– A judge at [City Name] Crown Court today condemned a "despicable and premeditated" attack as three men were jailed for a combined total of 22 years for a violent robbery that left a shopkeeper with life-changing injuries.
In defence of [Name A], barrister [Name] argued that his client had suffered a "difficult upbringing" and had acted under duress from a loan shark. However, the judge dismissed this as "wholly unsubstantiated." reading crown court today
Prosecutor [Name] told the jury that the victim, 58-year-old [Victim Name], was closing up for the night when he was struck over the head with the blunt instrument. "This was not a spontaneous street crime. It was a targeted, brutal operation designed to terrify," the prosecutor said. – A judge at [City Name] Crown Court
The court heard that on the night of [Date], the three defendants—[Name A, 24], [Name B, 31], and [Name C, 29]—stormed a convenience store on [Street Name] armed with a hammer and a knife. "This was not a spontaneous street crime