Teen robbed by trio during 'murky' underpass attack in Hereford

Scott Dean took the lead in the robbery while Mark Jones and Johnathan Harrison acted as lookouts, Worcester Crown Court heard on Friday.

Dean, aged 29, of Hinton, Hereford, Jones, aged 54, of Aylestone Hill, and Harrison, aged 34, of Rogers Avenue, Hunderton, admitted robbery.

The 17-year-old complainant was robbed at an underpass in Victoria Street, Hereford at around 7.30pm on July 12 last year.

Siobhan Collins, prosecuting, said the defendants surrounded the complainant before he was pinned against a wall by Dean, the others checking to see if anyone was coming. Dean was on bail during the robbery.

During the robbery the teenager was punched to the stomach by Dean and pushed into a wall.

The teenager's mobile phone also fell to the ground, cracking the screen but he managed to pick it up and run away. The damage was placed at £150.

"He was chased for a short time by one of the other two defendants, one with a heavier build" said Miss Collins.

The teenager's rucksack was handed in to police by an unknown male, not one of the three robbers, after it was found in the underpass.

Items missing from the bag included a small bag which contained smoking paraphernalia.

Dean was arrested at 8pm the same evening with the missing items discovered on him.

Jones was also arrested. Both gave no comment interviews.

Harrison was arrested on July 20 and interviewed the same day, claiming there had been an 'issue' between Dean and the complainant but that he had not been involved.

The complainant identified the men in an ID procedure.

Dean's actions placed him in breach of a suspended sentence order of 15 months suspended for 24 months.

Aggravating features of the robbery for Dean were his 'leading role' in what had been a 'group activity'.

Jones fell to be sentenced not only for the robbery but two shoplifting offences, both in Debenhams.

The first happened on January 26 this year when he stole £139 of men's scents and the second the following day when he returned and stole £145 worth of perfume.

Jones was recognised from CCTV and arrested. He made full admissions, saying he planned to sell the fragrances.

Dean already had 47 convictions for 69 offences when he appeared for sentence. Offences on his record include assault occasioning actual bodily harm and burglary, assaulting a constable and criminal damage.

Dean was also convicted of fraud by false representation when he twice used a stolen bank card at Morrisons, drawing £30 from the complainant's account using the contactless system on December 5, 2016. Her handbag had previously been stolen.

Jones was described as 'a career shoplifter' while Harrison has a previous relevant conviction for robbery from 2009 when he received a 12 month prison sentence.

Jason Aris, for Dean, conceded the custody threshold had been crossed and asked the judge to give him maximum credit for his early guilty plea.

He said: "This is a man who has done quite a lot to try and turn his life around. This is someone who really wants to address the problems that he has got."

Lee Masters, for Jones, said two people had died in a shared house where his client lived and he was due to be a witness at the inquest.

Alun Williams, for Harrison, stressed that his client was only facing the robbery charge and said it was 'undoubtedly an unpleasant experience' for the complainant.

Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC said: "The victim is a young man of 17. The circumstances are somewhat murky but it's clear this was a robbery and Mr Dean was the leading light in that robbery."

He jailed Dean for 21 months. He sentenced Jones to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered him to complete 25 rehabilitation activity days and the Thinking Skills Programme.

No separate penalty was imposed on Jones for breaching a conditional discharge or failing to surrender.

Harrison was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for 12 months. He must also complete 30 rehabilitation activity days.