Five-year prison for knifepoint robbery in Sleaford
A man who commited a knifepoint robbery in Sleaford has been handed a five-year prison sentence, Lincolnshire Police has said.
Jordan Ansell, 30, of Jubilee Grove, Sleaford, received the term at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday (April 17), the force said.
The incident took place in Money’s Yard in the early hours of June 29 and involved a sum of £80, it said.
Following sentencing, Lincolnshire Police released a statement, outlining the case.
“Our detectives knew this man represented a serious risk to the public,” it said. “Following his arrest on June 30, they set about unpicking the circumstances by locating CCTV footage, witness statements, and forensic evidence to build the case file.”
Det Con Jim Thompson, who led the investigation, said: “This was a really brazen robbery, and one that could have ended so much worse. Ansell was in an alleyway leading to Southgate, in Sleaford, at around 1.20am, when his victim walked through, went past him, and withdrew £80 from a cashpoint.
“Ansell watched that transaction, then stepped forward to strike up a conversation with him as he walked back, and for some reason then told him he planned to rob two other men nearby. “This is where things escalated. Ansell was told they were drug dealers, and the men were warned and left; within moments Ansell got behind his would-be victim, shouting at him to hand over his drugs and cash. This was all captured on CCTV, and made for very concerning viewing.”
A verbal altercation began, the statement continued, followed by Ansell grabbing the front of his victim’s hooded top and threatening to ‘stick this in the side of you’, it added.
Det Con Thompson said: “He was talking about a knife. He got the money, but continued to make threats to be given drugs before punching his victim in the face, breaking his glasses. The knife was then swiped in front of his face at eye level; while it did not make contact, it was only an inch away. He then lost his grip, and the victim ran away. This was so incredibly reckless, and with no thought about what could happen. We are lucky that we didn’t end up with more serious injuries.”
The statement also detailed a separate incident involving Ansell and a knife from just 11 days earlier.
On June 18, Ansell had also been out in town with a knife, the force said.
On that occasion, he was seen by an off-duty officer from the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, who recognised signs that there may have been criminal activity taking place when he spotted a group of men on his walk home, it continued.
“The officer saw Ansell pull a six-inch knife from his pocket and get into a physical altercation from the opposite side of a car park,” the statement said. “Despite having no stab vest, radio or other protective equipment, he immediately identified himself as a police officer to disperse the people involved, who left the scene while the officer was calling in duty officers. Ansell was arrested a short time later. This incident was heard at the same time, and formed part of the broader evidence against risk that Ansell posed the community in Sleaford.”
Ansell was given a 12-month sentence for that affray and five-month sentence for the weapons charge, both of which will run concurrently, police said.
He entered guilty pleas to all charges, police said.
Ansell’s partner, Laura Leveridge, 34, also of Jubilee Grove, Sleaford, was sentenced to nine months, suspended for two years, for perverting the course of justice for proving a false alibi statement, the statement added. She also entered a guilty plea, police said.