A judge has praised the “remarkable bravery” of a Lincolnshire couple who sat on a violent house burglar.
Former railway worker John Headington, 85, and his wife Susan, 57, managed to sit on intruder Robert Barnes, 28, for several minutes until police arrived at their South Lincolnshire home.
Barnes was carrying a metal butter knife in the front pocket of his jacket and had used a brick to smash his way in to the property while the couple slept, a court heard.
Mrs Headington was woken at 1am by the sound of Barnes breaking in through their kitchen door, Lincoln Crown Court was told.
Andrew Scott, prosecuting, said Mrs Headington saw the light on in the upstairs room where her retired husband kept his prized model railway collection and decided to ring the police.
Mr Headington, who has had two hip replacements, is a Korean War veteran. He got Barnes in a bear hug as he emerged from the room carrying some of his most valuable model trains.
“Barnes barged past Mr Headington who fell backwards against the landing wall” Scott told the court.
“As Barnes continued down the stairs he ripped the phone from Mrs Headington but then fell down and rolled onto the floor near some cupboards.
“Mrs Headington sat on Barnes and was joined by her husband who had blood on his arm. He also sat on Barnes and they remained on top of him until the police arrived.”
Barnes was found to be drunk and told officers he had to commit the burglary to survive because he was homeless.
A metal butter knife and some of Mr Headington’s train collection were recovered from Barnes on his arrest.
During interview Barnes claimed to have no memory of the burglary after drinking a litre of vodka and whiskey.
The court heard Barnes had previous convictions for obstructing a police officer, possessing criminal property and supplying cannabis.
Moving victim impact statements from Mr and Mrs Headington were read out during the hearing.
Mr Scott added: “Mr Headington was a lifelong railway worker and since his retirement has expressed his affection for his job through two model railways in his home.
“Four of the engines taken in the burglary were valued at £500 and five of the carriages at £200.
“The engines were of particular sentimental value as they were models of trains Mr Headington worked on as a young lad.
“Mr Headington has sought an expert to examine the damage but has been told the parts can not be replaced which has left him heartbroken.
“Mrs Headington says the couple were both injured during the confrontation and now struggle to sleep.”
Barnes, of no fixed address, admitted carrying out the burglary on November 20 and a second charge of possessing a bladed article.
Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst described the couple’s bravery as remarkable.
The judge told Barnes: “Mr and Mrs Headington must have been terrified by the presence of you in their home, purporting violence against them.
“They have behaved with remarkable bravery. It is a testimony to them that they managed to hold you until the arrival of the police.”
Judge Hirst sentenced Barnes to two years imprisonment for the burglary and an extra four months for the knife offence.
The judge added: “The occupants were at home, you took highly sentimental items and damaged them beyond repair.
“Violence was used against the Headington’s. It is right to say it was not punches, but you barged past an 85-year-old man.
“People who carry knives, even if they are not produced when committing a burglary, must receive a consecutive sentence of imprisonment.”
Neil Sands, mitigating for Barnes, said he did not punch or kick his victims.
“This was a man who was clearly very drunk,” Mr Sands added.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The problem of cyclists ignoring signage and riding on the main pedestrian precinct in Grimsby is “really bad”, according to a local resident.
The local council has been enforcing the issue since 2019, but BBC Look North said it appears only a handful of people are actually getting off their bikes and pushing them in the precinct.
There are no cycling and pedestrian only signs and even one stating there would be a £100 fine, but some cyclists in Grimsby are still choosing to ignore the rules.
When BBC Look North visited Grimsby one cyclist admits he shouldn’t be cycling and gets off to push his bike. A man with another cyclist swears when told about the rules not being followed.
A man called Trevor who initially contacted BBC Look North about the issue said: “I come down this High Street very often and I see cyclists just rushing by. One day there’s going to be a serious accident on the High Street here.”
Another resident said: “It’s really bad, it happens every five minutes around here, especially at weekends it’s even worse. They don’t stop, they don’t care.”
A 38-year-old man from a North Lincolnshire village charged with murder will face an eight-day trial later this year.
Emergency services were called at 4.23am on Saturday, July 2 to reports that a man was seriously injured on South Parade in central Doncaster.
The 28-year-old victim was taken to hospital but was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.
A post-mortem examination found that he died of injuries to his head, chest and abdomen.
Formal identification of the victim is yet to take place, South Yorkshire Police said earlier this week.
Steven Ling, 38, of Park Drain, Westwoodside in North Lincolnshire, has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody to appear at Doncaster Magistrates Court on Monday, July 4.
Ling later appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, July 5 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
No pleas were entered during the hearing, but an eight-day trial was set for November 28, 2022. Ling has now been remanded into custody until the next hearing.
Whatsapp
