ASHLEY GRUNDY AND STEVEN ROBINSON'S BRUTAL CRIME IN KIRKHAM AND ASTLEY VILLAGE

In a disturbing act of cruelty and revenge, Ashley Grundy, born around 1990 and residing on Preston Street in Kirkham, along with Steven Paul Robinson, born circa 1982 and living on Devonshire Street in Lancaster, committed a heinous crime that shocked the local community. The incident took place in the early hours of May 20, 2018, following a heated altercation at The Baron’s Rest pub located in Astley Village.

According to reports, the two individuals, both known for their violent pasts, became involved in a dispute with another patron inside the pub on the evening of May 19. Grundy, who has prior convictions for dangerous driving and possessing a knife, threatened other customers during the confrontation. The situation escalated overnight, and in the early hours of the following morning, the pair drove to the residence of the victim in Whittle le Woods.

There, they targeted a small Yorkshire terrier named Bailey, who was a beloved pet of the victim’s family. The duo stole the dog and then returned to The Baron’s Rest pub. Their actions took a sinister turn when they decapitated Bailey, an act that has been described as both barbaric and calculated. The victim’s mother, along with her child, discovered the horrifying scene after Grundy and Robinson abandoned the dog’s body at the pub and left Bailey’s severed head on the handle of a door at an address in Astley Village, where the dog had lived.

The aftermath of this brutal act saw the carcass of Bailey found in the bushes beside The Baron’s Rest. An extensive investigation was launched by police, who meticulously examined CCTV footage and carried out forensic analysis to identify the culprits. The footage revealed Robinson discarding an object wrapped in a car mat into the bushes, which was later confirmed to be Bailey’s decapitated body. DNA evidence from the dog’s remains was matched to samples taken from blood found in and on the vehicle used by Grundy and Robinson.

Detective Sergeant Paul Harrison, who led the investigation, expressed the complexity and emotional toll of the case. He stated, “This was a lengthy investigation which involved a number of officers. Officers sat through hours of CCTV and had to go through distressing incidents to compare the DNA from Bailey’s head and carcass to the DNA of the blood found in and on the vehicle that Grundy and Robinson were using. I’d like to thank all the officers involved who worked tirelessly to bring this investigation to a conclusion. I now hope that this can give some closure to the victim who lost a beloved pet due to the barbaric act of these two individuals.”

Both Grundy and Robinson were eventually apprehended and brought to justice. They were sentenced to 19 months in prison for charges including criminal damage and outraging public decency. The Crown Prosecutor described their actions as a calculated act of revenge and intimidation, aimed at instilling maximum fear in the victims and the community.

Further background on Steven Robinson reveals a history of criminal behavior, including a 2014 conviction for defrauding a vulnerable woman out of £23,000 through false building work charges. His criminal record also includes scams targeting elderly individuals in 2015, as well as convictions in 2019 for false imprisonment, assault, and fly-tipping.

As the community grapples with the aftermath of this tragic incident, authorities hope that the thorough investigation and subsequent convictions will bring some measure of closure to those affected by this savage act of cruelty in Kirkham and Astley Village.