Woman threatened with meat cleaver in burglary

Ryan Richards admitted burglary, theft, and possessing a blade and a hammer as an offensive weapon at Mold Crown Court.

Richards, 43, burgled a house in New Broughton, Wrexham, and stole a woman’s purse while she slept.

He also confronted heavily pregnant Emma Nash with a meat cleaver, also in New Broughton, and then produced a hammer when challenged by her partner, Ashley Kitchen, who was restraining him.

Miss Nash and her partner had returned home to find Richards in her BMW car, the court heard.

Judge Niclas Parry said: “She saw you running towards her brandishing a meat cleaver. You continued to struggle and produced a hammer from your waistband.”

Elen Owen, prosecuting, said Miss Nash was returning home with her dog when she found the defendant in the BMW on October 13.

“The dog grabbed the defendant by the sleeve and pulled him out of the car,” she said.

John Hedgecoe, defending, said Richards had been out of trouble for the last eight years and had been working as a self-employed plasterer.

He said suffered from anxiety, depression, and had taken sleeping tablets, having drunk a lot of alcohol, before committing the offences, but added Richards was not blaming anyone for what had happened other than himself.

Richards of Alexander House, New Broughton, was jailed for two years and eight months.

A pregnant woman who found a man stealing from her car was threatened with a machete.

Ryan Graham Richards, 43, was tackled by her pet dog and dragged out of the BMW car by his sleeve.

A court heard today how the victim’s partner heard her screaming and ran to her aid.

He was able to over-power Richards and pin him down until the police arrived – but not before he had been threatened with a hammer.

Richards of Alexander House in New Broughton, Wrexham – who claimed he could not remember anything of the incident after he had taken alcohol and sleeping tablets – was jailed for two years and eight months.

Judge Niclas Parry told him that on October 13, he was responsible for a string of offences.

Richards admitted burglary, theft, possessing a blade and possessing the hammer as an offensive weapon.

The burglary occurred at a house in New Broughton where he stole a woman’s purse while she slept.

Then there was an extremely serious offence when he confronted a heavily pregnant woman Emma Nash with a meat cleaver also in New Broughton.

He then tried to use a hammer, which he produced from his waistband, on Ashley Kitchen, the partner of the pregnant woman, who was restraining him.

Judge Parry said that Richards was clearly out with a woman who was acting as a decoy for him.

A woman and her partner returned home to find him in her BMW car and property from the vehicle had been removed.

But when confronted, he produced a meat cleaver.

Fortunately, her partner heard her scream and ran to help her.

“He saw you running towards her brandishing a meat cleaver.”

Judge Parry said that the man was able to retrain him and throw the cleaver away.

“You continued to struggle and produced a hammer from your waistband,” he said.

The effect of his actions had been considerable

She had considered moving house and they had spent a lot of money on additional security.

The defendant was acting under the influence of an excessive amount of alcohol and some 20 tablets which meant he was not in control of what he was doing.

Prosecuting barrister Elen Owen said that Miss Nash was returning home with her dog when she found the defendant in the BMW.

“The dog grabbed the defendant by the sleeve and pulled him out of the car,” she explained.

The victim screamed at him, asking what he was doing in her car?

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a meat cleaver.

Mr Kitchen, a gym user and a well-built young man, and was able to over-power him “and the dog also got involved,” she explained.

The defendant was disarmed, the cleaver was taken off him and thrown to one side, but he then produced the hammer.

John Hedgecoe, defending, said that that the defendant had been out of trouble for the last eight years and had been working as a self-employed plasterer.

He suffered from anxiety and depression but was seeking to blame no one but himself.

The defendant had quite a lot to drink, had also taken sleeping tablets, and expected to wake up in his bed that morning.

But he had woken up in a police cell and had no recollection about what had occurred.

Something very odd had occurred that night before the offences were committed, said Mr Hedgecoe.

“This is a very strange case,” he said.

“He is taking it on the chin. He does not really understand it all but he will take his medicine.”

It was the defendant’s firm instructions that he was alone and that the woman was not a decoy.