An armed attempt robber targeted a van with two men inside - but one of them bravely put up a fight. Offender William Robinson was a passenger in a car seen on CCTV following the van before it stopped at a local shop.
Robinson, partially disguised, got out and walked along the pavement before he returned. Recorder Stuart Sprawson, who jailed Robinson, told him he was satisfied he had deliberately targeted the men and van as a potential target for robbery.
After the men returned to their hired white Transit van - Robinson's driver followed them to a cul-de-sac, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Thursday (December 22). "Whoever was driving that vehicle and whoever was involved jointly with you in the enterprise, used the car to block the van's exit," said the judge.
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Robinson, who already had 35 convictions for 166 offences, went to the van carrying a crowbar and a knife. CCTV recorded the sound of 45-year-old Robinson banging on the side of the van, with one of the weapons.
One victim said Robinson was threatening and intimidating and he demanded they hand money over. But one of them was more resilient than Robinson expected, using his legs to kick him away from the van, causing a weapon to fall to the ground.
The man, a builder/labourer, had an injury to his hand from the knife. He could not work for two weeks and the financial loss to him was £800.
The second man in the van said the vehicle was hired and he lost out financially after forking out more than £1,000 for damage.
Robinson, of Berridge Road, Forest Fields, was found guilty of attempted robbery, in Littleover Avenue, Oak Tree, Mansfield, and possessing offensive weapons - the crowbar and knife. David Watts, defending, said: "The offence remains denied."
The judge said Robinson's criminal history was "appalling" - 35 convictions for 106 offences between 1989 and 2019, both as a juvenile and an adult. "There is barely a year you haven't committed offences," said Recorder Sprawson.
Robinson was previously jailed for nine years for grievous bodily harm with intent, and was on licence at the time of these new offences. "I take the view there was planning in this case, such as deliberately targeting that vehicle for the purpose of robbery," added the judge.
Robinson was jailed for six years and four months, with an extended licence of three years on his release, for attempted robbery which took place on Friday, October 8, last year. Sentences of 15 months in prison were handed down concurrently on the possessing offensive weapons charges.
Following arrest, Detective Sergeant Jon Kerry, of Nottinghamshire Police, had said: “This was a frightening incident for the victim and we have been working hard to track down the person or people responsible. I am pleased we now have a suspect in custody and our investigation continues.”
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