Two men jailed after dragging 11-year-old out of bed during robbery in Northampton

Two men have been jailed for more than 27 years in total after an 11-year-old was dragged out of bed during a robbery in Northampton.

Paul Gregory Delaney, aged 44, previously of Wareham Road, Birmingham, and Ashton Lee Williams, aged 33, previously of Northampton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on March 23 to be sentenced after previously pleading guilty to a series of charges.

In the early hours of May 23, 2023, the duo kicked in the patio door at an address in Upton. A man and a woman in their 30s where inside and children were asleep.

Once inside, Delaney and Williams entered the main bedroom and demanded the occupants hand over jewellery and cash, according to police.

The female victim was grabbed by the throat with Delaney and Williams forcibly removing the earrings from her ears. In her victim impact statement, she wrote: “I truly believed that he was going to kill me and at that time, all I could think about was how this will affect my family and the safety of my kids if I were to be killed.”

The male victim was also attacked. He was kicked and punched, leaving him with facial injuries.

The 11-year-old boy was grabbed by the throat and dragged out of bed. Thankfully, he was physically unharmed.

After leaving with jewellery, two iPhones and some medication, the suspects made off. As police officers arrived, Delaney was still in the vicinity and attacked one of them as he was being arrested, scratching, biting and punching the officer.

Williams was arrested at his home address a short time later with the jewellery the pair had stolen being found inside his property.

Delaney was charged with one count of robbery, one count of assault, one count of intentional suffocation, and one count of assaulting an emergency worker. Williams was charged with two counts of robbery, one count of intentional suffocation and one count of assault.

Lead investigator Detective Constable Kieran Russ, said: “This was an absolutely terrifying attack that has had such a lasting effect on the victims that they didn’t want to return to their home ever again.

“What makes this robbery all the more shocking is the fact that Delaney and Williams showed no care towards the children inside the address, even going so far as to drag one of them out of his bed by the throat.

“I am pleased that both men have been handed significant prison sentences and that their dangerousness has been recognised by the judge in the form of the extended portions of their sentences.

“Whilst nothing will take away the memory of that night, I hope the conclusion of this case provides the victims with some closure. They have all been exceptionally brave in supporting our investigation from start to finish and I wish them the very best for the future.”

Delaney was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison with an extension period of five years, and Williams to 14 years and four months in prison with an extension period of four years.