Benedict Cumberbatch has lived a pretty quiet life for years now. He married Sophie Hunter and they’re now parents to three sons. They live in London, and Benedict works a lot while Sophie raises their kids. Gone are the days when Benedict was everywhere, doing the most and giving interviews constantly. I’m not sure if Benedict ever moved his family out of his “bachelor pad” – his London home which he had owned for years – or whether he and Sophie simply renovated it for their family. But it’s well-known among fans that Benedict lives in north London, and he used to get pap’d in his neighborhood with some frequency. That is perhaps how a stalker came to know Benedict’s address, and how that stalker came to terrorize Benedict and his family. This story is so disturbing.
Benedict Cumberbatch and his family were left fearing for their lives when a former chef at a luxury hotel launched a ranting knife attack at the star’s home. Jack Bissell, 35, kicked his way through the front garden’s iron gate at the actor’s £3.5million house in north London, ripped the intercom off the wall and made a series of terrifying threats.
Bissell, who has not explained his outburst, was shouting: ‘I know you’ve moved here, I hope it burns down,’ a court heard.
Cumberbatch, 46, his wife Sophie Hunter, 45, and their three young children were in the home at the time and could hear Bissell smashing into the garden and screaming abuse. The former chef de partie at the five-star Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair then pulled out one of the family’s plants and threw it at the garden wall, spat at the intercom and prised it loose using a fish knife.
A source said: ‘Naturally all of the family were absolutely terrified and thought this guy was going to get in and hurt them. Luckily it never went that far. Benedict and Sophie have had many sleepless nights since worrying that they may be targeted again. The fact that it was a targeted intrusion makes it a lot more scary.’
Bissell fled the scene but was arrested after police found his DNA on the intercom. He admitted criminal damage at Wood Green Crown Court earlier this month, was fined £250 and given a three-year restraining order banning him from approaching the Cumberbatch family and the area in which they live. Prosecutors said that before targeting the Sherlock star’s home, Bissell bought two packets of pitta bread from a shop nearby and shouted to the shopkeeper that he was going to break into Cumberbatch’s house and burn it to the ground. It is not clear why Bissell targeted the Oscar nominee. He offered no defence in court.
“Bissell bought two packets of pitta bread from a shop nearby and shouted to the shopkeeper that he was going to break into Cumberbatch’s house and burn it to the ground”– dafaq?? And only giving this guy a small fine and a restraining order? The restraining order is fine, but considering what he did – property damage, making deadly threats – I would have expected jail time and perhaps court-ordered therapy for his obvious mental health issues. Do y’all not do that in Britain? Good lord.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter pose at the premiere of ‘The Power of the Dog’ during the 78th Venice Film Festival at Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido in Venice, Italy, on 02 September 2021.,Image: 630060873, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: picture alliance / dpa, Model Release: no, Credit line: Hubert Boesl / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- Benedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter attend the American Express Gala and UK Premiere of ‘The Power Of The Dog’ at The 65th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, England, UK on Monday 11 October, 2021.,Image: 637605206, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/Retna/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – DECEMBER 13: Theatre director Sophie Hunter and husband/actor Benedict Cumberbatch arrive at the Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ held at the Regency Village Theatre on December 13, 2021 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 648030374, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Sophie Hunter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Credit line: Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter arrive for the 75th EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK,Image: 669448702, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Shaw / Avalon
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- Oscar® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter arrive on the red carpet of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at the Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673542314, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
Right. No mental eval? No time for the threats…while wielding a knife? No community service? “Just a bit of mischief, old chap?” Mmkay.
At least he didn’t hold up a blank piece of paper!
This comment is gold.
I have always been a Benedict fan and I am glad he and his wife and kids are safe.
Yeah, this is frightening on so many levels. He ripped out their intercom. That alone is premeditated and he should have gotten a jail sentence.
That a Psych Eval. wasn’t part of his sentencing process is alarming to me. They should have held him until he had been evaluated and then sentence him accordingly. If he’s having an episode or is off his meds, he could still be dangerous to that family.
WTF??? this is crazy!
Terrifying, and the family was home at the time.
This man should be sectioned and he needs mental health care.
He is a danger to the public not only to BC.
Any one of them could have been out in the garden. It is pure luck none of them was confronted by this madman outside.
The cops won’t do anything until it’s too late and it’s thoughts and prayers.
