Teenagers sentenced for series of violent robberies on New Year’s Day

Three men have been sentenced to a total of 24 years in a young offenders’ institution after carrying out a series of violent robberies targeting New Year’s Eve revellers in Weston-super-Mare.

Danius Melgailis, 18, of Orchard Street, Mohammed Ahmed, 19, of Ashcombe Gardens, and Henry Hathaway, 18, of Longridge Way, all of Weston-super-Mare, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 17 April.

Hathaway, Melgailis, and Ahmed pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, grievous bodily harm, and criminal damage and have been sentenced to nine, eight, and seven years, respectively, at a young offenders’ institution.

In the early hours of Thursday 1 January, the defendants drove around Weston-super-Mare in a black Audi A3 and carried out robberies against several victims, who were either returning home following celebrations on New Year’s Eve or were going to work, between 4.45-7.30am.

The three men would exit their vehicle before demanding their victims empty their pockets, at times using force and weapons, to steal various items including mobile phones, ear pods, bank cards and cash.

Many of their eight victims, who were all men aged between 18 and 56, attended hospital for treatment.

One man suffered significant, life-changing injuries which included a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken eye socket, a head injury, and permanent damage to his right eye, which required multiple operations.

During the same morning, the offenders caused so much damage to a Mercedes, which they wrongly believed belonged to one of their victims, that it was considered an insurance write-off.

When sentencing the trio, Judge Hart said the men used “truly appalling violence” during the spree which he could only described as a “rampage.”

Superintendent Jen Appleford said: “This case involved several victims who were not only left significantly distressed by the incident, but many were also physically harmed, including one man who suffered life-changing injuries.

“I am pleased the court recognised the gravity of the offending and the sentences handed down show that violent attacks like this will not be tolerated, and we hope this brings comfort to the victims and their families.

“We know incidents like this cause concern across our communities, and we sincerely hope the outcome of this investigation brings some reassurance to the public as well as demonstrating that we take incidents like this incredibly seriously.”