An armed man who broke into a family home and used a metal bar to inflict a “punishment beating” on the two householders has been jailed for over five years.
Jonjo Bedford, 27, broke into the property in York after smashing a kitchen window as he shouted: “I’m going to kill you.”
Once inside, Bedford and his teenage sidekick, who can’t be named for legal reasons, attacked the named female victim with metal bars and “smashed the flat to pieces”.
During the incident in Knapton in the early hours of 18 February, neighbours said they could hear Bedford, wearing a balaclava, smashing a window at the back of the house while shouting: “You owe me bitch and I’m going to stab you.”
CCTV footage before the burglary showed Bedford and his teenage cohort “marching” through the street towards the house where the two victims were asleep.
They “repeatedly” smashed windows at the front and back of the house with metal bars.
The victims, who knew Bedford, were woken by the sound of a window smashing but had “no idea what was happening”.
As the male victim went to investigate, the female householder saw two males brandishing metal bars stood outside the smashed window at the back of the property. She recognised Bedford even though his face was masked.
“Both males were shouting as they smashed the windows,” said prosecutor Holly Clegg.
They finally broke into the kitchen through a smashed window, shouting threats at the male victim and “arming themselves with large knives from the kitchen”.
Ransacked the property
The female victim “placed herself between them and (the male victim) to protect him”, but the manic thugs attacked her with the metal poles, striking her all over her body including her head, arm and legs.
They then ransacked the property by “smashing everything they could reach with metal bars”.
Ms Clegg said that Bedford, of Ascot Way, York, “smashed the flat to pieces” as his teenage cohort continued to attack the female with the metal bar.
The male victim pushed the teenage assailant off her, but he was also hit during the “long and drawn-out” attack as the burglars continued to smash up the flat.
When police arrived, they saw the victims climbing out of windows to escape the house. Suspecting they were themselves burglars, officers drew their Tasers and detained the male householder, “before realising he was the victim”.
Bedford and the teenager had already fled in different directions but were quickly found and arrested nearby. Police found an abandoned balaclava and two mobile phones near where Bedford was detained.
A neighbour told police they had found items stolen by the burglars from the victims’ property in their garden. They included a laptop, a tablet, a Samsung phone and a speaker. A kitchen knife dumped by one of the raiders was also found nearby.
Police found text messages “relating to drugs and money” on Bedford’s phone and the two victims were “mentioned within the (messages) about owing money to score”.
Attacked police
Bedford, who had “multiple” cuts from smashed glass and was “covered in blood”, was taken to hospital following his arrest. While in hospital he attacked a police officer.
He and the teenager were each charged with aggravated burglary. Bedford ultimately admitted the offence, along with assaulting an emergency worker. He received a nine-month conditional discharge at a previous hearing for assaulting the police officer.
In April, his teenage accomplice admitted the burglary charge on the day his trial was due to be held and his case was remitted to the youth court.
Bedford, a father-of-two, appeared for sentence via video link today after being remanded in Hull Prison.
The court heard he had eight previous convictions for offences including violence, theft from the person, handling stolen goods and threatening behaviour. In 2020 he received a suspended prison sentence for affray.
Defence barrister Jordan Millican said Bedford’s life had “completely spiralled out of control” following a series of family bereavements.
Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Bedford: “On February 18, you and your co-accused embarked upon a punishment-beating exercise for somebody who owed you money, armed with weapons and (wearing) a balaclava, and you and your co-accused marched through a housing estate in a brazen and fearless fashion.
“You appear to be people who do as you like on the streets, with the view that nobody would dare cross you.
“You then attacked this house where the female occupant and (the male victim) were inside, no doubt terrified.
“Once inside… you inflicted your punishment on the occupant by hitting her with a weapon. This kind of lawlessness cannot be tolerated, and it must be clear that the streets of this city and of North Yorkshire do not belong to gangsters and law will be obeyed.”
Bedford was jailed for five years and three months. He will serve half of that sentence behind bars, minus the time he had already spent on remand, before being released on prison licence.