Hammer-attack robbers jailed for stealing £6,800 Rolex watch from victim's wrist

Nicholas Owen and Callum Halkyard took a £6,800 Rolex watch off the man's wrist and stole three mobile phones and a bank card before fleeing a taxi.

Leeds Crown Court was told recently that the victim had been staying at bedsit with his partner on Blackburn Court in Pontefract on January 5 last year, when there was a knock at the door at around 6.20am.

The victim could see three men at the window, and he tried to ring the police but his phone was dead.

The males then walked through the front door which had been left unlocked.

The victim, who recognised Owen, Halkyard and a third man, managed to push them back through the door, but one of them hit him on the feet with a hammer and began shouting "where's the money?" at him.

Halkyard then ripped the watch from the victim's wrist and they continued to hit him with the hammer as he lay stricken on the floor.

The victim managed to run off pursued by the third man, who is still wanted by police, but the victim was able to flag down a passing car and flee.

The three men left in a taxi minutes later, taking with them the watch, phones and bank card. The total value of the property taken was £7,040.

The court was told that the victim had advertised the expensive Rolex for sale on Facebook, and was meant to be selling it later that day.

He had cuts and bruises to his head and bruised toes from the hammer attack.

Police later found the 9in knife and a hammer dumped just yards from the property.

After nearby CCTV footage showed the three men at the property, Owen and Halkyard were arrested.

Owen gave no comment during interview then denied he was on the footage, while Halkyard denied any involvement.

Owen, 44, of Smawthorne Avenue, Castleford, has 26 previous convictions, including GBH and burglaries. He admitted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a hammer.

Halkyard, 20, of Tarn Close, Castleford, has 27 convictions including multiple burglaries. He admitted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a knife.

During a recent hearing at Leeds Crown Court, Sean Smith, mitigating for Owen, said: "It was not a professional or well-planned activity.

"The reality is that it was conceived on that day. The complaint is known to them, it's not against a random member of the public."

Mitigating for Halkyard, Ben Thomas told the court that his client was "more of a follower than a leader", and has a very low IQ, giving him the mental age of a 12-year-old.

He said he lost his mother weeks before this incident, and a friend a month before, which is why he got involved with Class A drugs.

Mr Thomas added: "It was money and drugs they were after rather than a targeted robbery for expensive goods. There's not a high degree of planning.

"He has expressed remorse. The time he has spent in custody has allowed him to reflect on the impact of what he has done."

The case was moved to Bradford Crown Court on Monday for sentencing, where Halkyard was handed six years in jail and Owen was given a prison sentence of seven years and six months.

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