Gainsborough: Pair attacked their victim with wire cutters as he begged them to stop

Two men who attacked and robbed their victim in his own home have each been jailed for more than five years at Lincoln Crown Court.
Shaun DoughtyShaun Doughty
Shaun Doughty

Shaun Doughty and John Woodcock called at the man’s home and demanded that he open his safe and give them the money.

Jonathon Dee, prosecuting, said that Doughty, who knew the victim, then struck him in the face and leg with a pair of wire cutters.

Mr Dee said “The victim begged them not to hit him.”

John WoodcockJohn Woodcock
John Woodcock

“Woodcock then joined in the assault striking several punches to the head and face.”

The victim eventually opened the safe and the pair took the jewellery it contained. They also took a mobile phone. Both Doughty and Woodcock struck him a number of further blows before the pair decided to leave.

Mr Dee said “As they left Doughty slapped the man to the face and told him not to phone the police.”

However the victim’s partner had already fled from the property and raised the alarm.

Doughty was arrested the following day but denied he was responsible and said he was with his girlfriend in Lincoln at the time. Woodcock also claimed he was elsewhere.

Shaun Doughty, 29, of no fixed address, and John Woodcock, 40, of Dunstall Walk, Gainsborough, both pleaded guilty to robbery as a result of the incident on 7th September 2014. They were each jailed for five years and seven months.

Emma Goodall, for Doughty, said the value of the property taken was low level and the victim did not have hospital treatment for his injuries.

She said: “The offence is linked to his alcohol addiction. From his teenage years he has been addicted to heroin but since his last sentence he has been free of heroin but substituted heroin misuse for alcoholism.”

“He realises now that he needs to address the underlying issues responsible for his offending.”

Joanne Staples, for Woodcock, admitted her client had been addicted to amphetamine and had a “terrible record” of previous offending.

She said: “He wasn’t the main protagonist in this. He wasn’t armed and he was not making any verbal threats but fully accepts this was a joint enterprise.”

Recorder Allan Dooley, passing sentence, told them “This robbery was a joint enterprise between the two of you. You committed it together.

“It is said that Woodcock’s involvement was less serious but it seems to me that his very presence was part of the intimidation even though Doughty was the leader when it came to inflicting violence to your victim.”

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