A TEENAGE mum who carried out two armed robberies in two weeks at a town centre store has been jailed.
Shareen Dixon, of Drinkwater Court, Trowbridge, sobbed as a judge at Swindon crown court imposed a four year sentence on her for the knifepoint raids.
The court had earlier been told how one of the young workers had given up her job at the The Sweet Shop in Trowbridge after the terrifying robbery.
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And both had been badly affected following the incidents where the 18-year-old was trying to get money to fund her heroin and crack cocaine habits.
Marion Langford, prosecuting, said the first offence took place on Friday February 22 at about 4.15pm.
A 19-year-old shop worker was left alone with the defendant after another customer left the store, she told the court.
Dixon, who was holding a Stanley knife, then walked round behind the counter and told the terrified girl to open the till.
"She told her to just give her twenties and tens and she gave her a wodge of notes," she said.
After the robber had left the store with about £200 the shop girl shut the door until someone came to her assistance.
Dixon had been arrested and questioned about the incident when she carried out the second robbery exactly two week later.
On Friday March 7 she went to the store shortly after it opened and threatened another young worker with a pair of scissors again demanding money from the till getting £45.
The defendant was picked out in identity parades and admitted being in the store but denied demanding money.
Miss Langford said the worker involved in the second incident had quit her job as she was scared to work at the shop again and suffered a financial loss as a result.
Dixon pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery. Alex Daymond, defending, said his client accepted she was facing a lengthy jail term for the two offences.
He said Dixon, who had no previous convictions, came to Trowbridge from London and soon after became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine.
"Hitherto she had led a fairly blameless life holding down a job for a while. Problems with her family led to her moving away," he said.
Only about a month before the first offence, he said, she was introduced to heroin and crack and quickly fell under their grasp, committing the offences.
He said she had a baby when she was 16 years old who lived with its father and she looked forward to being reconciled with the child when she is released.
Imposing the four year jail term, Judge Rupert Bursell said he had shortened it because of her lack of previous convictions and her age.
Posted by: CountryBumpkin, Wilts on 7:37pm Fri 9 May 08
I fail to understand how this young woman has to serve 4 years and yet the bloke that robbed 3 shops and attempted 1 other last year will be released after 18 months!!!!
Where is the justice?
I fail to understand how this young woman has to serve 4 years and yet the bloke that robbed 3 shops and attempted 1 other last year will be released after 18 months!!!!
Posted by: Necker, Trowbridge on 8:21pm Fri 9 May 08
Source:www.magistrat
es-association.org.u
k/documents/magistra
cy/lcj_direction_on_
custodial_sentences.
doc.
[italic]"the cost of a prison place (which) is £36,651 per annum"[/italic]
This is on 2002 figures.
She'll get all the drugs and perks she wants as well.
I give up....
Bring back the birch.
Posted by: old jarge, beanacre on 9:37am Sun 11 May 08
[quote][bold]CountryBumpkin[/bold] wrote:
I fail to understand how this young woman has to serve 4 years and yet the bloke that robbed 3 shops and attempted 1 other last year will be released after 18 months!!!! Where is the justice?[/quote] Absolutely, and people who fiddle tens of thousands in benefits while working get a smacked hand! This poor kid needs help, not prison
CountryBumpkin wrote:
I fail to understand how this young woman has to serve 4 years and yet the bloke that robbed 3 shops and attempted 1 other last year will be released after 18 months!!!! Where is the justice?
Absolutely, and people who fiddle tens of thousands in benefits while working get a smacked hand! This poor kid needs help, not prison
Posted by: chris, melksham on 8:38pm Sun 11 May 08
Old jarge try telling that to the poor people that were on on the recieving end of the knife/scissors, if more convicts were giving this type of sentance for the first offence then it may deter themselves and others from doing it again instead of being given a slap on the wrists and be told on your way. For once i say "good work judge".
Old jarge try telling that to the poor people that were on on the recieving end of the knife/scissors, if more convicts were giving this type of sentance for the first offence then it may deter themselves and others from doing it again instead of being given a slap on the wrists and be told on your way. For once i say "good work judge".
Posted by: The Dazman, Wiltshire on 9:14am Mon 12 May 08
I hate to wee on the bonfire but she wont serve anywhere near 4 years which is why she pleaded guilty. If you plead guilty you get a discount on top of the automatic discount the governement set at the start which I believe is a third of your sentence. So in reality 4 years (48 months) is automatically reduced to 32 months (2 years 8 months). If she keeps her nose clean for the first 12 months, attends a few courses, says all the right things about being remorseful etc then she can apply for the early release scheme and be paroled and released on licence or with a tag. If she spent any time on remand before the case then that time will also be deducted. So 4 years in prison might make a good headline and justice is seen to be done. She denied it all the way down to getting to court and was quite possibly told to 'do a deal' by the solicitor probably paid out of public funds.
Never mind a couple of lowly young shop workers traumatised by a knife wielding drug addict who chose crime instead of getting help through all the available NHS and funded help schemes.
Imagine how you would feel if it was your daughter in her first little job and she got robbed at knifepoint?
She should have got 10 years in my opinion.
