It was one a string of violent threats he made over the course of a few months
Paul Fox appeared at Hull Crown Court(Image: Hull Live)
A menacing and aggressive troublemaker caused serious fears and worry after he angrily warned in a threatening telephone call that a hospital security guard would “look like Dracula – because I will rip his face off”. Heavy-drinking Paul Fox also pursued a lengthy campaign of threats of violence against an unsuspecting downstairs neighbour over his obsession that there was a smell of cannabis.
He threatened in telephone complaints to stab or use a crowbar to attack his neighbour and claimed that he was “happy to go to prison for murder” – although the warnings were not made directly to the person he was targeting, Hull Crown Court heard. Fox, 63, of Newtown Court, off Hedon Road, east Hull, admitted six offences of sending communications threatening death or serious harm and four of sending offensive messages, between March 13 and August 22 last year.
Brogan Riley, prosecuting, said that there were 10 occasions over a period of about five months when Fox made threatening calls or sent menacing messages. He called 999 on March 13 last year to claim that there was a smell of cannabis from his neighbour’s home.
“He made a number of threats towards his neighbour, who lived below him,” said Miss Riley. Fox threatened to smash his neighbour’s door in and claimed that he was “going to f***ing stab them”.
He made the threat: “I’m going to stab them when they answer the door.” The call handler believed that they were genuine threats.
Police were twice sent to Fox’s home. He had not threatened the neighbour directly. On June 7 last year, Fox made another call about the smell of cannabis and he threatened that, if nothing was done, he would “go downstairs with a crowbar”.
He warned: “I can go down and smash the door down. I don’t care about my suspended sentence.” Fox threatened that he would throw his neighbour over the balcony.
On June 8 last year, Fox again reported the smell of cannabis and mentioned that he had a knife in his hand. “He threatened that, if nothing was done on the next 24 hours, he would sort this himself,” said Miss Riley.
On June 9 last year, he made another report about the smell of cannabis and became angry. He threatened to go down to his neighbour with a knife and claimed that he had a carving knife in his hand.
Fox also claimed that he had a crowbar and would smash his neighbour’s face in. On June 17 last year, he claimed that a hospital security guard had taken his vape off him and would not give it back.
Fox threatened that, if he saw that person again, he “will look like Dracula – because I will rip his face off”. He warned that he would “kick the sh*t out of his neighbour, his partner and his dog”.
On July 4 last year, Fox rang 999 and warned that, the next time he saw his neighbour, he would “smash” him in. “He was very aggressive throughout,” said Miss Riley.
On July 30 last year, Fox angrily threatened to smash his neighbour’s head in with a crowbar and would “beat them to death with a crowbar and he was happy to go to prison for murder”.
On August 22 last year, he threatened to stab someone. “He stated that he was going to commit murder,” said Miss Riley. During police interview, Fox claimed that he made the threats out of frustration and that he did not intend to harm his neighbours.
“The threats have never been made direct to the neighbours,” said Miss Riley. Fox had convictions for 15 previous offences.
Steven Garth, mitigating, said that Fox had turned to alcohol and all his offending stemmed from drink. His alcohol use was now under control and he had made progress. “He is now back on the rails,” said Mr Garth.
Fox was given a one-year suspended prison sentence. A previous supervision period that had been imposed was extended.
At an earlier hearing in November 2024, the court was told that two terrified female paramedics feared that they were going to be stabbed after Fox suddenly turned nasty, grabbed a knife and started chasing them. They locked themselves in their ambulance and were in fear because they did not know what he was capable of doing.
Fox also became aggressive and caused problems at Hull Royal Infirmary during another frightening incident. He had also been involved in an earlier incident in which he suddenly lashed out at a paramedic with a knife after refusing to go to hospital.
The paramedic narrowly avoided being stabbed and seriously injured, the court heard that day. Fox had admitted two offences of threatening a person with a blade in a private place. He was, that day, given a one-year suspended prison sentence, a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring order and 20 days’ rehabilitation.
At a previous hearing on June 8, 2023, Fox had been given a 10-month suspended prison sentence, a 120-day alcohol abstinence monitoring order and 15 days’ rehabilitation after he admitted threatening a paramedic with a knife. The court heard on that occasion that a paramedic narrowly avoided being stabbed and seriously injured when Fox refused to go to hospital and suddenly lashed out at him with a knife.
Fox could easily have killed the paramedic if a stab wound had severed an artery and it was only with the help of another paramedic that the two of them managed to wrestle the knife away from his grip.
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