Police are appealing for witnesses after a street robbery in Newdigate Street in Crewe.
On 19 December 2011 between 5.15pm and 5.45pm a 31 year old woman was walking from Crewe bus station across Victoria Street towards Asda supermarket.
She then crossed over the West Street extension on the pedestrian crossing at the back of George and walked along the front of William Stanier School and into Newdigate Street where she was grabbed from behind.
The offender grabbed her bag and she was swung to the ground and into the middle of the road. She tried to keep hold of her bag but couldn′t. Her i-pod was also pulled from her and dropped to the floor.
The offender then made off.
The offender is described as white, aged between 30-40yrs, medium build and over 5ft 4ins.
He was wearing a black beanie hat and a black padded type waist length jacket.
The victim′s i-Pod was recovered from the scene a little later by police.
Anyone with information should contact DC Mick Baron on 101 quoting incident number 784 of 19.12.11. Alternatively information can be given anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Couple sentenced for murder of man in Frodsham
A man and a woman who killed a man over an unpaid debt have been sentenced.
The body of Martin Ithell, aged 49, was found in his car outside Blacon Police Station in Chester in the early hours of Saturday 12 March 2011.
He had been shot and stabbed at a house in Frodsham.
Scott Davidson, born 27/05/88, of Hawthorne Road, Frodsham, was convicted of murdering Martin on 18 November 2011, following a 28 day trial.
He has today, Thursday 5 January 2012, been sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of thirty years and will remain on licence for the rest of his life.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on Rachael Horton born 19/12/91, of Hawthorne Road, Little Sutton, however she subsequently pleaded guilty to manslaughter on 12 December 2011.
She has today, Thursday 5 January 2012, been sentenced to eight years in a Young Offenders Institution.
Detective Inspector Helen Spooner who led the investigation, said: "Davidson claimed he had shot Martin by accident in self defence however I believe his actions leading up to the murder show that he had planned the attack and had no intention of letting Martin walk out of that house alive.
"Horton has never given a clear explanation of what the extent of her involvement was but she has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, showing she was connected to Martin′s death.
"Martin′s family and a lot of people in the Chester area have been deeply effected by his death and I hope today′s sentence helps them begin to move on from what happened."
Background
Davidson had borrowed money from Martin in December 2010 and January 2011, part of which was used to buy a Subaru Impreza car. He had no legitimate means to repay the money he had borrowed. Since December 2010 such was the state of his personal finances, the court heard that Davidson was planning to commit armed robberies locally.
At the time of the murder he is believed to have owed Martin £26,000 due to the interest the debt had accrued.
Davidson and Horton were in a relationship and rented the house in Frodsham together. Despite this, Davidson led a double life in that since December 2010 he had been involved with another woman - so deeply involved that in the hours following the murder he met the woman in Sandbach prior to handing himself in to police.
On the day of the murder, a number of items were bought by Davidson to prepare for the planned killing. Paint was purchased in the same colour as the hall and front room, which did not need decorating prior to the attack, as well as plastic sheeting, paper overalls and a jerry can of petrol.
On the night of the murder, Davidson had lured Martin Ithell to his house telling him he had the full amount of £26,000 to pay him, stating he had sold the Subaru car to raise the funds needed to repay Ithell. Davidson had stowed his car away at a kennel near Manley telling the proprietor that the communal parking area of his house was in need of maintenance and his car would be there all weekend.
Due to Martins concern of how Davidson had been able to raise the money, he requested two associates to travel to Frodsham and be available should he need support at the planned meeting.
The two men parked up near to Davidson′s address at around 6.55pm. At 7pm Martin phoned one of them in order to provide an open line so they could listen in and monitor his welfare while he went to the house.
They heard Martin arrive at the house and then heard a loud screech and the phone line went dead. It became apparent to the two men that Ithell may be in danger.
This concern was further compounded when they saw Martin′s BMW car drive past them, close enough for them to see that Davidson was at the wheel.
The two men went to the house, where they found the front door area and steps covered in blood. They immediately contacted police.
When officers attended they found Horton crying, stating she had stabbed a man. As a result of the blood at the scene and the admission from Horton, she was arrested. She later denied stabbing Martin.
It wasn′t until some hours after the fatal incident that a Cheshire Police Negotiator made contact with Davidson and he eventually agreed to surrender himself at Blacon Police Station.
Martin′s body was found in the back of his BMW. He had been shot in the chest and stabbed eight times in the neck.
Davidson and Horton were charged with the murder of Ithell and remanded in custody to await trial.
Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court that lasted six weeks, Davidson was found guilty by a majority verdict of murder. The jury failed to reach of verdict in relation to Horton and she was due to stand a re-trial, however pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December.
Martin′s family paid the following tribute: "Martin was a wonderful partner to Sarah, son to Megan, brother to Jimmy, uncle to Melissa and brother-in-law to Vanessa.
"We all miss him so much and will never come to terms with what has happened to him.
"Martin was the most loyal, kind, generous and caring man, and was always there to help anyone who needed him.
"We his family are so fortunate to have shared our lives with him, but it is so unfair that he has been so cruelly taken from us. This is something that none of us will ever get over.
"To anyone who thinks it is OK to engage in gun and knife crime, please stop and think how much devastation and heartache your actions may cause.
"May we take this opportunity to thank the Major Investigation Team of Cheshire Police for their continued support over the past seven months."
We are still receiving reports of burglaries and unfortunately some of these reports are as a result of windows and doors being left open when people are going out - please can we stress to our members the importance of securing the house when it is not occupied as this can save a lot of heart ache from being a victim of crime.
We have also had quite a few reports of theft from motor vehicles across this section of the Eastern BCU - the main things that have been taken are tools and sat nav's. Please do not leave anything valuable in your cars - I would also recommend taking out the holding bracket for sat nav's if possible as this then does not advertise that you have a sat nav!!
I have two appeals that I wish to pass on to you so that you can forward to your members if you see fit:
SANDBACH:
Date of Incident: 22nd December 2011
Location of incident: Heath Road, Sandbach.
Police are appealing for information following the theft of sentimental items during a burglary at a house in Sandbach.
On 22nd December some time between 4pm and 7.40pm offenders forced their way through the rear patio window of a house in Heath Road.
They stole various sentimental items that belonged to the victim′s grandfather including a boson′s whistle and Gurka Kukri knives. The victim′s NATO former Yugoslavian campaign medal was also stolen along with various coins and camera items.
DC Brian Hulse said:
Burglaries are always distressing for the victim - even more so when sentimental items which can′t be replaced are taken.
We would appeal to anyone who is either offered these items for sale or who has seen someone acting suspiciously in the area to contact police.
- DC Brian Hulse, Cheshire Constabulary
Anyone with information should contact DC Brian Hulse on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Crewe - Shavington.
Date of Incident: 2 January 2012
Location of incident: Main Road
Crewe detectives are appealing for witnesses following a robbery at an off-licence in Shavington.
Shortly before 8pm on 2nd January 2012 three men entered Bargain Booze in Main Road as it was being locked up for the evening.
The offenders then threatened staff with weapons and demanded keys from the safe.
They then stole a quantity of cash and made of from the scene in a dark coloured car and drove away at speed.
None of the staff were injured but they were shaken by the incident.
Anyone with information should contact DS Claire Jesson at Crewe CID on 101 quoting incident number 625 of 2.01.12. Alternatively information can be given anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A 46-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman from Liverpool have been arrested and are currently helping police with their enquiries.
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