Jail terms increased for pair of thugs who attacked man in Huntingdon

Two thugs who attacked a man with a dog chain in a Huntingdon underpass have had their prison sentences increased.

Jamie Lines and Levi Smith were jailed in March after pleading guilty to robbery.

The pair pounced on Samuel Sweek in the early hours of January 31 as he was walking home after a night out.

Smith, of Park View, Great Stukeley, and Lines, of Spring Close, Huntingdon, grabbed him from behind, pulled him to the floor and hit him at least twice in the head with the chain.

They took Mr Sweek’s mobile phone, leather jacket and bank card, demanded to know his PIN number and threatened him with violence if he gave them incorrect details, before withdrawing £210 from his account.

They tried to deter him from telling police by threatening to kill him and his family.

Lines, who was 19 at the time, received a 16-month jail term, while Smith, then aged 20, was sentenced to two years behind bars.

However, following a hearing at the Court of Appeal in London on Friday, June 12, their sentences were extended to 32 months for Lines and three years for Smith.

The Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC, said: “This was a prolonged attack using a dog chain as a weapon and involving repeated threats of serious violence. Understandably, the victim feared for his life.

“I referred this case to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient because the original sentence failed to reflect the seriousness of the attack.

“It is important that those who commit violent street robberies are properly punished.

“I am pleased that the court has increased their sentences to 32 months and three years’ imprisonment respectively and I hope that this gives some reassurance to the public.”