Three men jailed for Barry robbery

Tyler Partridge, 25, Leighton Drew, 27 and Kyle Richards, 28, all of Barry, were charged with robbery and appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, June 27, for sentencing.

Kyle Richards was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon – a machete.

All pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.

Drew and Partridge received four-and-a-half years in jail, while Richards received a five-and-a-half year sentence.

The charges relate to robbery which took place in Everard Street in the town on Wednesday, May 15.

The victim, a 39-year-old man, was walking with his friend when he was approached by the three defendants.

One of the defendants grabbed him by his neck and dragged him to the floor.

They demanded he hand over his money.

The machete caused a laceration to the victim’s hand which required hospital treatment.

The defendants stole cash, a house key, tobacco and a mobile from the victim’s pockets.

Armed police were deployed to ensure the safety of the public and officers in the area.

The three defendants were quickly arrested near to the wooded area of Gladstone Road.

Barry CID detective inspector, Simon Morgan said: “I would like to thank members of the community for their actions in reporting this incident and assisting officers at the scene, this helped to ensure arrests were made as quickly as possible.

“The positive response from the community throughout our investigation has been crucial in securing these sentences.

“This incident could easily have resulted in more serious injuries with the use of a machete. South Wales Police is committed to tackling knife crime and robustly dealing with those involved in such criminality.

“We hope these sentences send out a strong message to anyone considering carrying or using a knife or other offensive weapons for criminal purposes to think of the consequences.”

Anyone with any information regarding the use or carrying of knives, should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.