Violent Paulsgrove man did 10 years for biting rival's ear then jumped from bridge after prison release

David Farndell, 34, was detained by British Transport Police under the Mental Health Act after jumping from a footbridge over the A3.

Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard he was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital before going to Elmleigh psychiatric unit for assessment.

At QA Hospital Farndell two mental health assistants tried to handcuff him as his ‘behaviour had gone downhill’, said prosecutor Giles Fletcher.

‘He’s essentially struggling with them,’ said Mr Fletcher. ‘They all toppled to the floor.

‘He’s wrapped his right arm around the neck of one of the workers. Both have suffered minor injuries.’

This took place on December 11, 2018. Farndell, of Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, was found guilty of two assaults on emergency workers.

Farndell was detained again on March 21, 2019, after trying to kill himself. He was taken to QA Hospital again and pushed two security workers as he tried to leave after being detained by medics.

Farndell admitted two further assaults on emergency workers.

Tim Sparkes, for Farndell, said his client had been released in 2017 after being handed a 12-month term in a imprisonment for public protection sentence in 2007.

The IPP term means offender management officers can revoke his licence and recall him to prison at any point. Any release must be signed off by the Parole Board.

He had been handed the sentence for biting a man’s ear after spotting him leaving his ex-girlfriend’s home in 2006.

Today chair of the bench, Nicholas Mansfield, handed two seven-day jail terms to run concurrent, with no separate penalty for the 2018 assaults.

But it emerged due to the coronavirus lockdown, Farndell will not have a Parole Board hearing until December - and even then possibly not until February.

Farndell has unstable personality disorder, emotional dissociative disorder, depression, paranoia and has repeatedly attempted to take his own life.

The defendant, who has 53 past offences, was recalled to prison in January for spending an evening at a home but not telling police in advance.

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