Stourbridge thug jailed for terrifying robbery in victim's home (From Halesowen News)

Stourbridge thug jailed for terrifying robbery in victim's home

4:59pm Friday 14th September 2012 in News

A STOURBRIDGE man was among a gang jailed for more than 30 years after subjecting their victim to a terrifying ordeal.

Timothy Partridge, from Trinity Road, was caged at Wolverhampton Crown Court for his part in the violent robbery of a 50-year-old ailing and immobile Cradley man in his 12th floor flat.

Judge Martin Walsh said it was clear Partridge, aged 47, along with Richard Homer and Aaron Rowbottom, had targeted their vulnerable victim who now felt his life had been ruined.

He said Vincent Homer - no relation to Richard Homer - had been "terrified" by the robbers who carried a screwdriver and a chisel as they tried to get away with property of great sentimental value.

Bernard Linnemann, prosecuting, said Rowbottom was known to Mr Homer and after he gained access to his flat he let in his two masked accomplices.

He said aggressive demands were made to Mr Homer to open the safe in his kitchen while the robbers also told him to give them the pin number to his cashcard.

Richard Homer went to get money from the account but Mr Homer had given him the wrong pin number and, when he returned to the flat, the victim was brutally punched in the face by Partridge.

The three men then took cameras, mobile telephones and £30 in cash from the safe together with jewellery belonging to Mr Homer's late wife.

Rowbottom then left with the correct pin number to Mr Homer's bank account but he was arrested by police officers who had been summoned to the multi-storey block.

A friend of Mr Homer's went to call on him and he heard the demands being made by the robbers as they trashed a bedroom and he quickly notified police.

In a victim impact statement Mr Homer told officers he was terrified the men would return to kill him and the robbery was "something he would never get over."

Richard Homer, 41, of St George's Road, Dudley, Rowbottom, 34, of Northfield Road, Netherton and Partridge all admitted robbery and they were each jailed for ten-and-a-half years.

The judge told them they all had extremely bad criminal records and added; "This was a particularly serious robbery involving a vulnerable victim who was unwell and immobile."