Thug loses appeal over Shrewsbury robbery which led to victim's death
A Shrewsbury thug who left a 64-year-old man to die after subjecting him to a vicious street robbery can have no complaint about his jail term, top judges have ruled.
Jordan Aaron Lawson, 20, assaulted and mugged Robert Barlow in an alleyway as the older man headed home from the pub, triggering the heart attack that killed him.
Lawson, of Stephenson Drive, was handed a total of 12 years detention in a young offenders institution in February at Stafford Crown Court.
He admitted manslaughter, four counts of robbery and breaching a suspended sentence order.
The judge also found that Lawson was a "dangerous" offender and ordered that he serve four years on extended licence in the community after his release from the detention centre.
Three senior judges sitting at London's Appeal Court yesterday rejected a sentence challenge by Lawson, saying claims his punishment for the offence was too harsh were "wholly unrealistic".
Judge Michael Pert QC said Lawson committed three frightening robberies on the streets of Shrewsbury in the lead up to the attack on Mr Barlow on May 18, last year.
Lawson targeted Mr Barlow from behind in an alleyway off Reabrook Avenue, shoving him against a wall and forcing him to the ground before snatching his debit card and forcing him to give up his pin number.
He used the card to get money from a nearby cash machine at the Cineworld complex in Old Potts Way.
During his trial it was claimed Lawson wanted the £250 cash he withdrew for a pre-arranged night out.
Mr Barlow was found dead about 100 metres from the scene of the robbery, close to his Reabrook Avenue home.
The married father-of-two had tragically suffered a fatal heart attack after the robbery.
It was apparent from a cut subsequently found on Lawson's hand, that he was carrying a knife during the attack, the judge said.
At the time of the robbery, Lawson was on bail for another alleged offence, was subject to a suspended sentence order for a previous crime and was in breach of a curfew.
He had previous convictions for offences of violence, Judge Pert added.
Lawson's solicitor advocate, Dean Easthope, argued that the judge was wrong to impose an extended sentence and his overall jail term was much too long.
But Judge Pert, sitting with Lord Justice Treacy and Mr Justice Saunders, at the Appeal Court said: "In our judgment, the submissions are wholly unrealistic. The appeal is refused."
