South Sudanese asylum seeker sentenced two years for weapons

A South Sudanese asylum seeker who approached a school in Greater Manchester armed with multiple weapons and a container of gasoline has been sentenced to two years in prison. Both Douk Deng, 21, was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on July 28, 2026, after pleading guilty to a series of offenses stemming from incidents in August 2025.

Deng was arrested on August 6, 2025, at Edgar Wood Academy in Heywood after construction workers at the school, which was closed for summer holidays, reported his suspicious behavior to police. A member of the public had earlier raised the alarm after seeing Deng behaving oddly in a nearby street, carrying a petrol can with a hammer tied to his belt. CCTV and police bodycam footage showed him walking around the school premises, kicking over traffic cones, and being wrestled to the ground by officers after attempting to run away. He was found in possession of a seven-inch kitchen knife, a hand axe, a hammer, and a jerry can containing half a litre of petrol.

The court heard that the day before, on August 5, 2025, Deng had damaged the door intercom at Holy Family RC and CE College in Rochdale, another school closed for the summer....