Crossbow intruder shot dead by police at woman’s home was heavy cannabis user who had stalked her

A man shot dead by police in south London after breaking into a woman’s home with an arsenal of weapons was a reclusive cannabis smoker who had been spared jail for stalking her last year, The Telegraph can disclose.

Bryce Hodgson, 30, originally from Middlesbrough, was killed by armed officers in Southwark on Tuesday morning when he tried to force his way into a property while armed with crossbows, a knife, a hatchet, a sword and body armour.

It has since emerged Hodgson had been convicted of stalking the 31-year-old woman in Southwark last June and was subject to a five-year restraining order.

Hodgson had been banned from entering Bywater Place, the cul-de-sac where he was shot twice by officers.

Croydon magistrates’ court heard last year how Hodgson had entered the victim’s bedroom without consent, sent text messages demanding she open her door to him and described his “vivid sexual fantasies” to her.

He pleaded guilty but was spared jail, with a 16-week suspended prison sentence, and ordered to undergo 12 months of supervision and carry out 120 hours of community service.

Hodgson was a heavy cannabis user who smoked 7g of marijuana a week and spent most of his free time in front of his computer, according to a former flatmate.

Mia Trutwein, a building manager from Birmingham, lived with Hodgson for two years in a three-person flat in Bermondsey until a month before the first Covid lockdown.

She said: “He was a lovely guy, he was as timid as anything, a bit of a boffin.

“He did not have any sort of animosity, he used to go to work and come home. It took me a while to get to know him.

“He was really introverted, sweet and pleasant, he was really precious. I saw him every day for two years.

“He did not have any girls around, he never had any girlfriends. He said he used to work for a debt collection agency.

“He smoked weed quite heavily, through a bong, it would go straight to the brain, he would be buying a quarter of an ounce every week.”

Ms Trutwein said Hodgson was a “highly eloquent and intelligent” loner who spent much of his free time playing shooting games on his computer, which had three monitors attached.

The only time he would leave his bedroom would be to use the bathroom or for food, she added, saying: “We used to try and pry him out.”

Hodgson is believed to have been a student at Aberystwyth University who moved around between Manchester and Leeds before settling in south London around 2018.

Prosecutors argued for jail sentence

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Wednesday that it had tried to convince the judiciary to impose a jail sentence on Hodgson for his stalking conviction.

A CPS spokesman said: “We argued for this offence to be tried in the Crown Court and for a custodial sentence to be imposed – however these decisions are for the independent judiciary. The defendant did not breach his bail conditions.”

It is understood that the case was settled at magistrates court level because Hodgson pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

A spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, which investigates all firearms incidents, confirmed crossbows, a sword, a knife and body armour had been recovered from the scene on Tuesday morning.

Mel Palmer, the IOPC regional director, said: “Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this tragic incident. The man’s next of kin have been informed and, in due course, we will be contacting them to explain our role. We will keep them regularly updated throughout our investigation.

“Given that a man has died after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions and decisions taken by the police.

“We appreciate that the community will want answers quickly, and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts and piece together what occurred.”