Burglar shot by homeowner at remote £420,000 cottage is jailed for 10 years alongside his accomplice



Robert Richards, 30,was shot in the leg by Malcolm White, 63, during raid



He and accomplice Darren Randall, 26, found guilty of aggravated burglary

Sentenced to 10 and 13 years respectively for Worcestershire break-in

Homeowner Malcolm White awaits sentence for firearms and drug offences

A burglar whose leg was partially blown off by a homeowner whose house he was trying to ransack has been jailed alongside his accomplice.

Robert Richards, 30, had to have his leg amputated after he was shot by retired clock-maker Malcolm White during a bungled break-in.

Richards and his accomplice Darren Randall, 26, intended to raid White's rural village house, in which they knew was being grown cannabis worth £18,000.

Robert Richards, 30, was shot in the leg after he and Darren Randall, 26, right, broke into a country house



The pair broke into the detached house in the picturesque Worcestershire village of Whitbourne armed with a crowbar, chisel and cable ties, hoping to steal cash and drugs.

But the burglary went wrong when Mr White opened fire on the intruders, shooting Roberts in the leg with an illegally-held shotgun.

The pair, both from Birmingham, drove to the village of Leigh Sinton eight miles away to seek help for Roberts' injury, and were arrested. Roberts later had his leg amputated.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court the hapless duo were sentenced to a total of 23 years following a trial.

The court heard how the men broke into the £420,000 house through a ground floor window while the homeowner, Malcolm White, 63, and his partner Josephine Merrick were inside.

Mr White went outside and fired a shotgun at the burglars, hitting Richards in the leg.

Tranquil rural setting: But Malcolm White's home was found to contain cannabis and firearms

The house in the village of Whitbourne on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border was the scene of a violent confrontation

While Mr White called the police to report the break-in, which happened in October 2011, Richards and Randall fled the scene before being later arrested by officers.

Richards and Randall denied aggravated burglary but were found guilty by a jury last November.

Sentencing the pair, His Honour Judge Mithani QC sentenced Richards to 10-and-a-half years in prison and Randall was jailed for 12 years.

The court heard how the men broke into the £420,000 house through a ground floor window while Malcolm White (pictured) and his partner Josephine Merrick were inside

Randall also received a 16-month sentence for possessing illegal ammunition and 12 months for the production of cannabis, after ammunition and drugs were found at his home address during the investigation.

The additional sentences are to run concurrently with one another, but consecutively to his time for aggravated burglary.

Each will have to serve at least half of that time in jail before they will be considered for release on licence.

Detective Sergeant Frank Real from Hereford CID said the investigation turned out not to be as straightforward as it initially seemed.

He said: 'On attending the home of White and Merrick in Whitbourne, we discovered £18,000 worth of cannabis and a number of firearms and ammunition, which White did not have licences for.

'As the investigation progressed, it became clear that the drugs and money were the motivation for the burglary, but Richards and Randall left empty handed when Richards became injured.'

White has pleaded guilty to a number of firearms offences and also the production of cannabis at Worcester Crown Court earlier in 2012.

Merrick, a nursery nurse, also pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis at the same hearing. The pair are still awaiting sentencing for these offences.

DS Real added: 'This was not an opportunistic burglary but a planned operation carried out by a professional criminal outfit.

'Richards and Randall spent a great deal of time planning this burglary and went to the house in Whitbourne on that evening well prepared with cable ties, balaclavas and gloves with the intention of parting Merrick and White from their possessions.

'Offences like this are extremely unusual in our force area and this has been a highly complex investigation.'

