Reading Crown Court Today Updated -

In defence of [Name A], barrister [Name] argued that his client had suffered a "difficult upbringing" and had acted under duress from a loan shark. However, the judge dismissed this as "wholly unsubstantiated."

The court heard that on the night of [Date], the three defendants—[Name A, 24], [Name B, 31], and [Name C, 29]—stormed a convenience store on [Street Name] armed with a hammer and a knife. reading crown court today

The court also heard the opening of a separate fraud case this afternoon, where a former accountant stands accused of embezzling £200,000 from a children’s charity. That trial continues tomorrow. Note to reporter: Please replace bracketed placeholders with specific details you observed, including actual names, precise charges, the judge's title, and direct quotes from the bar or the dock. In defence of [Name A], barrister [Name] argued

Prosecutor [Name] told the jury that the victim, 58-year-old [Victim Name], was closing up for the night when he was struck over the head with the blunt instrument. "This was not a spontaneous street crime. It was a targeted, brutal operation designed to terrify," the prosecutor said. That trial continues tomorrow

– A judge at [City Name] Crown Court today condemned a "despicable and premeditated" attack as three men were jailed for a combined total of 22 years for a violent robbery that left a shopkeeper with life-changing injuries.

The victim’s family wept in the public gallery as the sentences were read out. Outside court, Detective Constable [Name] said: "This sends a clear message that violent crime will not be tolerated on the streets of [City Name]."