Express & Star

Judge hands 'lenient' sentence to getaway driver in mistaken identity hammer attack

Masked raiders burst in to a house in Cannock and attacked a man with lump hammers in a probable case of mistaken address, a court heard.

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The four-to-six-strong gang bundled Simon White into another room of the house in Middleway, away from his wife, and demanded 'where's the money?'

Mr White, who has no criminal connections, resisted as long as he could before crying out 'enough, enough' at which point his tormentors fled empty-handed.

They were driven away from the scene by university student Lancelot Liscombe, who had been roped in by the gang, a jury at Stafford Crown Court ruled.

Liscombe, aged 19, of Colley Avenue, Wolverhampton was convicted of attempted robbery after a trial last month.

On Tuesday he was sentenced to two years in young offender custody - suspended for 18 months - and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid community work.

Recorder, Professor Martin Wasik told him; "You were involved in driving a number of other people in your own car to an address you didn't know. The other people got out, put on disguises and forced an entry in to the premises where householder Mr White was attacked with a weapon and his partner held in a different room while her husband was assaulted.

"At the time, the men were repeatedly asking Mr White for money. I remember from the trial it was never established what the motive was. It may be the case they got the wrong address. Mr and Mrs White had no previous connection with any criminal nor was there any reason why they had been targeted in this way. It was a nasty assault, it must have been a horrible experience.

"I am sure it was accepted by the jury your sole role was to drive the men to that address, you were not part of the initial plan, I suspect you became involved at a late stage.

"You knew these men and they came to you because you had a vehicle and they thought they could rely on you or put some pressure on you. The jury rejected your evidence you were an entirely innocent party. When the other men got out of a car, what you should have done is drive off, told the police and shopped the other guys."

The judge said he recognised the suspended sentence was lenient, but not unduly lenient.

Mr Michael Grey, prosecuting, said Liscombe was linked to the crime after blood was found on the driver's seat of his car which matched Mr White's DNA.

The attack took place in the early hours of August 14 last year and the defendant was arrested a short time later when police stopped his car.

"Mr White was there badly injured, but not seriously injured. He had received a beating that left him with a cut to his head and bruising to the back," said Mr Grey.

None of the other intruders, who were armed with short-handled lump hammers, have been caught.

Mr Anthony Bell, defending, said: "He is not a man you would expect to be involved in this. He is of previous good character, hard-working, a student looking to better himself in legitimate ways."

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