A violent robber befriended man on a night out and led him to an isolated area before putting him in a headlock and brandishing a knife. He took his victim's wallet and his phone to stop him from calling the police.
Caeran Roderick, then 19, took Luke Long's wallet during the frightening incident which took place in Cardiff in the early hours of September 1 last year. The victim was left "shocked and upset" by the robbery and said he "couldn't believe what was happening to him."
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Mr Long had attended the Live Lounge in Cardiff city centre with friends and left on his own at 4am. As he walked down St Mary's Street by the Walkabout bar he heard someone talking behind him and turned round to see Roderick. The two struck up a conversation and began walking together.
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Prosecutor Jason Howells said the two walked towards Butetown and were walking along Dumballs Road when the defendant described the area they were in as "dodgy" and told Mr Long they should walk past a construction site. As they did so, Roderick placed the victim in a head lock and pulled a knife from his pocket with his left hand.
Mr Long tried to get away but was told aggressively to stop resisting and to hand over his wallet, which the victim did. Roderick also told Mr Long to give him his phone so he would be unable to call the police, but the victim was in possession of two phones and gave the defendant the cheaper handset.
The court heard Roderick told Mr Long to count slowly and to walk away before he ran off in the opposite direction. Using the other phone, Mr Long cancelled his cards and contacted the police. He received no injuries as a result of the incident.
Roderick was arrested the next day at his home in Riverside and upon being told he was being arrested on suspicion of robbery, he said "What sort of robbery? A shop or a house or what?" The defendant, now of no fixed abode, later pleaded to robbery. The court was told he was of previous good character but had since been convicted of further assaults and shoplifting. The knife was never recovered.
In mitigation, the court was told Roderick, who is now 20, had been using Spice every day, and at the time was just 19 years old. It was said his father was "well known to the criminal justice system" and following the death of his mother last year he had "gone off the rails".
Sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry said: "You were walking around the city centre carrying a knife and probably under the influence of drugs. This could have turned out even worse. You weren't in control of your senses and had what was described as a Stanley knife. When you grabbed that man, flashing the knife before his eyes, he was of course terrified. Although you might not have intended such consequences, the consequences could have been dreadful."
Roderick was sentenced to three years imprisonment. He will serve one half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
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