TWO THUGS who attacked a vulnerable man in his own home have been jailed for almost 14 years between them.
Joshua Wise and Stuart Keeling climbed through the man’s flat window in Lyndale Road, Coventry, at 1.30am before pinning him down on the bed and demanding valuables.
Wise spat in the 35-year-old’s face and held him down while encouraging Keeling to ‘have a free hit’ and punch him in the face.
At one point Keeling grabbed a kitchen knife and handed it to Wise who stabbed the man in the back before boasting: ‘I’ve just shanked you’.
Bizarrely, they insisted he squirted washing up liquid over his body, believing it would remove DNA evidence.
The shocking ordeal lasted 30 minutes before the cruel pair fled through the window having stolen two mobile phones, a bank card, digital camera and TV USB stick.
They threatened to return if he called the police but he bravely reported the break-in and supported the investigation as police appealed to trace the attackers.
Wise, 21, and 24-year-old Keeling handed themselves into a Leicestershire police station on October 12, 2019, four days after the attack.
Cowardly Wise tried blaming Keeling for the assault, saying he witnessed the attack and pleaded with him to stop.
But the victim’s compelling account proved Wise was the main aggressor and both then admitted robbery.
Wise, of no fixed abode, and Keeling from Shirley Road, Coventry, have now been jailed for eight-and-a-half years and five years 10 months respectively.
Det Con Sara Coakley, from Coventry Police CID, said: “This was a prolonged, savage and degrading attack.
“They clearly thought they could steal from this man and intimidate him into keeping quiet.
“They were wrong. He stood up to them and reported the offence – and days later we’d arrested the offenders.
“I’d like to thank the victim for his help in securing these convictions.
“He can rightly be proud of his actions.”
