ROBBERY AND KIDNAPPING OF DISABLED MAN OVER £20,000 COIN COLLECTION
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 that the man woke to find Mark McCombe, who was wearing a balaclava, standing by his bed.
Prosecutor Ken Green stated that McCombe, 35, tied the man’s hands and ankles and then demanded: "Where’s the gold?" The victim pointed to the coin boxes, including a Krugerrand worth £10,000, and McCombe collected the haul into a bag.
Before leaving, McCombe and his accomplice Faley Rasmussen, 33, hid the victim’s mobile and disabled his landline.
They left the scene threatening the man: "Don’t get up.
Nobody follows us for five minutes or I’ll put a bullet in your head." Despite these threats, the man managed to free himself and saw the pair fleeing in McCombe’s Ford Fiesta which was later stopped by police in Runcorn.
Officers found empty coin boxes, cash, and cable ties matching those used on the victim in the car.
McCombe was arrested and police checks revealed Rasmussen had sold some coins for nearly £2,500.
Rasmussen's home searches uncovered the valuable Krugerand coin and a note with instructions to the victim’s flat.
The court was told that part of the coin collection was recovered and an investigation indicated another man was involved in organizing the robbery.
A third man was arrested and questioned but there was insufficient evidence for prosecution.
No weapons were used during the crime, but a lock knife was found in McCombe’s car and a gas gun at Rasmussen’s residence.
Both McCombe, of Talbot Close, Warrington, and Rasmussen, of Fenwick Lane, Runcorn, admitted to the robbery and were each sentenced to six years in prison.
McCombe, who was already banned from driving, was disqualified for an additional six years.
The victim stated in a personal statement that he felt 'traumatised' and vulnerable.
McCombe’s lawyer, Stephen Wood, argued that neither he nor Rasmussen were the masterminds or main beneficiaries of the crime.
The judge, Jonathan Durham Hall QC, described the incident as an 'exceptional case' with many aggravating features and noted that the duo's operation was amateurish and poorly executed, which contributed to their downfall.
