A man who attacked an Oxford student was jailed for two years after being convicted of assault and attempted robbery at Oxford Crown Court last Friday.
Jacob Chambers, along with 18-year-old friend Aaron Williams, approached the American undergraduate in Pembroke Street at 9:20pm on 12 July and asked him for a cigarette. When he refused, the student was pushed into a nearby doorway and searched. On finding nothing, Chambers punched him in the face.
Chambers, who is from Cowley, was sentenced to two years in prison for the assault and with a string of other offences, including two attempted robberies and intimidating a witness. Aaron Williams, from Preachers Lane, was given a twelve month supervision order and will do 50 hours unpaid work for attempted robbery. Both men were 18 at the time of the offence.
PC Alex Gill of the Oxford Robbery Team said, “Both these men have been causing trouble in Oxford for a while and we are glad to see them getting a sentence that we hope will make them think twice about the impact their crimes have on their victims.”
The judge justified the sentence on the grounds of emotional distress caused to Chambers and Williams’ victims, and their lack of remorse for their crimes. Chambers is reported to have grinned at friends present in court, one of whom was removed from the proceedings for laughing when Chambers was asked to imagine how he would have felt had someone done the same thing to him.
Although neither man is thought to have been armed at the time, the judge emphasised that Chambers was aware that the people he was with during the attempted burglaries were carrying knives.
Louise Randall, OUSU Vice-President for Welfare, said, “We really encourage students not to take risks with their personal safety when out and about at night. There are actually more attacks on men in the city than women, so this really isn’t just a women’s issue. We recommend that students don’t walk alone late at night, and that where possible they use well lit routes. Attack alarms are a valuable deterrent, and are available for £1.60 from OUSU or your college welfare officer. Make use of the great services such as the Safety Bus and the Walk Safe scheme to make sure that you get home safely.”
Two years for unremorseful duo
