Published date: 28 September 2016 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
ONE of three men who attacked a man in his shop later got involved in a protracted siege on the roof top of a house.
The day after the attack in Flint town centre, the three attackers were chased by police in a vehicle in Blacon, Chester.
Two were arrested after their vehicle crashed into a car and a bus on the estate.
The third escaped – and was later involved in the siege in Blacon when he pretended to have a gun and goaded the police to shoot him, saying he wanted to go like Raoul Moat and Dale Cregan.
Clockwise from top left: Ricky Jones, 29; Jones pictured on the rooftop in Blacon; Leon Lavelle, 26; Steven Lavelle 29.
A crowd gathered as he smashed his way out onto the roof and hurled tiles down at police cars below.
Charges of aggravated burglary were dropped at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday after Leon Lavelle, 26, of no fixed abode; Steven Lavelle, 29, of Seabank Road in Rhyl, and Ricky Jones, 26, of Durham Road, Blacon, admitted an alternative charge of assault on Warren Hughes at the Cash for You shop in Chester Road, Flint, on April 7.
Leon Lavelle admitted a charge of dangerous driving in Blacon on April 8 and Jones admitted affray and two counts of criminal damage on April 15 following the rooftop stand-off.
Judge Geraint Walters jailed Jones and Leon Lavelle for 20 months and Steven Lavelle for 12 months.
Jones was banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to take an extended driving test.
The judge said that, in an apparent dispute over a woman, the three of them went as a gang into the shop and a baseball bat was wielded to cause property damage.
“It must have been terrifying for the victim,” he said.
“Mercifully the injuries were not as great as they could have been.”
The day after Leon Lavelle had driven dangerously and managed to crash into a car and a bus.
Jones was later involved in “bizarre behaviour” where he pretended to have a gun in the attic and then climbed through the roof and was involved in a stand-off which drew the attention of many people at the time.
Prosecutor Frances Wilmott told how it was 11.45am, the three defendants entered the shop in Flint, Mr Hughes was in an office with his feet on the desk, and he ended up against a rear wall curled up trying to protect himself. He was struck repeatedly.
A metal baseball bat – which the defendants had not taken to the store – was not used in the attack but used by Jones to try and smash his way out of the premises when the victim’s cousin Craig Hughes held the shop door shut after he failed to stop the attack.
They left shouting about Anthony, the victim’s brother.
Anthony Hughes arrived saying the three men had been to his house because he had been seeing a girl and was now going back out with his ex-girlfriend.
When police later went to arrest Jones, they heard noises in the attic and he said he had a gun and would shoot officers if they came up.
He claimed said he had a fully loaded .38 revolver gun and the
first copper who tried to get in to the loft would ‘get it’.
“If you lay a hand on me, I’ll go out like Moat, “ he said, and also mentioned Cregan.
He removed tiles, went onto the roof and the stand-off continued until the early hours and attracted a significant crowd.
But he came down after 3am when it rained and people had stopped watching.
Philip Tully, for Steven Lavelle, said the background was that his client had started a relationship with a lady that Anthony Hughes used to have a relationship with – and it was alleged that his client had received various threats.
He went to the shop that day to talk to Anthony Hughes’ brother but accepted he ended up assaulting him – but not with a weapon.
It was the defence case that the baseball bat was Warren Hughes’, and that he was disarmed.
CCTV showed that the men did not have a bat when they entered.
The whole incident was over in a minute.
David Potter, for Leon Lavelle, said he was very much the junior partner in the assault and did not land any blows.
But he accepted that his presence lent encouragement.
He was on licence at the time and had been recalled.
It was accepted that the dangerous driving was a serious incident.
Mark Connor, for Jones, said the incident in Flint was none of his concern and he should not have got involved.
When he later became aware he was wanted for aggravated burglary he went on a bender and was high on drink and drugs when he got involved in the stand-off.
He accepted his behaviour on the roof was completely reprehensible but fortunately no one was hurt.
DC Ross Tutton said afterwards: “Criminals who engage in violence can expect to spend time behind bars.
“I am pleased the courts have taken these individual off our streets.
see-http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/167240/rooftop-siege-man-goaded-police-to-shoot-him-as-flint-shop-attack-trio-are-jailed.aspx
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