TWO men who carried out a terrifying robbery have each received an increased jail sentence after their cases were referred to the Court of Appeal.

Royston Thomas, then 37, and Aaron Bonner, then 43, entered a hair salon in Brighouse on December 28, 2018, and demanded money.

They assaulted the owner of Fresh Hair Salon in Bonegate Road, and stole approximately £100.

When one of the customers, who was 87, attempted to leave the salon to find help, she was shoved to the floor by one of the offenders and suffered a fractured hip and bruising. The other man stole her handbag.

In February both men were convicted of robbery at Bradford Crown Court.

Bonner was also convicted of possession of a bladed article, while Thomas was convicted of possession of a Class A drug and a further robbery of an elderly woman in the street.

Bonner, of Celandine Avenue, Huddersfield, was sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment, while Thomas, Gilbert Grove, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield, was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment.

Following the sentencing, the Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP referred their sentences to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

At a hearing today, the Court found the original sentences to be unduly lenient.

Bonner’s sentence was increased to 6 years’ imprisonment, while Thomas saw his sentence increased to 8 years’ imprisonment with a 3-year extended licence.

Lady Justice Macur said there had been a "significant error" in how the later street robbery had been sentenced, when it came to Thomas, and he had received more credit than he should have done for his guilty plea shortly before the trial date.

He was classed as a dangerous offender, she added, allowing his sentence to be extended with the licence period as a result.

She also said that Bonner had erroneously seen his sentence "artificially deflated" to achieve some sense of parity between the two men.

It also emerged that the pair's 87-year-old victim had since died and as far as her son was concerned, her health had been affected by the robbery.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP said: “This particularly violent robbery was a terrifying incident for the hair salon owner and customers.

“I believed that the behaviour of Royston Thomas and Aaron Bonner warranted a stronger sentence, and I am glad that the Court agreed.”

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