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Gloucestershire Business News

Businessman tackles burglar in bloody battle

A burglar got a nasty shock when he was tackled by the have-a-go householder - and then by two kickboxers who happened to be training next door!

Prolific criminal Leon Gratton, 36, ended up battered and bruised when the kickboxing duo heard the householder's wife screaming for help and raced to the rescue.

The pair arrived in businessman Steve Evans' home in Churchdown to find him rolling around on the ground with Gratton amidst a sea of blood that 'looked like a murder scene.'

But once Trevor Thorn and Danny Duckett were on the scene Gratton stood no chance - they used their martial arts skills to overpower him quickly and hold him down till the police arrived.

Mr Evans, 62, chairman of Clarkson-Evans electrical contractors Ltd of Churchdown, suffered nasty facial injuries including a suspected broken nose but Gratton came off worst, with broken ribs, a fractured eye socket and extensive bruising.

His barrister George Threlfall complained at Gloucester crown court yesterday that the violence used by the kickboxer heroes was 'gratuitous and unnecessary'.

But he got short shrift from Judge Graham Cottle, who retorted "well take them to court then!".

Gratton admitted burgling the home of Steve and Sue Evans in Station road, Churchdown, on June 29th this year and stealing jewellery worth £6,000. He also admitted assaulting Mr Evans causing actual bodily harm. He was jailed for four years.

The court had been told that Gratton is such an habitual burglar that he has already spent 13 years of his life behind bars.

Prosecutor, James Haskell said Mr and Mrs Evans had been out on that hot and sunny afternoon and returned home at 7pm to hear noises upstairs in the house.

Gratton then appeared and 'confronted' Mr Evans, and began 'bellowing' at him.

Mr Evans was praised by the judge for showing 'great courage' when he grabbed Gratton and tried to detain him.

Both men 'struggled' and moved towards the patio doors, and then fell to the ground, said the prosecutor.

During the tussle, Gratton bit Mr Evans on the thumb leaving him in need of a course of antibiotics.

The fight moved outside onto the patio area where Mr Evans suffered the most unsightly of his injuries - cuts when he went face-down onto the stonework.

The court heard that Gratton began complaining that he could not breathe and Mr Evans 'showed compassion' by getting a glass of water.

The commotion was heard by Mr Thorn and Mr Duckett next door as they completed a training workout in Mr Thorn's home gym.

They ran round to the house to put a quick end to the fight and detain Gratton. After overpowering him with a stranglehold they searched his pockets and found all the couple's jewellery and watches as well as a small crowbar and hammer.

Mr Threlfall told the court his client received such a beating from the have a go pair that he had to be taken straight to hospital after arrest.

"Probably a lot of people would say it served him right," said the barrister.

"But he had already thrown the towel in - it wasn't necessary.

"But I recognise he will not get much sympathy probably from the general public.

"If you enter people's property uninvited you take certain risks. You can't complain if you get beaten up.

"But some of the violence offered to the defendant was gratuitous and unnecessary."

Mr Threlfall told the judge that following his release from his last prison sentence in 2016, Gratton had got clean from class A drugs, and had settled down.

However losing his job meant that he struggled to pay his rent on the property he shared with his partner and their daughter.

The day before the burglary he had an argument with his partner and went to stay with a friend in Churchdown, Mr Threlfall said.

He was convinced to stay and watch a World Cup game and - not being a drinker - downed three pints which had a 'considerable effect on him,'' the barrister said.

Mr Threlfall said that Gratton was on his way back home and spotted that the Evans' house was empty.

He said that Gratton then returned to his friend's house to obtain a crow bar that he used to break in to the property

The judge described that as a 'fairly fanciful' explanation.

"He is a habitual burglar," the judge said. "There was a brief interlude where he went straight, but he reverted."

The court heard that Gratton had 25 previous convictions for 60 offences.

The judge described the assault on Mr Evans as a 'hugely significant aggravating feature'.

"You were sentenced to 40 months imprisonment in 2014," the judge continued "Yet another substantial sentence for a yet another burglary.

"You were released in February 2016 and remained out of trouble for two years.

"For you that was a significant period of time to remain crime free.

"I have read a letter from your partner who speaks of how proud she was that you stayed out of trouble, found work and became a family man.

"But on June 29th you burgled this house and were on the point of leaving when the owners returned home.

"You confronted Mr Evans, bellowing at him.

"It was the stuff of nightmares to find a burglar in the process of carrying out a burglary.

"Very bravely he tried to restrain you. He is a man in his sixties. He showed great courage.

"There was wrestling with you and you both fell.

"He was injured and in addition you bit him on the thumb.

"These are very significant aggravating features of this offence.

"After trying to restrain you he goes to fetch you a glass of water, as he is concerned you are having an asthmatic attack.

"He was a man showing you significant compassion.

"Two adjoining householders who have heard the noise come on to the scene.

"It is not clear precisely what happened. But what is clear is that by the time you were arrested you had a number of injuries I accept that.

"But the fact you were injured is in no sense at all a mitigating feature in this case."

Mr Evans said after the hearing that it had been a "nasty and frightening" incident which left him with painful and unsightly injuries but he did not regret tackling the intruder.

"Although I did have some nasty injuries and looked a mess afterwards, we don't see ourselves as victims - quite the opposite. We are pleased that through our actions this guy is in custody and we retrieved all our valuables."

He added "After quite a struggle I eventually managed to overpower him and hold him until the police arrived. It was a nasty and frightening incident and afterwards I had to be taken to A&E by ambulance to be treated for my injuries, which included a broken nose. I understand that he also received treatment for his injuries.

"It was particularly terrifying for my wife as she saw us fighting and saw me bleeding profusely from my face and nose and she had to run out of the house while dialling 999 and screaming for help.

"Luckily the neighbours heard her and helped me restrain him. The good news though was that we managed to retrieve all of our valuables, including a lot of Sue's sentimental jewellery."

He said that as well as his facial injuries, he had marks on his arm and thumb caused by Gratton biting him.

Gratton was carrying a a small crowbar and a glass cutter with him, though he did not use them during the fight, he said

"The blood was absolutely pouring out of my nose. It looked like a murder scene," he said.

"But we caught the guy and we've got some closure. It would have been much more awful if we had got home five minutes later and the guy had gone."

Builder Mr Thorn said "Danny and I used to kick box as semi pros and we still keep ourselves fit and have sparring sessions in my gym at home.

"On this day, which was very hot, we had just finished and were sitting in the garden winding down down with glasses of iced water when we heard the commotion next door.

"Sue was screaming hysterically. We ran straight round there and we saw them fighting on the floor, really rolling around together. Steve's nose looked broken and there was blood absolutely everywhere.

"I got blood all over my tee shirt as I weighed in. I grabbed the burglar's arms and got him in what I call a strait jacket position with his arms pulled around his neck in a strangelhold. Danny was at the other end holding his legs so he couldn't do anything.

"We were worried he might have a knife or something so we emptied his pockets - they were full of watches, jewellery, chains and bracelets. A six inch crowbar also fell out and a small hammer for breaking glass. He was wearing black gloves.

"It was amazing that he would have the confidence to do that on a sunny afternoon - just walk into someone's house to burgle it. My children had been out in the garden playing and they heard all the screaming and shouting so it wasn't very nice for them.

"All Danny and I did, really, was take control of him and stop him attacking Steve. Being kickboxers helped us to do that. We both had a lot of bouts in our younger days and we had a few fights at semi pro level. But we are too old and too busy for that nowadays. "

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