'Next thing I knew, a knife came through the glass...' - police barricade murderer inside FedEx office

A pair of Yorkshire police officers, who disarmed a man who had just stabbed his colleague to death in Rotherham, have won a bravery award.

Courier driver Ronald Sekanjako, 48, murdered colleague Philip Woodcock, who he brutally attacked in a row over pay. He stabbed 60-year-old Philip three times in front of horrified colleagues at the FedEx depot in Rother Way, Hellaby, on November 2, 2022.

On that tragic day at about 10am, South Yorkshire Police responded to a report of a disgruntled employee being aggressive towards work colleagues. PC Phillip Stead and PC Richard Cousins, who had only been working on response for 18 weeks, were the first to arrive. As they entered the office, it immediately became clear that something incredibly serious had happened.

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Sekanjako had already stabbed Mr Woodcock three times and was now shut in a side office. Members of staff were barricading the door with their bodies to stop him escaping.

PC Stead called on his radio for assistance and advanced on Sekanjako, drawing his taser and ordering the FedEx staff members to move behind him for their safety. PC Stead recalled: “Next thing I knew, a knife came through the safety glass of the office window.

“I drew my Taser and my mind was spinning. I was thinking: ‘What do I do? I’ve got a guy in a room with a knife, and I’ve got an injured party.’ So I issued challenges with the taser, to the point of pointing the taser through the hole in the window.

“All the time I was thinking: ‘If I shoot through the hole in the glass, I’ll be connected by wires and then I can’t then go into that room. Plus, I’ve got a student with me.’”

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Sekanjako obeyed PC Stead’s commands before he had to use his taser, and eventually dropped the knife. PC Stead then directed PC Cousins to handcuff and arrest him.

PC Cousins said: “PC Stead used his tactical communications really well; he kept the suspect red-dotted, but his communication was so good that he didn’t need to use his taser to get him to put the weapons down.

“I put gloves on to prevent my fingerprints getting on any evidence, then I went into the office to retrieve the knives. I got handcuffs on the suspect, brought him out of the room and arrested him.”

Meanwhile Mr Woodcock had collapsed and PC Stead immediately ran over to assist another FedEx employee in trying to save his life. They wrapped bandages around his wounds and started CPR. All the time, PC Stead was monitoring PC Cousins and Sekanjako.

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PC Stead and the staff member continued CPR until further officers and paramedics arrived. The paramedics and ambulance heart team continued to treat Mr Woodcock but tragically he died of his injuries.

Later it was found that the Sekanjako had a hammer down his trouser leg, as well as the two knives he was carrying.

In November 2023, Sekanjako was convicted of murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and three counts of possession of an offensive weapon. He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years.

On hearing that he’d been nominated for South Yorkshire Police Federation Bravery Award, PC Stead said: “It was out of the blue, I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m happy to be acknowledged.”

PC Cousins said: “It’s an honour to be recognised for what you’ve done, but I’d like to think any other officers would have done the same thing. Our main aim was to get control of the suspect, and for PC Stead to attempt to preserve life.”