An earlier version of this article stated that the two people ejected from the court were members of the defendant’s family.
The family have since contacted us to say none of them were in court and they were unaware of Unsworth’s crime. We are happy to clarify this and are sorry for any embarrassment caused.
The supporters of a robber who targeted a man on the street were kicked out of court today after defying a judge’s order to stop disrupting his sentencing.
Callum Unsworth was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for the brutal robbery of a man in Southport. Yet supporters missed his sentencing after their outbursts saw them removed from the courtroom.
Unsworth targeted a man while he was getting cash out in the early hours of January 29 this year. The victim had been at a bar in the town centre and gone to get money from a cash machine but as he went to take it Unsworth came up behind him and took the cash, pushing the man to the floor.
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Bernice Campbell, prosecuting, told the court the man’s knee was injured in the process and his glasses were broken in the robbery, which saw 23-year-old Unsworth run off with £30. Unsworth was later arrested and admitted robbery.
As Ms Campbell summarised the case, a woman in the public gallery could be heard swearing in frustration. That prompted the judge, Brian Cummings, QC, to warn her she would be forced to leave if she didn’t stop. He told the woman: “Be quiet or get out, I am not having people swearing or muttering in the public gallery.”
However, a short time later, as Ms Campbell was concluding her statements to the court, the woman could be heard making noise again. At that point, Judge Cummings turned to the pair and said: “I have warned you. Now I would like you to leave. You can either leave of your own accord or I can call for an officer.”
She shouted: “What for, I haven’t done nothing.” Judge Cummings replied: “Get out.” The woman shouted “love you Callum, I’ll see you tomorrow” as she and the man with her left the court.
Kate Morley, defending, then appealed to the judge to reduce Unsworth’s sentence, saying he had a difficult childhood and had effectively had to “fend for himself” since his early teens. She said that since being held in custody he had begun to engage properly with probation officers and was now committed to addressing his drug and alcohol abuse, which she said had acted as a major contributor to his offending.
Ms Morley said: “He is waking up to the reality of how he was living his life. He realises he is young enough to rectify the way he was living and he has the biggest motivation to do so - he has a child on the way.” She added that due to Unsworth having no fixed abode the best chance of rehabilitation was likely to be in prison.
Judge Cummings said Unsworth’s offending was bad enough but was aggravated by the fact that he carried out the robbery while subject to a community order which he had been handed after a battery conviction. He jailed Unsworth, of no fixed abode, for two and a half years but said he believed the circumstances of his earlier years had made him more vulnerable to crime.
Judge Cummings said: “I understand and accept what is said about you in the pre sentence report. I accept that you did not have the best start in life. I accept and have witnessed during the hearing that you have not had the best influences.”
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