Yob who rampaged through Chester city centre wielding glass bottles sentenced to three years in jail

Feb 3 2011 by Rachel Flint, Chester Chronicle

AN ARMED thug who rampaged through the city threatening to stab members of the public took pity on two of his young victims by returning their bus money.

During his drink-fuelled rampage, Dean Lockley, 21, threatened three teenagers with a piece of metal, spat in the face of a woman, and racially attacked a cyclist.

But bizarrely the thief, who even threatened to stab a dog walker in the eye, returned £1 to each of his shaken 15-year-old victims so they could safely get the bus home.

Lockley, of Grosvenor Street, Chester, was sentenced to three years in prison at Chester Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to three counts of robbery, one count of affray and one count of possessing an offensive weapon.

At 5.15pm on October 20 Lockley began his two-hour tirade when he verbally abused a group of sixth formers, who were walking through Grosvenor Park.

The court heard how he ran at them shouting aggressively and grabbed hold of one of them, before a member of the public managed to intervene.

Lockley then moved on to a group of teenagers, who were sitting on a park bench, approaching them as they left the park, and demanding drugs and money, saying ‘give it to me or I will stab all of you’.

Prosecuting, Graham Gerston said: “As they left the park they suddenly came across the defendant again. He said ‘give us a spliff and no-one will get hurt’.

“They pointed out that he had obviously mistaken them for the sixth formers. He said ‘give me 20 quid’, he was holding an item in his hand, it was a triangular piece of metal.

“He initially asked for drugs, then 20, and finally 10 pounds, before the boys ended up turning out their pockets.”

But he then returned £1 to each of his victims for the bus home and even offered to rob another passing group to make up the cost of their fares.

The court then heard how Lockley armed himself with two beer bottles, which he smashed at the neck, and walked down to the canal where he threaten to stab a man in the eye, then, failing to get a reaction, threatened to stab his dog.

Lockley also spat in the face of a woman who was walking toward him, before heading to Tesco in Frodsham Street and racially attacking a cyclist who was securing his bike outside the store.

Lockley admitted drinking cider alone in the park before the attacks and said he only targeted the cyclist because of his colour and because he had looked at him ‘funnily’.

And when his pockets were emptied at the station all the thief had to show for his two-hour rampage was £4.05 and a triangular piece of metal.

Simon Rogers, defending, said: “That he has very little recollection of the events of that day is clear. He is remorseful and that is reflected in his early guilty plea.”

Lockley was sent to a young offenders institution in 2008 after threatening a 13-year-old and stealing his MP3 player.

Jailing him for three years, less 111 days for time spent in custody, Judge Nicholas Woodward said: “These were serious offences which took place in the centre of Chester during the week at a time when members of the public would have been returning from work.”