Two defendants brawl in dock after being found guilty of violent robbery
Two defendants had a fight in the dock at court after being convicted of a violent robbery.
Justin Irvine, 42, attacked co-defendant Christopher Talbot, 46, after the pair were found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.
The two men came to blows in the dock shortly before they were jailed for seven years for a brutal attack on a 37-year-old man.
The court heard Talbot had lured the victim into a Birmingham guest house in August last year, to sort out a "previous misunderstanding" with a friend of his.
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Irvine was waiting inside and the pair blocked the exit so the man was unable to escape from the property.
The duo grabbed him from behind and dragged him into another room where Talbot held a knife to his throat and demanded money.
They repeatedly hit him in the head and face with a coffee jar and slashed him in the leg with the knife when he refused to give into their demands.
Covered in blood and fearing for his life, the man threw £65 on the floor and ran to safety where he called for our help. The pair were arrested by police shortly after.
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At Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, Talbot and Irvine were found guilty of robbery and both sentenced to seven years in prison.
Detective Craig Dando, from West Midlands Police CID, said: “I am pleased to see these men face time behind bars.
"It was a nasty, unprovoked attack, leaving a man fearing for his life, all over £65.
“Upon hearing the verdict from the judge, Irvine attacked Talbot in the docks, showing the violent nature of this pair and their lack of remorse.”
