The terrifying incident saw the brave victim flee her house after coming under attack.
Grant McCabe reports that two armed robbers who sold their unique getaway car on Gumtree were sentenced to a combined total of nearly 15 years in prison.
On January 29, 2020, a five-person gang led by Kevin Palmer, 39, and John-Paul Thomson, 32, broke into a 61-year-old woman’s property in Crosshouse, close to Kilmarnock.
The courageous woman tried to free the group with a bread knife, but in the end, the mob left empty-handed.
Palmer and Thomson guilty to charges of assault and attempted robbery before being sentenced today at Glasgow’s High Court.
It was discovered that Thomson had 34 prior convictions, more than 20 of them involved violence and the possession of weapons.
“What you did was cowardly and despicable—terrifying a 61-year-old woman in her own home,” said Lord Mulholland to the duo. The courts will apply deterrent sentences in order to shield the public from crimes of this kind.”
Palmer, a Glasgow resident from Pollok, spent seven years and two months behind bars. Irvine resident Thomson received a seven and a half-year sentence.
On the night of the heist, the woman was alone herself at home while her husband was away at work. Her home security system alerted her to someone outside while she was watching TV in bed. One of the gang members was already on the property when she went to look. and he demanded: “Give us the money.”
Another of the mob wielded a knife before the victim was grabbed downstairs.
“Kevin Palmer approached her and attempted to calm the woman before making his way into the living room,” stated prosecutor Neil McCulloch.
A member of the group went through her purse in search of money. In addition, the gang requested safe keys.
Mr. McCulloch: “Two of the men started hacking at the living room fireplace with axes when she refused. The woman deduced from this that they knew she and her spouse had a safe hidden in the wall behind the fireplace.”
The thief brandishing the knife at her wrestled with the woman. The woman took a knife and stabbed the attacker even though she was still being dragged around the room. Then, she escaped through the broken patio door barefoot and ran to a neighbour for help.
The gang was seen on CCTV leaving the site in a black Audi A5 with silver windows and black alloy wheels, the court was informed. As they started their search for the gang, Palmer was named as a potential suspect.
It was discovered that he was the getaway car’s owner.
Mr. McCulloch: “Palmer’s brother sold the car online in the first part of February 2020. The Audi A5 matched the description of the vehicle shown on CCTV, according to photos that were connected to the listing.”
Weeks after the raid, it was revealed that Palmer had allegedly said to a witness, “See that thing that happened the other day-if they go through that house, they will find my DNA on the fireplace because I burst my hand.”
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