This isn’t about cops, it should be the court system that handles this. We had a similar occurrence in my neighborhood between a mentally unwell woman and a storekeeper (who I know well). Cops came in and did their job, but all the woman got was a restraining order. She kept coming back and the cops kept arresting her. She eventually stopped coming back, but we checked the jail records and she wasn’t there. Maybe she finally got sent somewhere for a psych evaluation or moved on, we don’t know. But it was scary and it didn’t have to be reoccurring if there were measures in place for mentally unwell people. Then again, I can see is being catastrophic if the government was put in charge of the mentally unwell.
The cops did their job. They investigated, used the dna to identify and find him and arrested him. This is on the court system. It’s completely crazy and unless something isn’t being reported—like a plea deal that calls for mental health counseling or something—then it’s a disgrace.
He wielded a knife, dismantled an intercom, and forced his way through a gate while carrying two bags of pitas…?!?!?! I guess if someone is unstable, you can’t be surprised when they do unstable things, but that image is surreal.
And the cashier was just like, “Here’s your change. Go have fun!” Phew.
The cashier probably just thought the person was ranting and raving. Like how many people would really think this person was for real?
That is horrifying. And it is depressing. If a rich white man with all of the privilege that entails can’t get his stalker to have more than a slap on the wrist, well women and minorities stock up on the pepper spray? The Justice system worldwide is a mess. The US doesn’t protect victims much better. On detective shows the first thing they check when they find a murdered person is who they had a restraining order against…sigh
I’ll give just my 2 cents here but this was premeditated quite in advance and he targeted them when they were home. The Guardian also reported there was a blanket order on this piece of news and it was only lifted recently…
To be honest, this doesn’t seem the work of a disgruntled insane fan, it seems of another nature. This guy also used to work for a 5-star hotel, it makes me think maybe he had something against Benedict personally? Or… he’s some radicalised far right thug, which we have in abundance on this side of the pond too.
Glad they’re all fine but a restraining order in the UK is difficult to enforce even for celebrities, best of luck to Benedict and his family.
Holy crow, that’s even worse!
I hope Sophie, Benedict and the kids can stay safe and feel safe again.
This man needs help at the very least and a simple fine and restraining order is not enough.
Yes, for me it reads less like a stalker and more like someone with a personal and unhinged grudge. Like he thinks he got hims sacked or something
Not to play down the seriousness, but I would like to know more on the background.
Also why a fish knife? was it a filleting one (big, sharp and scary) or the other flat type that is small and hasnt got sharp bits?
and the pitta bread is just bonkers.
This sentence is terrifying. If this is all the consequence for an A list celeb what does the average person, especially women and children, expect to get?
How terrifying and I’m glad they are physically ok. Can we please stop attributing events like this to mental illness? Plenty of people with mental illnesses are very productive and wonderful contributing members of society without violent impulses. Some people are just plain evil, mean, entitled, and stupid. I mean, who doesn’t know about DNA evidence and crime scenes in 2023?
I can’t believe he got off so easy with this violent premeditated attack, basically guaranteeing that it will happen again, if not BC then to someone else. But I really hope it won’t happen again….
We should stop to use mental illness as a blanket term. Mental illnesses are as varied as physical illnesses and nobody would throw diabetis, a virus infection, and a broken leg together.
This man had a weapon and broke onto private property and got a £250 pound fined and was sent on his way .
Since the police are no help Benedict and his wife are going to have to step up security for their home and themselves and security system.
What the British media isn’t saying Harry is somehow involved to prove his case for security??? (Sarcasm).
This is so scary and makes you wonder what other threats have happened that haven’t been reported. This makes me think of Tom and Zawe and their baby too. Everyone knows where his house is and considering all the racist comments/threats to the family, I hope they either move or drastically increase security.
It’s disturbing to read something like that, but it looks like the assaulter is someone with mental health issues. The area where Benedict (and also Tom) lives is as safe as it gets in London. I also live in North London and never felt unsafe in the neighborhood.
$3.5M home, behind an iron gate, on private property, I’d assume a home security system too.
This perp needs to be in jail he is clearly a danger to the general public.
I’d be looking into moving, that’s how disturbing this sounds to me.
Glad they’re OK although I’m sure it will take a while for them to feel safe again in their own home. I hope their sons were somewhat shielded from it.
Thanks George Osbourne and co. Austerity bites again. The Met Police also just announced that they won’t be sending officers out for mental health calls (unless life/lives are endangered which I see being the case here). It’s not looking good.
That is so upsetting. I hope they are doing okay and have the support they need.
Yes ❗
When I read this headline, I immediately thought of George and Olivia Harrison being violently attacked in their home by a schizophrenic man. Life is violent and chaotic, even when one has the best intentions in one’s heart. So glad no one was physically harmed. I wish the Cumberbatch family well.