Two men jailed after a man suffers life-changing injuries in robbery

They stabbed a 45-year-old man in the head in Middlesbrough in March

Author: Tom HailePublished 20th Sep 2023

Two men have been jailed for a total of over 22 years for a robbery which left a man with life-changing injuries in Middlesbrough.

In the early hours of Monday 6th March, Jack Henry McPhillips aged 18 from Thornaby and 25-year-old Adam Atkinson, from Middlesbrough, approached a 45-year-old man at a cash machine on Linthorpe Road.

The victim was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver, leaving him with a severe brain injury and he was placed in an induced coma, and stayed in hospital for almost three months.

Atkinson and McPhillips fled the scene and were later arrested and convicted after Middlesbrough CID officers uncovered CCTV and DNA evidence, and both pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court.

Today (Wednesday 20th September), Adam Atkinson was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison and Jack Henry McPhillips was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in custody.

(L-R) Jack Henry McPhillips and Adam Atkinson

Detective Inspector Dan Cook, from Middlesbrough CID, said:

“Atkinson and McPhillips, who was 17 at the time of the incident, were out looking to steal when a man was violently assaulted in the street, leaving him with life-changing injuries which have had a massive impact on him and his whole family.

“Both men have now been jailed and they no longer pose a danger to the public. They will remain behind bars for a lengthy amount of time, and I hope this goes some way towards providing some comfort to the victim and his family. I’d like to extend my thanks to them for their patience and cooperation throughout the investigation and judicial process.

“Thanks also go to the investigation team for their prompt and thorough investigation, resulting in two dangerous men being brought to justice.”

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