Two armed men attacked a house in Newcastle with an axe and a crossbow while a pregnant woman was inside, a court has heard. Callum Duncan, 19, and Callum Green, 21, targeted a property in Newbiggin Hall in the early hours of November 22 last year.
The Attack
At around 2am, Duncan and Green arrived at the home where two women, one of them pregnant, were present with their partners. Duncan smashed the front door and windows with an axe, while Green fired a crossbow at the property. One of the women saw the axe coming through the door and was terrified. The occupants hid in a bathroom as Duncan was unable to get through a second door.
Green shot the crossbow towards the house, with the bolt getting stuck in a window. He then fired through the broken front door, and the bolt landed inside but did not hit anyone. Duncan shouted, 'shoot it again, shoot it again.' The pair then threatened to put a car through the house before leaving.
Victim Impact
In a victim impact statement, the woman who lives there said: 'The fact they came to my home, it's meant to be a safe place, a safe haven. I'm meant to feel safe in it. Well, not anymore. It doesn't feel like my home. It feels like my privacy has been invaded.' She added that she had lived there for 19 years and said of the attack: 'I don't understand why.'
Sentencing
Duncan, of Fawdon Lane, Fawdon, admitted affray, criminal damage and possessing an axe. Green, of Naworth Drive, West Denton, admitted affray and possessing a crossbow. Judge Gavin Doig said: 'You were both in possession of weapons. Mr Duncan, you had an axe and you used it to smash the front door and windows. (The woman) saw an axe coming through the door. One can only imagine the terror she would have felt.' He told Green: 'It's your great good fortune it didn't make contact with anyone and cause injuries, or you would be going to prison for years.'
Penny Hall, representing Green, said his mother's car had been damaged and he wanted to speak to those he thought were responsible. She said he had lost his grandfather and started using drugs as a coping mechanism. Mairi Clancy, for Duncan, said he had been remanded in custody for nine months. Duncan was jailed for 30 months. Green received a 20-month sentence suspended for 21 months with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Separate Offence
In a separate incident on June 28 last year, police were called to a pub in Cramlington after reports of a fight. CCTV showed Jamie Stewart, 27, of Cherrywood, Newcastle, repeatedly punching a man, who kicked out in response. The victim was punched again by Stewart and others, fell to the floor, and was repeatedly punched by Duncan and kicked by Stewart. He suffered a cut to his ear. The group then attacked another man, with Stewart repeatedly punching him and Duncan kicking and punching him until he fell unconscious. Police found one victim on the ground and another unconscious in bushes, who had a seizure. The victims refused to give statements but were identified from CCTV images on social media. Duncan and Stewart admitted affray. Stewart received a 12-month sentence suspended for 21 months with 100 hours of unpaid work.