I hate to wee on the bonfire but she wont serve anywhere near 4 years which is why she pleaded guilty. If you plead guilty you get a discount on top of the automatic discount the governement set at the start which I believe is a third of your sentence. So in reality 4 years (48 months) is automatically reduced to 32 months (2 years 8 months). If she keeps her nose clean for the first 12 months, attends a few courses, says all the right things about being remorseful etc then she can apply for the early release scheme and be paroled and released on licence or with a tag. If she spent any time on remand before the case then that time will also be deducted. So 4 years in prison might make a good headline and justice is seen to be done. She denied it all the way down to getting to court and was quite possibly told to 'do a deal' by the solicitor probably paid out of public funds.
Never mind a couple of lowly young shop workers traumatised by a knife wielding drug addict who chose crime instead of getting help through all the available NHS and funded help schemes.
Imagine how you would feel if it was your daughter in her first little job and she got robbed at knifepoint?
Posted by: anon, trowbridge on 11:59am Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]chris[/bold] wrote:
Old jarge try telling that to the poor people that were on on the recieving end of the knife/scissors, if more convicts were giving this type of sentance for the first offence then it may deter themselves and others from doing it again instead of being given a slap on the wrists and be told on your way. For once i say "good work judge".[/quote] I totally agree with you chris but if prisons were not made so comfortable either people would certainly think twice about commiting crimes.
chris wrote:
Old jarge try telling that to the poor people that were on on the recieving end of the knife/scissors, if more convicts were giving this type of sentance for the first offence then it may deter themselves and others from doing it again instead of being given a slap on the wrists and be told on your way. For once i say "good work judge".
I totally agree with you chris but if prisons were not made so comfortable either people would certainly think twice about commiting crimes.
Posted by: man-made, Wiltshire on 4:13pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]old jarge[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]CountryBumpkin[/bold] wrote: I fail to understand how this young woman has to serve 4 years and yet the bloke that robbed 3 shops and attempted 1 other last year will be released after 18 months!!!! Where is the justice?[/quote] Absolutely, and people who fiddle tens of thousands in benefits while working get a smacked hand! This poor kid needs help, not prison[/quote] It was armed robbery though and two counts of it. fiddeling with benefits is hardly more dangeous than this women
old jarge wrote:
CountryBumpkin wrote: I fail to understand how this young woman has to serve 4 years and yet the bloke that robbed 3 shops and attempted 1 other last year will be released after 18 months!!!! Where is the justice?
Absolutely, and people who fiddle tens of thousands in benefits while working get a smacked hand! This poor kid needs help, not prison
It was armed robbery though and two counts of it. fiddeling with benefits is hardly more dangeous than this women
[quote][bold]Disgusted of[/bold] wrote:
Can we take it from your superior attitude that you have never done anything wrong in your life that has warranted punishment Dazman? [/quote] I don't see how you managed to get to that conclusion?
It's a statement of fact and Dazman's opinion.
"Nothing that warranted punshment" is a very broad phrase and not particularly relevant either. There's a BIG difference between a couple of mph over the speed limit and robbing a shop and knifepoint. Either way, how does it affect Dazman's right to comment? I would propose that his/her view is equally relevant regardless of circumstances.
WRT to the case: At least there's some justice done. 4 years for a first offence isn't a bad result IMHO, even if she will only serve a proportion of it. It may scare her enough to snap out of it before crime becomes a 'career' for her.
Disgusted of wrote:
Can we take it from your superior attitude that you have never done anything wrong in your life that has warranted punishment Dazman?
I don't see how you managed to get to that conclusion?
It's a statement of fact and Dazman's opinion.
"Nothing that warranted punshment" is a very broad phrase and not particularly relevant either. There's a BIG difference between a couple of mph over the speed limit and robbing a shop and knifepoint. Either way, how does it affect Dazman's right to comment? I would propose that his/her view is equally relevant regardless of circumstances.
WRT to the case: At least there's some justice done. 4 years for a first offence isn't a bad result IMHO, even if she will only serve a proportion of it. It may scare her enough to snap out of it before crime becomes a 'career' for her.
To be fair at that cost to the taxpayer, dole out free heroin and let her drift away without having to resort to crime to feed the habit. It seems that it must be cheaper to spend monehy on other means to fix the problem than prison? Wish I knew the answer.
To be fair at that cost to the taxpayer, dole out free heroin and let her drift away without having to resort to crime to feed the habit. It seems that it must be cheaper to spend monehy on other means to fix the problem than prison? Wish I knew the answer.
Posted by: GSXRRRSP, WESTBURY on 10:09pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]YetiJoe[/bold] wrote:
To be fair at that cost to the taxpayer, dole out free heroin and let her drift away without having to resort to crime to feed the habit. It seems that it must be cheaper to spend monehy on other means to fix the problem than prison? Wish I knew the answer.[/quote] YOU REALLY ARE A VILE PIECE OF WORK!!!!
YetiJoe wrote:
To be fair at that cost to the taxpayer, dole out free heroin and let her drift away without having to resort to crime to feed the habit. It seems that it must be cheaper to spend monehy on other means to fix the problem than prison? Wish I knew the answer.
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