On a quiet May afternoon in 2024, the peaceful suburb of Downley, near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was shattered by a violent altercation that would leave a police officer wounded, a neighbour stabbed, and the community reeling. The man at the centre of this chaos, Jason King, 55, was sentenced on August 20, 2025, to nine years in prison with a further three years on extended licence for a string of violent offences that sent shockwaves through the area.
According to BBC News, the incident began as a long-standing dispute between King and his neighbour, Alistair Mahwuto. On May 10, 2024, tensions exploded when King stabbed Mahwuto with a small knife, inflicting a two-centimetre wound to his stomach. The injury, a doctor later said, could have been fatal had it been just a few centimetres higher. In a statement read to the court, Mahwuto admitted, "The incident has affected me more than I would have ever imagined." Both Mahwuto and the police officer wounded in the ensuing chaos would eventually recover, but not without lasting scars—both physical and emotional.
After the stabbing, police were called to School Close, where King lived. What happened next was both harrowing and unprecedented for the officers involved. King, a former computer worker, had armed himself with a crossbow he had purchased online for less than £20. As Sky News reported, King began shooting at officers from his upstairs window, repeatedly firing bolts in their direction. Footage released by Thames Valley Police showed King, clad in shorts and a T-shirt, running across the road, crossbow in hand, pursuing officers who scrambled for cover.
PC Curtis Foster, one of the officers on the scene, became King’s primary target. As Foster and his colleague tried to clear civilians from the area, King chased after them, firing the crossbow. Foster was struck in the leg by a bolt, resulting in a two to three-centimetre wound perilously close to a major artery. "I knew something had impacted me, but my adrenaline was so high that the pain wasn't really there," Foster later recalled in an interview with Sky News. "I first realised I was bleeding quite a lot when I could feel it running down my leg, and then I touched my leg above my trousers, and my whole hand was red where it had gone through my trousers already."
The situation escalated further as King continued to aim his weapon at officers and, at one point, even fired at a police dog—though he missed. According to the prosecution, King appeared to be "grinning" as he exited his address before shooting PC Foster. Judge Jonathan Cooper, who presided over the case at Aylesbury Crown Court, described King's actions as an attempt "to settle a score with police," adding, "It was as if you were trying to hunt down the officer, chasing him, aiming at his body."
With King refusing to drop his weapon and continuing his pursuit, armed officers were forced to act. An officer fired a single shot, striking King in the abdomen and bringing the dangerous standoff to an end. King was rushed to hospital under police supervision with what were described as potentially life-changing injuries. He was discharged after ten days and immediately arrested, before being charged with a litany of offences: unlawful wounding, having an article with a blade or point, having an offensive weapon, wounding with intent, and affray.
PC Foster’s ordeal was far from over. In a written victim impact statement read to the court, Foster described the profound effect the attack had on him: "Previously, I guess I was quite blasé about work. I kind of thought risk is risk and that is what you deal with. Now I feel more cautious." He admitted to suffering from anxiety and said the incident had left him thinking about how close he came to never seeing his family again. "There was a lot of blood. My two colleagues that turned up initially on scene were covered in my blood—that's how much blood I'd lost," Foster told BBC News. Fortunately, both Foster and Mahwuto have since made full recoveries, but the psychological impact lingers. "The incident has changed my outlook on life a bit," Foster said. "I don't want anyone else to experience what I experienced."
The court also heard about King’s background. Prosecutor Graham Smith detailed King’s previous convictions, including possessing a bladed article in a public place and threatening a neighbour. Smith argued that King’s actions on that day showed clear intent to do harm, describing the pursuit as evidence that King was “hunting” and “stalking” the police. Judge Cooper was told that King had bought the crossbow not for recreational purposes but to arm himself in the event of need, motivated by a sense of grievance and revenge towards his neighbours and the police. The day before the attack, King had called police after his windows were allegedly broken, and he felt the matter had not been handled appropriately.
In mitigation, King’s barrister, Mark Kimsey, painted a picture of a man suffering from a worsening mental condition, with a history of anxiety and depression. Kimsey suggested that cannabis use may have been an aggravating factor and noted that King’s possession of the crossbow was, at the time, legal without a licence. Kimsey told the court that King was "embarrassed and ashamed" by his actions, which he insisted were "totally out of character." King himself, appearing in court in a green long-sleeved top and wooden beaded necklace, waved and made a heart gesture to his family seated in the public gallery. He was described as having been "doing extremely well" while on remand since May 2024.
The incident prompted a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as is standard following a police shooting. The IOPC concluded its investigation in November 2024, commending the "courage, professionalism and sound judgment" of the officers involved. Detective Inspector Nick Hind, the senior investigating officer, told Sky News, "Jason King will now serve a substantial prison sentence as a result of his violent actions on 10 May 2024. The community and residents of Downley are much safer for it." Hind described King as "an extremely dangerous man, who posed a significant threat to police, other emergency services and members of the community."
The case has reignited debate over the accessibility of weapons like crossbows and the pressures faced by frontline police officers. While King’s defence argued that ownership of such weapons is not illegal, the prosecution and the judge made clear that the context of their use can have devastating consequences. The bravery of PC Foster and his colleagues was commended by the court, with Judge Cooper stating that their actions likely prevented further tragedy.
As the dust settles in Downley, the scars of that day remain. The community, the victims, and even King himself will not soon forget the events of May 10, 2024—a day when one man’s grievances erupted into violence, and ordinary officers found themselves fighting for their lives and the safety of those around them.
