Two yobs have been jailed after they brutally assaulted and robbed a homeless man outside a church in a “truly disturbing attack”.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Brandon Dobbs and Morgan Kemble, both 20, met the man in Swansea on November 6 last year and, after being offered guidance on where to buy drugs, the trio headed towards High Street. But the court heard how Dobbs and Kemble turned on the man near a church at the high end of High Street, when they couldn’t find anyone supplying.
According to prosecutor Ryan Bowen, in a desperate attempt to flee the victim was caught and mercilessly beaten with crutches discovered nearby before being punched and kicked as he lay on the ground. The duo then stole his phone and wallet before walking towards the High Street railway station.
But the victim followed the men to the station, before Dobbs claimed to have a “shank” and attacked him again. Police were alerted about the robbery, and arrested Dobbs and Kemble on The Strand, reports Wales Online.
Brandon Dobbs and Morgan Kemble, both of Bridgend, had both previously admitted to robbery when they appeared for sentencing. Dobbs has a history of two previous convictions for four offences including affray, possession of a bladed article, criminal damage, and a non-dwelling burglary.
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Dobbs and Kemble each received a three-year detention sentence in a young offenders institution
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Dobbs was handed a 15-month suspended sentence for these crimes and committed the Swansea robbery while under that sentence. Kemble has a record of five previous convictions for nine offences, all dating back to 2024. He was under a community order at the time of the robbery. Rhodri Chudleigh, representing Dobbs, stated his client was “apologetic and remorseful” for his actions.
Adam Sharp, representing Kemble, detailed the defendant’s troubled background at the time of the robbery, highlighting that he was homeless due to behavioural and substance misuse issues which also cost him his job as a bricklayer. Sharp pointed out his client’s struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and mentioned that Kemble was aware of his father serving a life sentence in prison.
Judge Walters described the case details as “truly disturbing”, suspecting that the assault was likely “fuelled by drink and or drugs”. The defendants each received a three-year detention sentence in a young offenders institution. Judge Walters enforced six months of Dobbs’ previous suspended sentence to be served consecutively, resulting in a total sentence of three-and-a-half years.
Both men will serve up to half their sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Kemble’s community order was also revoked by the judge.
As he sentenced them, Judge Walters warned: “Mark my words: If this is the way you are going to play it in the future you can look forward to spending an awful lot of time in prison. Now is the time to decide to put this behind you and decide to lead lives that even you may be proud of one day.”
After the sentencing, detective constable Samera Sabir of South Wales Police stated: “Violent crime will never be tolerated in our communities, and our officers acted swiftly to bring Brandon Dobbs and Morgan Kemble into custody following their assault of the victim.
“We are always working to bring violent offenders to justice, and this sentencing is just the latest example of this. We hope that these two men will now think hard about their actions whilst in custody.”