A young woman set a trap for a man she met on a dating site and planned for two men to rob him after she picked him up in her car. The men threatened to kill her date but he managed to escape unharmed after running away from the car.
Gemma Frost, 23, and her victim Christopher Stanley had met online in May 2020 and he loaned her £210 but when she asked if her friend could borrow money he refused. After finding out he had access to money Frost became part of a plan with the two men to rob Mr Stanley by driving him to a location and forcing him to hand over money.
On June 3, 2020, Frost called Mr Stanley and arranged to meet him in person for the first time and she agreed to pick him up. At 7pm that day the defendant arrived and he got into the front passenger seat. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Frost drove toward Manor Way in Cardiff when she saw the two men approaching the car.
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Prosecutor David Pugh said: "The defendant turned to him and said: 'They look dodgy'. One of them was wearing a dressing gown with the hood up and a surgical mask. The other person was wearing a tracksuit with the hood up and a piece of fabric over his neck. The two men were coming from the junction and, to the victim's surprise, Ms Frost steered to the kerb and stopped near those two men and turned the engine off.
"The two men came to the vehicle, opened the passenger door where the victim was sitting, and aggressively shouted at him: 'Get back. We will kill you, we're going to hurt you'. They grabbed the victim and tried to push him into the back. The victim managed to break free and exited the vehicle, briefly doing so he fell on the pavement but managed to escape. The two men got into the car and the defendant drove off."
Following the attempted burglary Mr Stanley was described as "very shaken". He received a phone call from Frost and while he couldn't recall what she said, she did not seem upset or distressed.
CCTV footage of the incident traced the car back to St Fagans Road in Fairwater and to the defendant's then home in Chorley Close. She was spoken to by police before she was arrested on June 4 along with the two men. She gave differing accounts in her interview and named the two men who were investigated but there was not enough evidence to charge them.
Frost, now of Copper Grove, Rogerstone, Newport, later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap. She did so on the basis she was "at a low point in her life" and "hanging around with older individuals with significant criminal backgrounds". She said she was forced by the two older men to take part in the robbery after they learned the victim had loaned her money and she was too scared and intimidated to refuse.
Defence barrister Josh Scouller said his client was "at a low ebb" in her life and was addicted to cocaine and surrounded by others who were using heavier drugs. He said the defendant's relationship with the victim was "genuine" but was she was taken advantage of by the two older men. The barrister said Frost was ashamed of her behaviour and helped to care for her grandmother who would be affected if she was sent to prison.
Sentencing, Recorder Paul Hobson said: "I make it clear I sentence you you in accordance with the basis of plea. I accept the prime movers in this were the two men you had been associated with and during the incident no weapons were involved.
"However your part in this was still very serious. You deliberately led your victim into a situation where he was going to be forced to hand over money by your associates who you knew to be serious criminals. That is something of which you should be thoroughly ashamed. It's no thanks to you he escaped relatively unscathed from what was a frightening experience indeed."
Frost was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to carry out a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement of 15 days and 150 hours unpaid work.
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