Two masked men who threw ammonia into their victims’ faces during an aggravated burglary involving a cannabis factory in Burton have been jailed for 11 years.
Jordan Walsh and Adam Skidmore threw the corrosive substance into the faces of two men who were cultivating a cannabis factory at an address in Goodman Street, Burton, before running off with an amount of the drug, a court has heard.
Jordan Walsh, aged 29, of no fixed address from the east London area, and Adam Skidmore, aged 30, of Hartington Road, Newham, east London, were both sentenced to 11 years and nine months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for aggravated burglary.
The court heard police officers were called to reports of a burglary in progress in the early hours of January 5 in Goodman Street. When they arrived two men, Walsh and Skidmore, ran across rear gardens and Walsh was detained by officers in nearby Lansdowne Terrace.
Police attended a house in Goodman Street and found two men – Leonid Goldin and Arinus Romanovas - suffering from facial burns having had liquid thrown at them by intruders.
It was soon discovered during a search of the premises that the property was being used as a cannabis factory. Officers found a large tent in the upstairs bedroom with 84 cannabis plants inside.
Romanovas told police he was grabbed by the hair and liquid was poured over his head and neck which caused him to struggle to breathe. Goldin told the court he went to help his friend and was hit and fell onto the settee. Two men wearing masks were asking for ‘the weed’, he said.
Skidmore was arrested later following the gathering of forensic evidence. Cannabis vegetation was found during a search of Walsh, the court was told.
Walsh was charged with stealing cannabis, keys and a mobile phone; Skidmore was charged with theft of cannabis. The aggravating factor of the burglary was the ammonia assault, the court heard.
Goldin and Romanovas were both sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at an earlier hearing for cannabis production.
Detective Inspector Clair Langley, of Staffordshire Police, said after the case that the sentencing reflected the severity of the crime.
She said: “We welcome these sentences as a clear indication that such crime will not be tolerated in Staffordshire. We want to reassure our communities in Staffordshire that we will not tolerate this behaviour and will pursue criminals who believe they can profit from using fear and violence relentlessly.”
