on 23 July 2024.
Lt Col Teeton has welcomed the sentence. Speaking outside court, he said: "We welcome the sentence that has been handed to my attacker today as it reflects an incredible bank of evidence gathered by the police and presented by our barrister of the premeditation and planning involved in the attack against myself, an officer wearing British military uniform.
"Knife attacks do not just impact the victim; they impact the families and communities where attacks occur."
Lt Col Teeton is a married father of two.
Detective Inspector Lee Neiles from Kent Police described Esan as an "extremely dangerous man".
Mr Neiles said it is certain that Esan poses too great a risk to members of the public and said he is satisfied that following the sentencing, he will be in custody for "many years to come".
He said Lt Col Teeton "underwent a terrible ordeal" and paid tribute to him and his wife Eileen for their bravery throughout.
"This was a harrowing incident for all," he said, before thanking everyone who assisted, including the emergency responders.
Esan also admitted possession of two bladed weapons.
Prosecutors said Esan targeted Lt Col Teeton because of his appearance as a soldier.
The court heard that two days after the stabbing, Esan told a doctor at Belmarsh prison that he had argued with his brother, who was in the Army, and had gone looking for an officer to attack.
Three psychiatry experts agreed Esan had schizophrenia at the time of the attack and that psychosis was the main driver of his actions.
Professor Nigel Blackwood, giving evidence, said he did not accept Esan's later claim that "it could have been anyone", telling the court: "He has deliberately chosen an Army officer to enact his psychosis, I don't believe him when he tells me it could have been anyone."
The court heard the experts also agreed Esan was not insane.
One of the forensic psychiatry witnesses, Dr Michael Alcock, said Esan remains symptomatic and he does not believe he will ever fully recover.
He recommended a hospital order be imposed and told the court Esan was psychotic, but that he would still have known the stabbing was wrong and against the law.
During the sentencing hearing, the court was shown footage of Esan's arrest outside his home.
It showed him on his knees on the pavement with his hands on his head as officers pointed tasers, before one officer handcuffed him at 18:17.
Prosecutors said the stabbing happened at 17:53, and Esan was next to a moped the court heard he used to travel to and from the attack.
The prosecution said he was identified quickly after witnesses reported the moped's registration number.
The court heard that at the time of his arrest, Esan made references to the "day of the devil", "Enoch" and "365 in a year", and told officers his name means "karma".
Prosecutors said these were among the terms he had searched for online in the lead-up to the attack, alongside searches for knives, TikTok videos of knife attacks and "Woolwich soldier murdered", understood to be a reference to the murder of Lee Rigby.
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