An “immature” Teessider who was caught red-handed trying to steal bikes from a shed pointed an imitation gun at a family leaving their children “petrified”.
Dormanstown’s Lewis Dawson was among a balaclava-clad gang who turned up to a family’s Redcar home in the early hours of September 12, 2023. The 25-year-old, along with a group of unidentified males, were spotted trying to steal bikes from the family’s Langthwaite Walk shed when they were caught.
However, instead of fleeing the scene, Dawson pointed – what the family thought was a gun – at them and later told their 19-year-old daughter he would kill her and her family if she came outside. The terrifying incident took place at around 6am and has forced the family to move home.
Outlining the case on Tuesday, prosecutor Shaun Dryden told Teesside Crown Court the family were alerted to a “disturbance” by their younger children. He said: “[Name of homeowner] looked out of the window after being alerted to the disturbance by her two young sons.
“They ran into the bedroom saying there were men smashing the garden gate. They were wearing balaclavas and the children thought they were going to break into the house.”
Mr Dryden said the mother could see a male in the shed passing bikes out to the other males and said she recognised the defendant as he was the only one with his balaclava rolled up. She shouted at the defendant: “Lewis get out, leave them alone,” referring to the bikes.
However, things began to escalate and Dawson retaliated, Mr Dryden said: “He shouted back telling her to get back inside and pulled out a gun pointing it in her direction. She was so concerned about this she described the children being petrified. She took the children back into the back bedroom and closed the door calling the police.”
Mr Dryden said at this point her 19-year-old daughter walked into the kitchen and shouted at the males “why are you taking the kids’ bikes?” but Dawson came up to the window and held the fake gun towards her face.
‘He would kill her and the rest of her family’
The prosecutor said: “He started shouting towards her saying she should stay inside otherwise he would kill her and the rest of her family. She ran back upstairs.”
The Middlesbrough court heard police attended the scene shortly after and Dawson was arrested. He was interviewed by police but made no reply to questions put.
Mr Dryden said the family have been forced to move following the incident, he explained: “As a result of the incident the family have had to move from that property. They have six children and the incident has taken a toll on their mental health. The children were settled in their environment and school but now that has been taken away from them.”
The court heard the defendant appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court for the offences but was granted bail and offended further. On May 9, last year, a woman was working in her Redcar bakery when Dawson tried to steal her e-bike with an angle grinder.
Mr Dryden said her bike was chained up on West Dyke Road when the defendant, and an unidentified male, turned up to the bakery wearing ski masks and riding a motorcycle. The prosecutor said: “The defendant produced an angle grinder and tried to remove the e-bike’s chain in order to steal it.
“He was challenged by the complainant who ran out of her shop and shouted ‘get off my bike’. The defendant approached her with the grinder, he held it up and pointed it at her.”
‘I am scared of retribution towards my business’
The court heard she headed back inside the bakery but the defendant eventually gave up trying to steal the bike and rode off. In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “The incident has made me feel vulnerable at work. I am scared of any further retribution towards my business.”
The court heard the defendant has six convictions for nine offences. He pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm, affray and attempted theft. A count of aggravated burglary was left to lie on file.
In mitigation, Dawson’s barrister Paul Cleasby said: “The commission of this offences has all the hallmarks of an immature young man because who takes a toy gun on a shed burglary? This defendant had an inability to recognise the impact of his own offending.
“At the time of these offences he was sadly out of control as a result of over consumption of alcohol and drugs and so to fund his addicted he went to steal from cars and sheds.” Mr Cleasby said the Broadway West defendant has never been in custody before and since being on remand has rebuilt his relationship with his family after “coming to his senses”.
The barrister said his client describes being on remand as “awful”. However, Judge Joanne Kidd said the defendant must serve time behind bars for his crimes. Dawson was handed a 42-month prison sentence.
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