After being seized by the throat, a mother declared that she “truly believed” the thief would murder her.
Following an 11-year-old’s dragged out of bed during a robbery in Northampton, two men have received sentences totaling more than 27 years in prison.
On March 23, having previously entering guilty pleas to a number of counts, Paul Gregory Delaney, 44, of Wareham Road, Birmingham, and Ashton Lee Williams, 33, of Northampton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court to receive their sentences.
The two kicked in the patio door at an Upton address early on May 23, 2023. Inside were a thirtysomething guy and woman, with children sound asleep.
Once inside, Delaney and Williams went to the master bedroom and, according to the police, asked that the residents turn over their cash and jewels.
Delaney and Williams seized the female victim by the throat and yanked the earrings out of her ears. “I truly believed that he was going to kill me,” she said in her victim impact statement. “At that time, all I could think about was how this will affect my family and the safety of my kids if I were to be killed.”
The victim, a man, was also attacked. He had face injuries from being hit and kicked.
The eleven-year-old youngster was pulled from his bed and held by the throat. Luckily, he was not hurt physically.
The suspects fled after taking some medicine, two iPhones, and some jewellery. Delaney was still in the area when police arrived, and while he was being arrested, he attacked one of them by biting, scratching, and hitting the officer.
A short while later, Williams was taken into custody at his home address when the stolen jewellery was discovered there.
One count of robbery, one count of assault, one count of purposeful suffocation, and one count of assaulting an emergency responder were brought against Delaney. Williams was accused of two charges of robbery, one offence of assault, and one crime of purposeful suffocation.
“This was an absolutely terrifying attack that has had such a lasting effect on the victims that they didn’t want to return home ever again,” stated Detective Constable Kieran Russ, lead investigator.
The fact that Delaney and Williams had no regard for the children inside the address—even going so far as to drag one of them out of his bed by the throat—makes this robbery all the more frightening.
The fact that the judge acknowledged the men’s threat by extending some parts of their sentences makes me happy. Both men received substantial prison terms.
Nothing will erase the memory of that evening, but maybe the resolution of this case brings some closure to the victims. They have all supported our investigation bravely from the beginning to the end, and I wish them all the best in the future.
Williams received a sentence of 14 years and 4 months in prison with a four-year extension, while Delaney received a term of 13 years and 6 months in jail with a five-year extension.
