Ricky Lee Richards was jailed for 64 months at Swansea Crown Court
A MASKED, armed raider who help-up two Swansea corner shops with a knife in the space of 20 minutes has been jailed for a total of 64 months.
Ricky Lee Richards pulled a kitchen knife on the terrified shopkeepers and demanded money — he was chased-off empty handed from one store, and stole cash and tobacco from the other.
Swansea Crown Court heard the 27-year-old had a history of offending with weapons, including inflicting grievous bodily harm with a golf club, and using a Stanley knife in a street robbery.
Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said that on the morning of June 4 a balaclava-wearing Richards had gone into the Premier Store in Llangyfelach Street in Brynmelyn and produced a knife — however the shopkeeper chased him away with a toy baseball bat.
Above: Richards raided shops on Llangyfelach Street and Carmarthen Road in the space of 20 minutes (Pic Google)
Some 20 minutes later the defendant went into the near by Spar shop in Carmarthen Road, and again produced a knife — he went behind the counter of the shop, forced the shopkeeper into a corner, and helped himself to tobacco and money from the till.
Richards, of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, robbery, and possessing an offensive weapon when he appeared for sentencing.
The court heard he had 26 convictions for some 58 offences, including for GBH with a golf club, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a knife and making threats, and attempted robbery involving a Stanley knife.
Andrew Evans, for Richards, said his client had been addicted to controlled drugs "for a very, very long time".
He added that Richards's partner was expecting their baby in January, and that he would miss the birth of the child and its formative years as a result of the inevitable custodial sentence he would receive for the shop raids.
Judge Philip Harris-Jenkins said the raids had shown a degree of planning, with Richards going equipped with a knife, gloves and balaclava. He said it must have been a terrifying experience for the shop staff involved - and for the customers who had been present in the Spar when he struck.
Judge Harris-Jenkins then said he had to consider whether or not the defendant should be considered a dangerous offender under the terms of the legislation, and therefore should be given an extended sentence for public protection.
He said that though a pre-sentence report into Richards concluded he posed a "high risk of serious harm to the public" and had a history of knife offences, the weapon in the shop raids had been brandished rather than used, and his last conviction had been some years ago — therefore he would not impose an extended sentence.
For the attempted robbery he sentenced Richards to two years in prison, and for the robbery 40 months, both to run consecutively — for possessing an offensive weapon he sentenced him to eight months to run concurrently, making a total of 64 months.
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/swansea-knife-point-shop-raider-jailed/story-29795065-detail/story.html#YZZyo8PhV1pxmhmY.99
No comments:
Post a Comment