TWO teenagers subjected a vulnerable woman to a “demeaning, degrading and horrifying” attack in her own home.
Yesterday, Josh Stobbs and Daman Roberts, both 17, were given eight-year detention orders after a judge told them he believed they enjoyed their activities, some of which they filmed on a camera phone.
Durham Crown Court heard that their victim, who is registered as having mild learning difficulties, as well as some physical disabilities, is now frightened of being at home alone and wants to move from the property where the sixhour ordeal took place.
Peter Schofield, prosecuting, said the teenagers were with three girls who called at the woman’s home in Shildon, in the early hours of May 28, after she had gone to bed.
She got up to answer the door to the girls, who she knew, but Stobbs and Roberts followed them in to the house.
Mr Schofield said they then put the cooker on, used the frying pan, broke the smoke alarm, sprayed body cream over the walls, damaged furniture and poured washing up liquid into the kettle.
Contents of drawers were thrown around, leaving the householder distressed and they refused to leave.
Mr Schofield said the pensioner tried to go back to bed, but was taken into the living room.
She was threatened with kitchen knives, made to go on “all fours” on the floor, while Stobbs and Roberts told her they were going to cut off various body parts, as she begged them to stop.
They then tied her to a chair with flex and over the next 20 minutes tormented her by putting knives to her eyeballs, and throat, repeatedly threatening to stab her while making derogatory comments.
On the camera phone footage, which the judge refused to play in court because of the disturbing nature of the content, they were heard to say they were “loving it”.
Stobbs, of West Chilton Terrace, Chilton, and Roberts, of Silverdale Place, Newton Aycliffe, admitted false imprisonment and damaging property.
Stobbs also admitted making threats to kill and Roberts admitted theft of a kitchen knife.
The court heard that both have lengthy records, despite their age.
Defence barristers Kieran Rainey, for Stobbs, and Alex Menary, for Roberts, said they had not known the victim was a woman with disabilities before accompanying the girls to her home.
Judge Christopher Prince, who lifted reporting restrictions to allow the defendants to be named, said it was a terrifying and humiliating crime for the victim.
“This was heartless, it was cruel and sustained. You both clearly derived pleasure from your torment of her. It was deliberately demeaning, degrading and horrifying.”
He said if they were adults he would have jailed them both for 15 years.
Following the hearing, Detective Inspector Victoria Fuller said: “The severity of the sentence reflects the appalling nature of this crime.
“It will give them the opportunity to reflect on their actions and prevent them from subjecting anyone else to such a horrific ordeal.”
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