Sheffield nurses left in fear for lives after man imprisons them, brandishes knife and threatens to stab them
Two mental health nurses conducting a routine home visit in Sheffield found themselves trapped and threatened by their patient after he became agitated and blocked their exit. The 19-year-old produced a knife and held it within centimetres of one nurse's body whilst threatening violence and preventing them from leaving the accommodation. He also physically assaulted the other nurse before the incident ended.
The defendant pleaded guilty to affray and false imprisonment. After spending ten months in custody since the October 2025 incident, he was sentenced to a two-year community order rather than further imprisonment. The judge acknowledged his mental health conditions, youth at the time of the offence, and absence of a criminal record as significant factors, whilst noting that his failure to take prescribed medication and use of cannabis—which amplified his symptoms—had contributed to the incident.
- Mental health patient held two nurses at knifepoint during a home visit in Sheffield, brandishing a six-inch blade and threatening to stab them
- 19-year-old Aboubakar Diaby pleaded guilty to affray and false imprisonment; sentenced to two-year community order after serving 10 months in custody
- Court considered mitigating factors including Diaby's youth, lack of prior convictions, mental health diagnosis, and non-compliance with prescribed medication
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Mental health nurses often carry out home visits alone or in pairs to check on patients being treated in the community rather than in hospital, which means they can find themselves in vulnerable situations if a patient's condition deteriorates suddenly. This case centres on one such visit in Sheffield, where the two nurses were carrying out routine care duties when the situation turned dangerous.
The man involved was 19 at the time and had no previous criminal record, but was known to have mental health conditions. Cases like this often raise questions about how well healthcare workers are protected while carrying out home visits, and how the justice system balances punishment with a defendant's mental state, age and personal circumstances when deciding a sentence.
Community orders, the sentence given here, allow an offender to serve their punishment outside prison under set conditions, rather than through further custodial time. Such decisions can prove contentious, particularly in cases involving weapons and threats to public sector workers carrying out their jobs.