A Taser gun was used for the first time by Essex police as they arrested a man who allegedly attacked a health worker with a carving knife.

Police were called to Primula Way in Chelmsford on Friday at 12.40pm after the woman had reported she had been attacked.

The woman, from a health team, was outside the premises when she had her coat slashed, but she was not injured.

The 54-year-old man then barricaded himself in the house and armed police and negotiators were called to the scene along with an ambulance.

At about 3pm, when the man had not been seen for some time and no contact had been established with him, officers forced entry to the house. They feared for the safety of the man who then came at the officers with two knives.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "The officers deployed distraction devices and the man was incapacitated with a Taser - one of the less lethal weapons police have in their armoury.

"The man was then arrested by the officers and there were no shots fired and no-one injured."

The man was taken to Chelmsford police station in an ambulance where his mental health was assessed by medical staff. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He was also put on police bail.

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Published Monday, December 5, 2005

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