Man jailed for 5 years for knifepoint robbery in Sleaford
The incident happened in the early hours of 29 June 2024
A man who carried a knife in public on several occasions and used it to rob a man in Sleaford, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Jordan Ansell, 30, was given the sentence after admitting to the robbery (29 June 2024), where he pulled a knife on another man and stole £80 cash.
Lincoln Crown Court heard how he had followed his victim and struck up a conversation after the man had withdrawn money from a cash machine, before pulling the weapon and robbing him.
Just 11 days prior, on 18 June, Ansell had also been out in town with a knife.
On that occasion, he was seen by an off-duty officer from the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, who knew the area and recognised signs that there may have been criminal activity taking place when he spotted a group of men on his walk home.
He was given a 12 month sentence for that affray and five-month sentence for the weapons charge, both of which will run concurrently.
Ansell’s partner, Laura Leveridge, 34, also Jubilee Grove, Sleaford, was sentenced to nine months, suspended for two years for perverting the course of justice for proving a false alibi statement.
'Really brazen robbery'
DC Jim Thompson, who led the investigation, said: “This was a really brazen robbery, and one that could have ended so much worse.
"Ansell was in an alleyway leading to Southgate in Sleaford at around 1.20am when his victim walked through, went past him, and withdrew £80 from a cashpoint.
“Ansell watched that transaction, then stepped forward to strike up a conversation with him as he walked back, and for some reason then told him he planned to rob two other men nearby.
“This is where things escalated. Ansell was told they were drug dealers, and the men were warned and left; within moments Ansell got behind his would-be victim, shouting at him to hand over his drugs and cash.
"This was all captured on CCTV, and made for very concerning viewing.”