A MAN who held a doctor hostage and threatened to kill him with an axe has been spared jail.

Matthew Wood, 30, who has severe mental health problems, barged into Dr John Rault’s consulting room in Harcourt Medical Centre on March 15, pulling out a wooden handled axe from his rucksack.

Winchester Crown Court heard on Thursday Wood had suffered from acute depression and was in a “disassociated state”.

He hoped his planned attack would end in the police killing him, after an attempted suicide a month earlier from a drugs overdose had failed.

Dr Rault had been Wood’s GP since 2008, seeing him regularly to deal with his mental health problems.

On the day of the incident he was just about to close the surgery at 6.20pm when Wood, who had been loitering in the waiting area, burst into the small consultation room.

The court heard the doctor was “surprised and horrified” when the axe was produced.

“What are you doing bringing an axe into a doctor’s surgery?” he asked.

Wood replied: “I am going to die tonight and so are you.”

Dr Rault, who was praised for remaining calm throughout the incident, then pressed the panic alarm and colleagues rushed to help but were unable to gain access to the room as Wood was holding the door shut.

The police were called and co-workers from the surgery went outside to film the incident through the window.

Soon after Wood fell to the floor and, seizing his opportunity, Dr Rault picked up the axe, throwing it out of the room before providing him with medical help.

Dr Rault did not suffer any physical injury in the attack, although the court heard it had left him with sleeping difficulties.

Richard Onslow, defending, said Wood had struggled with prison life during his three months in custody but his mental state had improved since the dosage of his medication was tripled.

Wood, of Chestnut Close, Laverstock, has one previous conviction for a similar incident when he dragged his brother by his hoodie while holding an airgun against him, for which he was sent on an anger management programme.

Judge Susan Evans QC said she accepted that he had no real intentions of killing Dr Rault but described it as a “terrifying” incident.

In suspending the sentence she said it was an “exceptional” case and the public would be best protected by him receiving professional help.

She noted that his three months in custody had already amounted to an effective six-month prison sentence.

After pleading guilty to false imprisonment, possessing an offensive weapon and affray, Wood was given a 24-month jail term, suspended for two years.

He was also given a restraining order preventing him from going to the surgery, and must complete a mental health treatment order.