Mum tried to fight off machete wielding 'gangster' holding baby in her arms

Mum tried to fight off machete wielding 'gangster' holding baby in her arms Kadeem Hodgson, 26, chased Lauren Parr and her six-year-old daughter down the street with a machete before attempting to force himself into a neighbour's house in St Helens A machete wielding thug landed blows within cms of a mum's head as she held held her baby as he hacked at a door she was desperately trying to keep shut. Kadeem Hodgson, 26, described in court as a "minor league gangster" had pursued a "defenceless, screaming" woman and her six-year-old daughter along the street brandishing a machete. As she took shelter in a neighbours home he hacked wildy at the door while the neighbour held onto her baby on the other side. Hodgson was captured on CCTV chasing Lauren Parr she fled to a neighbour's home with her six-year-old daughter. The terrifying incident took place on Sutton Heath Road in St Helens at approximately 4.45pm on September 10, after the woman's son arrived home and told her he was being pursued by Hodgson. Liverpool Crown Court heard that there had been an "earlier incident" between the two men. At the hearing on November 4, prosecutor Derryn Gibney said: "Lauren Parr left her property with her daughter - both in their pyjamas - her daughter was barefoot. They ran down the street when she noticed the defendant following behind her, who gestured to his waistband." CCTV footage shown to the court captured Ms Parr sprinting into a neighbour's front garden with her daughter held in her arms. She placed her daughter down on the grass as she called out to her neighbour, Siana Beech, who scooped up the screaming child and rushed inside the house, reports the Liverpool Echo. Seconds later, Hodgson appeared and stormed into the garden, charging towards the property. The sound of frantic banging followed as he attempted to force his way through the door. He subsequently appeared to abandon his efforts and fled the scene as neighbouring residents, drawn outside by the commotion, emerged from their homes. Ms Gibney said: "The footage, the Crown says, speaks for itself. Siana Beech describes she was trying to keep the door shut herself. At one point the machete, which the defendant was hacking at the door with, was coming through the door in proximity to her head, and damage was caused to the front door." In a statement, Ms Beech said: "He had blood all over his face. I saw the man trying to force his way through my front door. I was holding my one-year-old daughter and trying desperately to keep the door shut. "He kicked the door and tried to shove the machete through the gap. At one point it came within 10cm of my head. "I genuinely believed he would get through and that I, my children or my partner would be seriously hurt or killed. I still think of how close the machete came to my head and I wonder what would have happened if the door had opened." She revealed the harrowing ordeal had left her feeling unsafe within her own home and "constantly on edge and afraid it will happen again". She said: "The thought that I would be unable to protect my children continues to haunt me. Since the incident they have been lashing out and behaving differently. They've said that the bad man is coming back. It's heartbreaking to hear this. I worry about how this has affected their sense of safety. "The incident was relatively short but its consequences have continued. Every unexpected noise can bring the fear back. Since this has happened, I'm constantly thinking about protecting my children and what I would do if someone tried to enter again. "I never expected to have to hold a door shut while someone with a machete tried to get inside. "The physical damage to the door can be repaired, but the fear and memories cannot be repaired so easily. I'm still living with the consequences every day. I want to feel safe again. I want my children to feel safe again." Hodgson, of Longridge Avenue, St Helens, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article, affray, and criminal damage. He appeared in court today, November 4, for sentence. He has 23 previous convictions for 33 offences, including possession of a bladed article, wounding, affray, and threatening someone with an offensive weapon. Sarah Griffin, defending, said: "He realises the offending is shocking. He hasn't sought to justify his behaviour. He is remorseful. He regrets that his issues with others have affected innocent parties and he has asked to apologise to the victims through me. "He has taken part in a thinking skills course because he now acknowledges the significant impact of these offences." 'You had a machete down your trousers and you chased a defenceless, screaming woman' Passing sentence, Judge Simon Medland said: "You're still a young man with the whole of the rest of your life ahead of you. You have committed multiple offences in your few years and you have three youth cautions against your name. "There's yet the opportunity, if you choose to take it, to stop committing offences. But for as long as you conduct yourself like this, as a sort of minor league gangster, the sentences will get longer and longer. "So my question to you is this. Do you want to spend years in custody, or do you want to do something useful with your life? You'll have plenty enough time to have a think. "I can assure you if you don't take the opportunity of readdressing your life, you will find yourself committing offences where you're sentenced to years and years in custody. "On the last occasion, you were sentenced to 28 months. You didn't take that warning. You didn't take the warning either, when you were sentenced to 17 months for threatening someone with a blade in 2020. "We come to this matter. You had a machete down your trousers and you chased a defenceless, screaming woman into another house. She was carrying a little girl. She was terrified and you were the cause of that. "I'm told you understand that now, and so you should. That behaviour was appalling." Hodgson was handed a 31-month sentence for possession of a bladed article, alongside a concurrent 21 months for affray and one month for criminal damage, bringing his total time behind bars to 31 months.