A robbery victim who came to the assistance of a woman in Maidstone was violently assaulted after he was lured into a trap by a woman pretending to be in distress.
Three people have now been jailed after the man was chased, beaten and warned if he resisted he could be killed.
The victim had been walking along Old Tovil Road during the early hours of 2 January 2024, when he encountered a woman at the corner of Hayle Road pleading for help.
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As he went to assist her, she suddenly grabbed his hand before two men approached.
The victim tried to flee but was chased and bundled to the floor, where he was beaten, kicked and reportedly threatened with a weapon, believed to be a knife. The man’s phone and wallet were stolen, and he was left suffering multiple injuries including bruising and a broken nose.
A police investigation quickly identified the suspects and in the following weeks officers arrested Danas Ambrazevicius, Abigail Dearlove, and Charlie Rider.
At Maidstone Crown Court, Ambrazevicius, 41 and Dearlove, 35, both of no fixed address, denied a charge of robbery but were found guilty after a trial.
On 27 September, Ambrazevicius was sentenced to three years and eight months’ imprisonment.
Dearlove was jailed for a total of five years and four months. This included guilty pleas for a separate case linked to the supply of class A drugs.
Rider, 26, pleaded guilty to the robbery. He also admitted to several counts of making threats with a corrosive substance and assaults on emergency workers, in relation to a separate case.
These charges were linked to an incident on 17 March, when he threw a substance in the faces of four officers called to a disturbance at his home in Knightrider Street, Maidstone. Rider was sentenced at the same court on Thursday 3 October, to three years and three months.
DC Rosie Acton said:
‘This was a robbery which was clearly planned, with Dearlove playing the role of a vulnerable and isolated woman seeking urgent help.
‘The victim’s natural concern and goodwill towards her was callously exploited and met with violence during what can only be described as a cowardly attack, when he was heavily outnumbered.
‘Dearlove continued to shout demands for his possessions, while he was being held down.
‘Robbery offences remain very rare in Maidstone but when they do happen the effect on those targeted can be profound and long lasting. I do hope the victim in this case will feel reassured now that justice has been served.‘