When an 86-year-old woman tried to help an injured joyrider, he robbed her. After discovering Shaun Kennelly hiding outside her house with an injured arm, the pensioner attempted to assist him. The man in her garden had hurt himself minutes earlier after leading police on a dangerous car chase through a town centre, unbeknownst to the woman. Kennelly sprang into action and grabbed the woman around the throat seconds after being invited into the woman’s Newark home to get a bandage. He then forced her to hand over all of the money in her purse before fleeing, leaving his victim shaken and with minor injuries. Kennelly carried out the shocking attack on 20 June 2022 while wearing no shoes or shirt, after going on a one-man rampage an hour earlier. Kennelly began speeding through Newark town centre after stealing his mother’s car from her driveway, and was stopped by police near the Castle Roundabout for driving erratically. The driver then ignored officers’ requests to pull over, instead driving on the wrong side of the road at high speeds and narrowly avoiding a collision with another vehicle. Kennelly was caught driving at nearly 80mph in a 30mph zone at one point, and after being pulled over in Lincoln Street, he deliberately drove at a police car to ram his way out. When he sped away from police again, officers decided to call off the pursuit because it was feared that continuing would endanger other members of the public. Kennelly quickly abandoned the damaged car at the Newark Gateway before fleeing on foot and attempting to hide in his unsuspecting victim’s garden. The 25-year-old was arrested the next day but refused to answer any of the questions posed to him during the police interview. Kennelly initially denied any involvement, but on October 7 pleaded guilty to robbery, dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, and criminal damage. Kennelly, of Cross Street, Newark, was sentenced to four years and five months in prison at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (13 January 2023). He was also given a 10-year restraining order against his victim and will be prohibited from driving for three years after his release. It’s a damning indictment of Kennelly’s character that his first thought when this kindly woman came to his aid was to rob her in her own home,” said Detective Constable Lauren Carpenter of Nottinghamshire Police. “His actions that day were absolutely despicable, callous to the extreme, and resulted in his victim suffering a horrible ordeal that she in no way deserved. “As if that attack wasn’t bad enough, Kennelly had also earlier demonstrated a complete disregard for the law by driving in a truly disgraceful manner that put other road users at risk of serious harm. It really should go without saying but this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and will never be tolerated by Nottinghamshire Police. “We are pleased that Kennelly is now facing the consequences of his actions, and we sincerely hope that he uses his time in prison to reflect on his mistakes.”
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