Two men have been sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison after an aggravated burglary in St Albans.
Samuel Adams, aged 33, of no fixed abode in St Albans, and Nathan Longmore, aged 24, of Bricket Road in St Albans, were sentenced today (Friday, April 19), following a previous week-long trial.
Longmore was found guilty of aggravated burglary and cleared of possessing a bladed article, while Adams was found guilty of both offences.
The incident happened around 11.30am on Saturday, August 19 2023, when Longmore entered a linked address of an associate near St Albans City centre.
Adams then joined Longmore inside the property and attempted to stab a man inside the address with a nine-inch knife before an altercation broke out, the court heard.
PC Zach Flint from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit was on a single-crew patrol at the time when he heard screaming and shouting coming from the direction of a block of flats. He then noticed a woman who had escaped from the flat onto a balcony and was calling for help.
Adams and Longmore both searched the property and took a packet of cigarettes and a bag before being stopped and detained single-handedly by PC Flint at the scene.
Following a sentencing hearing at St Albans Crown Court, Adams was jailed for nine years, with a further two years on licence. He was also added to the dangerous offenders list, meaning he will serve no less than the nine years he has been sentenced to.
Longmore, meanwhile, was handed a six-year sentence.
Detective Constable Krisztina Gulyas, from the St Albans Local Crime Unit, said: “I am pleased that the defendants have been convicted of these offences, which have had a profound effect on the two victims, and have now been sentenced for their crimes.
“I hope today’s court result will give the victims a chance to rebuild their lives after this violent incident which took place inside their own home and somewhere they should feel safe.
“The quick actions of PC Flint at the scene meant both Adams and Longmore could be apprehended swiftly and taken off the streets.”
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