2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Esther Halligan)
A thug who turned up at a Middlesbrough home with a knife and tried to force his way in to get money has been jailed. Robbie Quail, 26, went round to his target's mother's house, and demanded the cash - which he said was a drug debt, on February 10. His victim tried to stop him coming inside, where his parents and other children were, and a fight broke out.
Quail repeatedly punched the man in his face and threatened him with the knife. Quail's partner pulled him off his victim, and Quail fled. On Thursday, Quail appeared in court to be sentenced, after pleading guilty to attempted robbery; assault and threatening a person with a weapon.
He has a previous conviction for sending threatening communication and the possession of a knife, from 2022, where he was given a suspended prison term. In mitigation, Gary Wood said that Quail has written a letter of apology for what he has done. Mr Wood said that Quail lives with his partner and two of his children, but that he helps to care for all six of his off-spring and that he will have to work with government agencies, so that he can be part of their lives.
"He has problems with addiction but he does have an address he can go to, where his children don't live, until he is part of the family unit again" Mr Wood said. The court heard that Quail "self-medicates with benzodiazepine"; and that a psychiatrist's report found that he shows autistic traits. Judge James Goss told Quail that he had breached his suspended sentence from 2022, and he was activating eight-weeks of that sentence.
Quail, of Berwick Hills , Middlesbrough , was jailed for three-years-and-eight-weeks. He was made the subject of a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting his victim for five years. For daily news from Teesside's courts direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free court newsletter Teesside Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
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