Thug jailed over armed raid on father and son
ATHUG from Runcorn has been sentenced to 12 years in prison over a terrifying armed raid in which masked burglars threatened to shoot and stab a Northwich father and son.
Scott Robertson, 26, of The Village Square, Castlefields, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday after jurors convicted him of aggravated burglary, possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and theft.
His co-accused Nathan Ainge, 31, of Blyth Close, Murdishaw, was handed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years for handling stolen goods in connection to a Lexus car key found in his home, but was found not guilty of all charges connected to the raid, namely aggravated burglary, possession of an imitation firearm with intent and possession of weapons.
The trial lasted all week at Chester Crown Court with jurors delivering their verdicts at 3pm on Friday.
Opening the case, Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, said the complainants Richard Crank and his son Duncan were at home on Broomsfield Lane in Barnton, Northwich when two men in Balaclavas and dark clothes burst in through the back door: a taller man brandishing a machete, and the other holding what appeared to be a handgun.
Chester Crown Court heard three further burglars in similar clothes and armed with a knife, baseball bats and a spade head, followed and rushed upstairs, where they could be heard ‘crashing about’.
The machete-wielding burglar hurled Duncan Crank on the floor and told the man with what appeared to be a gun to ‘shoot the f***er, shoot him’, but when he pulled the trigger, it only clicked and did not fire prompting someone to shout ‘stab the f***er’ and ‘he’s the nutter’.
One burglar grabbed £600 from Mr Crank Sr’s pocket, and they also took his car keys, five watches from his bedroom and mobile phones.
They demanded more money and Miss Mottram said they told him ‘they know he’s minted and they’re threatening to chop up his son if he doesn’t have the cash’.
The gang fled, with one of them driving off in Mr Crank Sr’s Nissan Qashqai.
Robertson was convicted after jurors heard evidence linking him to a Citroen Xsara that was spotted by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras leaving Northwich shortly after the burglary and pulling up near the home of Ainge on Blyth Close.
When police searched the vehicle, a fuel receipt identified Robertson as having made the fuel purchase, and officers also found two of the suspected stolen ● watches in the car.
Robertson also fled police when they turned up at his home to arrest him.
At his home address in Village Square, Runcorn, Robertson had pillow cases at home that matched the description of a pillow case with a distinctive New York skyline design described by the victim as being used to carry the stolen loot.
His mobile phone had also sent a message pertaining to someone not receiving their ‘cut’.
He had denied all charges and was represented by Lloyd Morgan.
Ainge, who was cleared of taking part in the burglary, said he was at home with his partner at the time of the raid – at around 8pm on New Year’s Day.
His defence barrister Gareth Bellis had challenged the reliability of cell site phone tracking evidence
Ainge had also testified in person, insisting that a message on his girlfriend’s phone that appeared to show knowledge of the burglary was not sent by him and could have been sent by anyone who had been to his house, which he said had lots of passing visitors.
He said four men had turned up at his house at around 8.30pm shortly after the burglary with wet cannabis to dry out and he refused to name them out of concern for his family’s safety.
Ainge had said a balaclava found in his home and BB gun were for hunting and fishing and a machete was for ‘cutting up dog food’.
He said he did not know how a stolen Lexus car key taken on December 24 from a separate victim to the burglary case had come to be found in a glove in his house, but was convicted for handling stolen goods over the key.
His Honour Judge Simon Berkson sentenced Ainge to 12 months in prison suspended for two years and imposed a sixmonth 8pm-8am curfew.
Robertson was sentenced to 12 years for aggravated burglary and stealing items including cannabis, cash, five watches, phones, car keys, driving licence and bank cards; five years’ concurrent for possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence; and 18 months concurrent for theft.
The court heard some DNA evidence did not make it to court after the forensics company involved collapsed.