Alexander Dighton gets a life sentence for attempted murder and a terror-linked police station attack
A man who launched a Molotov cocktail attack on a Welsh police station has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 22 years. Alexander Dighton, 28, from Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, attempted to murder a police officer during a frenzied assault outside Talbot Green police station in January.
Wearing body armour and armed with a hatchet, knife, wooden pole, and homemade firebombs, Dighton stormed the station, attacking officers in a rampage that left several injured. The Old Bailey heard how he had meticulously planned the assault, fuelled by extremist anti-government ideology and online radicalisation.
Counter Terrorism Policing Wales had previously interviewed Dighton in 2024 after his sister reported concerns over his racist and anti-Islamic views. However, officers concluded at the time that he posed no immediate threat and did not qualify for the government’s Prevent de-radicalisation programme.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC ruled that Dighton’s crimes carried clear terrorist connections. “You targeted the police as a keystone of government power,” he said, highlighting Dighton’s intent to send a violent message about his dissatisfaction with law and order in Britain. The judge noted Dighton’s growing fixation on issues like diversity, immigration, and anti-Islamic sentiment, branding his attack as an act of “significant planning” and “serious violence.”
On the day of the attack, Dighton confronted PC Stephanie Fleming outside the police station, declaring, “I’m fed up, I’m done.” He hurled a Molotov cocktail at a police van, which failed to ignite, before setting another alight and smashing van windows with a pole. Despite being tasered and sprayed with Pava spray, Dighton remained aggressive, entering the station foyer where he attacked Sgt Richard Coleman with the pole and punched Det Con Joshua Emlyn.
As three officers struggled to restrain him, Dighton stabbed Det Con Jack Cotton in the leg. Two officers required hospital treatment for their injuries. In total, Dighton pleaded guilty to 10 offences, including attempted murder, attempted arson, assaulting officers, and possessing multiple weapons.
Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones of South Wales Police praised the bravery of his officers but acknowledged the emotional toll. “Ultimately, officers are public servants, but they’re also fathers, mothers, wives, and husbands. The impact on their families has been heartfelt,” he said.
Despite the severity of the incident, Ch Supt Jones reassured the public that Talbot Green remains a safe area, though police have increased patrols and staffing at the station.
Following his arrest, Dighton claimed he had been “damned from birth” and blamed government failures for his radicalisation. When questioned by the judge in an earlier hearing, he admitted his issue was not with authority itself but “the use of authority” he had witnessed since his youth.
Police discovered journals at Dighton’s home filled with anti-immigrant and extremist writings advocating a return to “traditional” society. Prosecutors confirmed he had started planning his attack roughly a month beforehand.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Williams of Counter Terrorism Policing Wales defended the earlier decision not to include Dighton in the Prevent programme. “There was no information at all from that assessment that would give any indication whatsoever that he would go on to commit an attack of this nature,” he said, expressing full confidence in his officers’ judgement.
Dighton’s minimum sentence has been reduced slightly due to time already served on remand. He will also be subject to 30 years of terrorist notification requirements upon his eventual release.
