A robbery victim celebrating a birthday night out was left half-naked in a street with severe facial injuries after he was set upon by three men in Warrington.
During the violent attack, one of the robbers deliberately pulled off the victim’s trousers and shoes and they all fled with his wallet and phone leaving him with severe facial fractures including a broken jaw in multiple places and a fractured cheekbone.
A judge yesterday (Thursday) jailed each of the trio – Dominic Bennett, Wesley Burton and Jason Millman, all from Orford, Warrington – for eight years.
Judge David Potter described it as “a traumatic incident” which had been “protracted and very violent.” He said that the victim, Sean Acton, had been repeatedly assaulted and thrown to the ground and was held in a choke hold for almost a minute, then “degradingly” left without his trousers.
Bennett, 35, of Marron Avenue; Millman, 54, of McKee Avenue and Burton, 41, of Crowe Avenue, all pleaded guilty to robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Burton also admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and two counts of assaulting emergency workers in an earlier incident and received four months consecutively.
Ben Stanley, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that on September 12 last year, Mr Acton went for a birthday night out and in the early hours of the morning he and a friend went to Longford shops near the Tesco Express in Orford.
When he arrived the defendants and another man approached his car and referred to a previous incident involving Mr Acton’s companion. Mr Acton went to get money from a nearby cash machine and his friend drove off.
CCTV footage was played to the court showing how the men gathered around Mr Acton at the cash point and Bennett struck him first in the face causing him to fall to the ground.
Bennett walked off and Burton hit him while he was still on the ground. Millman offered to help the victim up but he refused his help. He then held him as Bennett assaulted him and the trio collided with the shutters of the shops before falling to the floor.
Bennett was on top of him briefly and after he got up Burton punched him a couple of times. Millman grabbed him from behind and his companions hit Mr Acton and he again fell to the ground.
“Burton then put Mr Acton in a chokehold that lasts for nearly a minute with Millman stood over them before appearing to go through his trousers. During this, Burton rolls over whilst still holding Mr Acton in a chokehold and punching him a number of times,” said Mr Stanley.
“After Burton released the chokehold, someone can be heard saying ‘not yet’. Mr Acton has then stood up and grappled with Burton. Millman and Bennett intervened and pulled Mr Acton into the shutters, and once again he fell to the floor. ”
He was asked if he had any money and was then knocked over again and kicked. Millman took the victim’s trousers off and then the attackers all left the scene.
At hospital it was found that Mr Acton’s jaw was broken in multiple places, for which he needed surgery, and he had a fractured right cheekbone, swelling over both eyes and numerous bruises and cuts to his face and body.
In an impact statement, he later told how he could not speak properly for two or three weeks due to inflammation of his vocal chords after the strangulation and he was on a soft diet.
As he worked in a public-facing role he could not go to work for six weeks because of his facial scars.
“I genuinely thought I would die when being strangled and left in the road before losing consciousness,” he stated.
Mr Stanley said that blood from the victim was found on trainers found at Bennett’s home and Millman’s DNA was found on the collar of the shirt Mr Acton had been wearing.
Eve Salter, defending, said that Bennett, who has ten convictions for 24 offences including violence, is a crack cocaine addict but is now clean of drugs while on remand in prison since the offence.
He is a dad-of-two and is remorseful. “He struggles with his mental health,” she added.
Defence barrister Helen Chenery said that Millman, who has 56 convictions for 145 offences, “cannot understand his behaviour. He had been seen a few minutes earlier helping Mr Acton to his feet.
“He is deeply ashamed of himself and offers his apologies.”
The dad-of-five has been a heroin user since the age of 18 and also uses crack cocaine but for a period of ten years he had managed to stay clean.
“He had gone out for cigarettes and not planned to see the others and does not know to this day why he got involved,” said Miss Chenery.
Peter Gilmore, defending, said that Burton, who has 31 convictions for 52 offences, had become involved out of loyalty to his friends. He used crack cocaine and heroin but stayed off them for four years after his release in 2016 until 2021 when his partner died.
“Drugs are the root of his offending, “ said Mr Gilmore.
1 Comment
These men should never see daylight again. They will never learn.