Three men jailed for robbery (From Prestwich and Whitefield Guide)
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Three men jailed for robbery
7:50am Thursday 25th October 2012 in News
Three men have been jailed for violently robbing a man of a Rolex watch and driving off in his car.
Before Bolton Crown Court, Astonn Mitchell-Male, aged 28, of Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, Ben Aaron Helliwell, aged 26, of Howard Street, Radcliffe and Nicholas John Boutcher, aged 32, of Fern Grove, Bury, all pleaded guilty to robbery and aggravated vehicle taking.
On Monday, all three were jailed for four-and-a-half years.
On Tuesday 8 May 2012, the victim, who knew Mitchell-Male, went to pick him up from his house on Ainsworth Road, as they had arranged to go to the gym together.
As soon as he went in the house, the victim was confronted by two masked men who demanded the Rolex watch he was wearing.
The man handed the watch over but still feared for his safety so lashed out in self -defence and he struggled with the trio.
During the encounter, the victim suffered an injury caused by a knife, wielded by one of the defendants.
As he was pinned into a corner, the victim smashed his way through a ground floor window to get out of the house.
The defendants then took the man's car keys and sped off in his Volkswagen Golf.
The getaway was pursued by police following reports of reckless driving. The car crashed into a lamppost and garden wall at Market Street, junction Parkhills Road Bury.
The trio were arrested a short time later.
Detective Constable Dave Looby said: "This was a violent robbery, where the offenders tried to catch out the victim to steal the watch, and then stole the man's car.
"We hope this outcome will bring closure to the victim."
