RUNCORN THUGS JAILED FOR BRUTAL COIN ROBBERY OF DISABLED MAN
A disabled man had his hands and ankles bound with cable ties after masked robbers smashed their way into his home in order to steal his £20,000 coin collection.The victim had built up the collection over more than a decade, but he was forced to hand over the coins when the two intruders forced their way into his Calderdale flat in March.
Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday (Friday) that the man woke to find Mark McCombe, who was wearing a balaclava, standing by his bed.
Prosecutor Ken Green said McCombe, 35, tied the manâs hands and ankles and then demanded: "Whereâs the gold?" The victim pointed to the coin boxes, which included a Krugerrand worth £10,000, and McCombe put the haul into a bag.
Before leaving McCombe and his accomplice Faley Rasmussen, 33, hid the manâs mobile phone and disabled his landline.
As they left one of the men told the complainant: "Donât get up.
Nobody follows us for five minutes or Iâll put a bullet in your head." Despite the threat the man managed to free himself and saw the pair leaving in McCombeâs Ford Fiesta car, which was later stopped by police in Runcorn.
In the car, officers found empty coin boxes, cash, and cable ties identical to the ones used on the victim.
McCombe was arrested, and checks revealed Rasmussen had sold some of the coins for almost £2,500.
At Rasmussen's home, officers found the Krugerrand coin and a note with directions to the victim’s flat.
The court heard that a substantial part of the coin collection had been recovered, and an inquiry suggested that another man had been involved.
Although a third man was arrested and interviewed, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
No weapons were used during the robbery, but a lock knife was found in McCombeâs car and a gas gun at Rasmussenâs home.
Both McCombe, of Warrington, Cheshire, and Rasmussen, of Runcorn, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to the robbery and were each sentenced to six years in prison.
McCombe, who was already banned from driving, was also disqualified for six years.
The victim stated he felt 'traumatised' and vulnerable in his own flat after the incident.
The judge noted the robbery was carried out amateurishly, with the perpetrators out of their league, and described the case as 'exceptional' with many aggravating features.
