Two men jailed after knifepoint attack in Kettering town centre
A pair of would-be robbers have been given long prison sentences after a violent attack on a man in Kettering.
Gerald Gribbin, who has shocking 35-year history of violence and has been repeatedly jailed, was in court along with his co-defendant Tommy Rowe to be sentenced for their part in an attack in Horse Market, Kettering.
Gribbin, of Station Road, Kettering and formerly of Corby, and Tommy Rowe, of Kingwell Avenue, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, took part in the attempted knifepoint robbery on July 17 last year which left a male victim needing hospital treatment.
Both men were charged with grievous bodily harm, attempted robbery of cash, and knife possession. Rowe admitted all the charges and Gribbin admitted attempted robbery and knife possession.
At a Northampton Crown Court hearing last week, the GBH count against Gribbin was left to lie on file and he and Rowe were sentenced for the remaining charges.
Rowe, 40, was given seven years and six months in prison and Gribbin was given seven years and two months.
Gribbin, 53, has a long criminal history, was on an extended licence at the time of the attack – imposed because he was deemed a danger to the public.
During the Kettering attack he had recently been released from a jail term he was serving for smashing a vodka bottle over his friend’s head at a barbecue in Corby in 2020. That came just months after he had been involved in a serious fight in the Kingfisher pub, and after he had robbed a man in Oxford.
His criminal past dates back to 1991, with convictions for GBH and affray on his record.
Back in 2005 he was jailed for 12 months for assault, affray, carrying a weapon, criminal damage, and breach of the peace. The court heard that when he was arrested, he was taken to Corby Police Station where he racially abused the South Asian custody officer for which he was given an extra three months in prison.