Two men have been jailed for a vicious robbery after a man had his head repeatedly “stomped on” in an alleyway off York’s main shopping street.
Andrew Horsman, 43, and Marcus Stannard, 33, were “blown on drugs” when they pounced on the 37-year-old victim in the alley off Coney Street and stole his iPhone, a bracelet, a wallet and its contents.
He was kicked in the back of the head and stamped on, York Crown Court heard.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Thursday 24 July after the victim had been on a night out with work colleagues.
Prosecutor Rob Galley said the victim had walked into an alleyway just before 2.30am and Horsman and Stannard followed him in.
He suddenly felt a “thud” to the back of his head and his next recollection was being laid out on the ground as the robbers tried to grab his mobile phone from his hand.
His face was then stamped on and he was kicked twice to the back of the head, at which point he appeared to have lost consciousness. Following the attack, he called out for help for about 40 minutes as he started choking on his own blood – but no-one came to his aid.
CCTV footage showed the robbers walking from the scene down Coney Street and on to Shambles where they were later arrested.
Stannard was found with two of the stolen items and Horsman with the stolen phone. The value of the items was about £1,400. They were each charged with robbery and admitted the offence.
Terrible injuries
Stannard, of no fixed address and, Horsman, who was had been living at the Peasholm homeless shelter in Fishergate, appeared for sentence via video link yesterday (Monday) after being remanded in custody.
Prosecuting barrister Mr Galley said the named victim had been on a night out with friends and left a restaurant in the city centre at about 11.30pm.
He was still walking in the city centre by 2.30am when the robbery occurred in the alley near the Boots store.
Mr Galley said the “terrified” victim had been shouting for help for “the best part of” 40 minutes in the alleyway. He was heard by members of the public, but they were too “nervous” to go into the secluded alley to assist him.
Police officers then arrived on the scene, along with ambulance staff who took him to hospital where he was “in and out consciousness” and struggling to breathe.
He was treated for injuries including a broken or displaced nasal bone, swelling to his bloodied nose and bruising to both eye sockets, swelling to his forehead which was crusted with blood, “shooting pains” to his neck and cuts to his head.
His eye and head wounds were glued shut and his nose had to be re-set.
He spent up to four days in hospital as he remained in and out of consciousness as medical staff monitored his “abnormal, fast” breathing. He had seizures and was in so much pain he was put on morphine, before finally being discharged on 27 July.
In a statement read out by the prosecution, the victim said he thought he was going to die as he was viciously “beaten and mugged” in the alleyway.
He said he was “heartbroken” at the theft of his phone because it was his “lifeline” to family members who had serious health conditions.
“They stole my confidence and they stole the person I used to be,” he added.
“I’m no longer happy, chatty and confident.”
His life had been “turned upside down” since the attack and he was now struggling to sleep. He longer took the same route to work, had lost weight and suffered panic attacks.
‘Liable to kill’
Mr Galley said Horsman had 39 previous convictions for 116 offences including many burglaries and other acquisitive crimes such as fraud.
Stannard’s rap sheet comprised 18 previous convictions for 35 crimes including offences against the person, shoplifting and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs which resulted in an eight-year prison sentence in 2018.
Defence barrister Tom Jackson, for Horsman, said that his client, who was a grandfather, had relapsed into drug use at about the time of the attack.
Sean Smith, for Stannard, said his client also had a long-standing drug problem and had been homeless “for some considerable time”.
He said that Stannard had played a lesser role in the violence against the victim.
Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said the robbers had effectively “stalked a man down an alleyway” before seizing their opportunity to rob him.
He added: “(The victim) was put to the floor and repeatedly stamped on. If you stamp on somebody on the floor, you are liable to kill them.
“This man’s life has changed. He is no longer the same person. It was in the early hours of the morning. Both of you were blown on drugs.”
Stannard and Horsman were each jailed for four years and two months.
