Man grabs stranger in street and threatens to 'choke and slice' him (original) (raw)

A bicycling robber grabbed a stranger in the street and issued lurid threats to "choke and slice" his victim unless he handed over his cash, a court has heard. During the robbery Jamie Knox held a sharp object to the back of the victim in what a judge said must have been a terrifying incident.

Swansea Crown Court heard that at the time of the robbery 32-year-old Knox was subject to a suspended sentence after being found carrying a lock knife. He has previously been jailed for his part in a heroin and cocaine supply conspiracy which operated from a famous Swansea hotel.

Craig Jones, prosecuting, said on the night of July 1 this year the victim was walking along Swansea's High Street near the former White Swans pub when he was approached by the defendant who was riding a gold-coloured mountain bike. He said the men were unknown to each other but Knox engaged the man in conversation.

The pair made their way to High Street railway station where the complainant stopped to use the cash machine withdrawing £20 which he indented to use buying takeaway food from a premises on St Helen's Road. The court heard the pair set off again; when the complainant's back was turned, Knox grabbed him from behind and put an arm around his neck, telling him he would be "choked and sliced". The prosecutor said the victim then felt something sharp pushing into his back and Knox instructed the man to hand over his cash and bank card.

The court heard the victim managed to free himself and ran off towards The Kingsway, pursued by the bicycling robber. Knox caught up with the fleeing man outside the Dragon Hotel and "circled him" on his bike before riding off. The victim called the police and officers found the defendant slumped in the doorway on nearby Wind Street. When he was searched he was found to have two bank cards - one in the victim's name and one in another name - £40 in cash and a set of handcuffs. The defendant was arrested and subsequently gave a "no comment" interview to officers. Mr Jones said the prosecution was not able to say what kind of object or weapon had been pushed into the complainant's back during the incident.

Jamie Knox, of McRitchie Place, Gendros, Swansea, pleaded guilty to robbery when he appeared in the dock. His advocate invited the court to proceed to sentence. Knox had previously pleaded guilty to four unrelated counts of theft from the One Stop shop on Port Tennant Road in Port Tennant the week before the robbery which saw him steal almost £250 worth of meats, cheeses, detergents, and other items. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

The court heard the defendant has previous convictions for dishonesty matters, five offences of violence, racially aggravated public disorder, and theft from the person. In 2015 he was jailed for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs for his part in a heroin and cocaine dealing operation which used a room in Swansea's Dragon Hotel as a base. During the investigation, police found more than 200 packages of heroin and cocaine stuffed in a roof space in room 704 of the hotel. At the time of the High Street robbery Knox was subject to a suspended sentence for possession of a bladed article - this conviction relates to the defendant being found with a flick knife outside the Full Moon pub near Dyfatty junction in December last year.

Steve Burnell, for Knox, said the defendant had been doing educational courses while being held on remand in HMP Cardiff and had signed up to do the 12-Steps addiction programme in January 2025.

Judge Paul Hobson said Knox had approached a stranger in the street at night and engaged him in conversation before attacking him and threatening to "choke and slice" him. He said though there was no victim impact statement before the court, based on the facts of the case it must have been a terrifying experience. With a 15 per cent discount for his guilty plea, Knox was sentenced to four years in prison comprising four years for the robbery and two months for each of the four shoplifting offences to run concurrently with each other and concurrently with the lead offence. The judge activated the previously imposed four-month suspected sentence and said that too would run concurrently with the robbery offence as he had treated the fact that Knox had been subject to a suspended sentence at the time of the robbery as an aggravating factor in determining sentence.

This interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area

Story Saved

You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.