Former soldier jailed for Newton Abbot knife robbery
A soldier who could not cope with life outside the forces has been jailed.
Samuel Winning, 23, joined the army when he was just 16 but left when he was 20 and sank into a spiral of drink, drugs and petty crime because he could not find a job.
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Exeter Crown Court
His offending escalated until he and fellow addict Carl Smith carried out a knifepoint robbery in which they forced a student to hand over his phone and bank card and tell them his PIN.
Winning held student George Kingsley in a neck lock which left him struggling to breathe while Smith threatened him with a knife, Exeter Crown Court was told.
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Father-of-one Winning, of West End Terrace, Denbury, near Newton Abbot, admitted the robbery in Powderham Road , Newton Abbot.
Smith, 34, of Whitelake Place , Newton Abbot, hanged himself in a cell at Exeter Prison on November 22, 2012, while awaiting trial on the same charge.
Winning was jailed for 16 months by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, who told him: "The victim says he was held for up to 25 minutes and was threatened with being stabbed. I regard your previous convictions as an aggravating feature."
Bathsheba Cassel, defending Winning, said: "My client joined the army when he was 16 and served for four years, including in Northern Ireland.
"He left when he was 20 and it was a familiar story of someone struggling to adapt to civilian life.
"He had difficulty finding employment and spiralled into the abuse of alcohol and drugs."
12 Comments
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by TrotskyOffski
Sunday, March 17 2013, 1:20PM
“I'm sure the nice middle class Bathsheba could convince a nice middle class judge to let you join the army whatever your offenses had been.”
by TrotskyOffski
Sunday, March 17 2013, 1:17PM
“It depends what age they were when they committed it, the seriousness of the offense and what the punishment handed down, if any, was.”
by gettingangry
Sunday, March 17 2013, 1:09PM
“As a result of committing violent crime they wouldn`t be permitted to join the army.”
by TrotskyOffski
Sunday, March 17 2013, 1:05PM
“3000 is not a very big sample size to be making sweeping statements about the army. Also the survey seems to suggest that you have to actually be in a combat role and not just 'in the army' a point seemingly lost on Bathsheba when she mentions serving in Northern Ireland after the peace process when the troubles had stopped. Of course the survey seems to take no account of those who committed violent crime before joining the army only to continue on that path after they had left.”
by gettingangry
Sunday, March 17 2013, 12:21PM
“The study was commissioned by the "Centre for military health research" at King`s College, London. it found that soldiers who had seen combat were 50% more likely than those in non combat roles to commit violent crime. Out of around 3,000, 20% had convictions for violent crime compared with 6.7% of the civilian population.
It also highlighted problems around alcohol and drug abuse, post traumatic stress disorder and aggressive behaviour.
I`m not anti the military but I am anti these lads being sent overseas as invaders to fight a futile war with little or no support when they return and are unable to adjust to civilian life.
At the end of the day Iraq is a far more dangerous place to live today than it was before the invasion. Afghanistan will revert to as before as soon as troops depart, and they are now preparing to go into North Africa. These lives are lost for nothing, all to make money for arms companies and politicians not to mention the lucrative life insurance policies the government take out on those being deployed.”
by TrotskyOffski
Sunday, March 17 2013, 12:00PM
“All too common" and "familiar" are phrases that people like to use when the ststistics don't give them the big number they were hoping for but they still want to ram some point home. Studies these days produce figures and percentages. So come on, what figures did this study, comissioned by who? come up with. What percentage of ex soldiers become violent criminal drug addicts to justify the statements "all too common" and "familiar", I would imagine these figures would have to be significantly higher than the percentage of violent criminal drug addicts already in our society that have never been in the army.Or are the army just an easy target these days.”
by gettingangry
Sunday, March 17 2013, 11:25AM
“Sadly this kind of behaviour is all too common from soldiers and ex soldiers. . a study released only yesterday pointed out that ex soldiers are far more likely to commit violent crime. The army and government offer very little assistance in preparing the military personnel for a return to civvy street.More help needs to be available.”
by gettingangry
Sunday, March 17 2013, 11:24AM
“Sadly this kind of behaviour is all too common from soldiers and ex soldiers. . a study released only yesterday pointed out that ex soldiers are far more likely to commit violent crime. The army and government offer very little assistance in preparing the military personnel for a return to civvy street.More help needs to be available.”
by gettingangry
Sunday, March 17 2013, 11:24AM
“Sadly this kind of behaviour is all too common from soldiers and ex soldiers. . a study released only yesterday pointed out that ex soldiers are far more likely to commit violent crime. The army and government offer very little assistance in preparing the military personnel for a return to civvy street.”
by JosefLeninski
Saturday, March 16 2013, 11:34PM
“Interesting that the Herald describe robbing someone at knife point as "petty crime”