Two balaclava-wearing thugs on bikes attacked a man going to a meeting with friends and tried to steal his phone, a court has heard. When David Parsons and Jordan Chapman were tracked down thanks to vigilant CCTV operators, police recovered a knife with a 20cm blade from a backpack.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the attempted robbery occurred in Cardiff city center on the night of March 1 this year as the victim walked down Barrack Lane, near St David’s shopping center, on his way to meeting friends Walked along Cardiff. Kathryn Lane, prosecuting, said the man heard screams behind him and turned to see two men wearing balaclavas on bicycles. The man continued walking and looking at his cell phone, but Parsons and Chapman rode up to him and confronted him. The two got off their bikes and told their victim to call him before one of them – it is not known who – grabbed him by the throat and brought him to the sidewalk. The victim was pinned to the ground and the defendants continued to demand his cell phone, but the man refused.
READ MORE: A man dragged a drunk and incapacitated woman into his apartment “like a rag doll” for sex
READ MORE: A Tesco cafe worker dealt cocaine while serving customers
The court heard the attack ended when the victim called out to a passing cyclist delivering food and Parsons and Chapman got back on their bikes and rode away. The victim got up and walked to a bar, where door staff contacted police. The prosecutor said CCTV operators then began searching the city center for the defendants and the pair were spotted near the Vue Cinema, next to the Principality Stadium. Officers were dispatched to the area and arrested her. The court heard that when Parsons was searched a scale and a knife with a 20cm blade were found in his backpack, and when Chapman was searched a quantity of cannabis was found in ready-to-sell packaging along with £700 in cash and a burner phone . Upon examining the cellphone, police discovered that “text message bombs” had been sent to dozens of contacts, including one on the evening of the attempted robbery advertising the fact that the dealer was “active late into the night.” and grass patches including “fire” were available. , “Cherry Dog” and “Ammunition”.
David Johnathan Parsons, 36, of Ninian Park Road, Canton, Cardiff, and 27-year-old Jordan Chapman, of Fields Park Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff, had both previously pleaded guilty to attempted robbery when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. Parsons had also previously pleaded guilty to possession of a knife in a public place and Chapman to possession of cannabis with intent to supply. Parsons has 21 previous convictions for 41 crimes, including thefts, burglaries and an attempted robbery committed as a juvenile. Chapman has 18 previous convictions for 31 offenses including theft, personal theft, criminal damage, assault on an emergency responder and multiple counts of assault by beating. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
William Bebb, for Parsons, said the defendant had spent many years in prison and was, in his own words, “tired of himself”. He said that Parsons had found some stability in his life after being released from his last prison sentence in 2020 and that he was ashamed and regretful about being back in court. Derrick Gooden, for Chapman, said his client’s criminal history showed he was a thief and he said there were no previous drug trafficking offenses on his record. He said the defendant operated as a street cannabis dealer and “knew what he was selling and who he was selling it to”.
With a quarter discount for his guilty plea to attempted robbery, Recorder Christian Jowett sentenced Parsons to 15 months in prison, and with a third discount for his guilty plea, he sentenced Chapman to 16 months in prison. Parsons was also given a four-month prison sentence for concurrent possession of the knife and Chapman was given a six-month prison sentence for concurrent possession of cannabis with intent to supply. The defendants serve half of their respective sentences before being released on license to serve the remainder in the community.
Use this interactive tool to view the latest crime statistics for your area