A furious student who announced he was a terrorist at a hospital has been jailed.

Jonathan Newman, 23, also said he wished to slit the throats of government officials and police while being treated at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital.

He began making threats to authorities in July last year when he told Devon County Council he will “go on a killing spree” and “you are all going to get stabbed”.

“I would just like you to know I’m planning a revenge attack, a terrorist attack, and want to kill as many people as possible,” he added in a message to the authority’s customer service inbox.

The malicious communications included bomb threats. But when handing him a four-month sentence, the judge at Canterbury Crown Court ruled his threats were empty.

After moving to Canterbury to study computing at Christchurch University, Newman was arrested after announcing he was a terrorist at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital in March this year during a disturbance.

The court heard his bizarre behaviour came after becoming dissatisfied with travel arrangements.

'I would just like you to know I’m planning a revenge attack, a terrorist attack, and want to kill as many people as possible...'

“I’m a terrorist and I want to kill people” he told nurses, prosecutor Stacey Lee Holland said.

Officers discovered Newman was carrying a small lock-knife, which he claimed he needed for self-defence, before announcing he wished to slit the throats of government officials and police.

After being taken into custody Newman threw his Covid mask at one officer and spat at two others.

One constable told the court of her “anxiety and disgust” after the phlegm hit her in the face as she tried serving him food.

When Newman wasn’t attacking officers he engraved the word “die” on his cell wall, stuffed his pillow into the loo and smashed the fire alarm.

Remanded in custody, psychiatrists ruled Newman’s threats were empty, likely stemming from his childlike view of the world and being on the autism spectrum.

Judge Ruprt Lowe told the court he must decide whether Newman’s terror threats were real or fictitious.

“I have read a careful psychiatric report and a pre-sentence report and on the whole I’m satisfied that you fall into the latter category.

“I don’t believe you are an immediate threat to the public despite your threats,” he said.

But he rapped Newman for his “childlike” behaviour.

“If everybody reacted by threatening to bomb or kill people who they didn’t like, there would be chaos everywhere.When people receive emails like that they think ‘watch out’ we’ve got a madman here.

'I don’t believe you are an immediate threat to the public despite your threats...'

“They think that’s what you’re going to do, because you say so," he said.

The court heard Newman fostered a grudge against the authorities after being removed from mainstream schooling years ago.

Phil Rowley, mitigating, said Newman became frustrated and upset while struggling to articulate himself properly, and he picked up the term “terrorist” from mainstream media.

Newman, of Station Road East, Canterbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage, two counts of sending malicious communications, three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, threatening behaviour and carrying a bladed article.

He, of previous good character, was released from custody after already spending four months on remand, an eight-month jail term equivalent.

Newman was also handed a two year community order with 25 rehabilitation requirement activity days.

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