AN 18-year-old man and a 25-year-old man have been jailed following numerous robberies and assaults in Eastbourne.
A 50-year-old man was dragged from his car and physically assaulted by two men who also stole his phone and jacket.
Enquiries began and officers identified Louis Thornton, 18, and Liam Kerwin, 25, for the shop robberies.
Speedy work by officers meant that they were located and arrested that evening (27 December) at around 8pm.
Thornton was arrested on suspicion of robbery, and Kerwin was arrested on suspicion of theft from a shop and assault of a constable executing his or her duty.
Following investigation, the duo were arrested on suspicion of further offences on 28 December.
Kerwin was arrested on suspicion of two counts of robbery, and charged the same day with all four offences.
Thornton was arrested on suspicion of two additional counts of robbery and was charged the same day with all three offences.
The pair appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 30 December and were remanded into custody.
Kerwin and Thornton appeared at Lewes Crown Court on 26 January, where they both pleaded guilty to all charges and were remanded back into custody ahead of their sentencing.
On 13 February, the pair appeared at Lewes Crown Court.
Louis Thornton, 18, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and eight months.
Liam Kerwin, 25, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years and two months and given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) that includes a requirement to wear a location monitoring tag for one year.
Detective Constable Marcus Cox said: “Retail employees should be able to carry out their work without threats of violence and physical assault.
“We recognise the impact these incidents can have on businesses, employees and on local communities.
“We will pursue the most robust course of justice to hold the offenders accountable for their actions and are working closely with retailers and partners across Sussex to improve reporting, share intelligence, and make full use of technology to identify, arrest and charge offenders.
“I am pleased to see these sentences reflect the severity of the offences.”
