Two men jailed for “horrific” crime spree

A Burwell man who assisted in a violent spree last year has been jailed for 12 months.

Albert Smith, 21, of Weirs Drove, helped ringleader Thomas Lamb, 32, terrorise residents after going on the rampage in West Wratting in a series of crimes described as “horrific” by police.

Lamb, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment at Cambridge Crown Court on March 30 after pleading guilty to a string of offences.

On December 16 last year, Lamb accompanied Smith when he forced his way into a property in Six Mile Bottom Road, West Wratting, and threatened the owner at knifepoint.

The pair left empty handed and went next door where they threatened the occupant with a Stanley knife before hitting him over the head with a wine bottle.
They fled in the victim’s Vauxhall Corsa.
After crashing the Corsa on Weston Colville Road, the two tried to steal a Toyota before they were picked up in a Transit van.

When they were later arrested in Caxton, Lamb spat at a police officer.
Lamb was charged with robbery, attempted robbery, aggravated taking a vehicle without consent, driving while disqualified and without insurance, actual bodily harm, possession of a bladed article, attempted theft of a vehicle and assaulting a police officer.
He was jailed for a total of eight years and has been disqualified from driving for seven years and eight months.
His accomplice, Smith, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to robbery, attempted robbery, aggravated taking a vehicle without consent, driving without insurance, actual bodily harm, possession of a bladed article, theft and attempted theft of a vehicle. He has also been disqualified from driving for a year.
Detective Sergeant Andy Denzey said: “This was a horrific crime. The level of force used was excessive and this is reflected in the length of the sentence that Lamb was given.
“Lamb was clearly the driving force in this incident with Smith playing a lesser role.
“The sentence will ensure that Lamb cannot hurt anyone else in the community for many years to come.”