Knife-attack thug jailed for four years

A "dangerous" thug has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for robbing a man at knifepoint and stealing a teenager's mobile phone in two terrifying attacks.

Drug-fuelled Daniel Donovan, aged 23, threatened the 16-year-old with a claw hammer in Coalpool Park, Walsall, while an accomplice ran off with the youth's phone, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Forty-five minutes later the two thieves struck again, knocking at the door of a nearby house offering to sell ladders to a man at home with his wife and children.

Mr Ranjit Lallie, prosecuting, said the man agreed and drove the pair to a cashpoint for the £20 needed to make the purchase.

After collecting the cash he was elbowed in the face by Donovan who then drew a knife and narrowly missed with a lunge at his head, continued Mr Lallie.

The attackers fled with the money leaving the frightened victim to return home where another man called soon afterwards.

Mr Lallie told the court: "The unknown male warned 'do not tell the police or your house will be burned down.'" But the police were alerted and Donovan was arrested at his home in Wenlock Gardens, Coalpool, the following day last September. Donovan, who had been guilty of a string of previous offences including robbery, attempted robbery and assaulting police, admitted theft, robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Mr Stefan Kolodynski, defending, said: "The problem in this case is drugs. All the offences were drug fuelled."

Donovan was jailed for 54 months by Judge Michael Dudley who told him: "You have a formidable list of previous convictions and committed your first robbery at the age of 14.

"You are a dangerous offender and the public must be protected from you."