Man who threatened Royal Oak pub landlord with knife jailed

Benjamin Cronshaw, 24, has been sent to prison for the two separate incidents, in both of which he was brandishing a knife.

Judge Heather Lloyd sentenced Cronshaw, of Edward Street, Rishton to eight years and eight months in prison. 

The first incident saw Cronshaw, accompanied by David Osbaldeston and Aaron Walsh, bring a knife to the Royal Oak pub in Clayton-Le-Moors on October 4, 2020, looking for a person in the beer garden.

Cronshaw brandished the blade after asking for the man who stood up and fists were thrown between them.

Ben Cronshaw

Upon hearing the commotion, some of the customers and landlord Terry Burt ran out towards the three men with pool cues and the group ran into the pub car park.

Prosecuting the case Tom Challinor said: “Mr Burt tried to get the three men to leave and, at this time, Cronshaw produced his knife.

“Osbaldeston issued the command ‘cut him, cut him’ and he lashed out at Mr Burt’s face but missed.

“During a trial, Mr Burt said that Cronshaw’s ‘heart wasn’t in it’”

The three men continued running before Osbaldeston and Walsh each picked up bricks to throw towards the landlord, with the brick from Osbaldeston hitting him in the head leaving him to require hospital treatment.

The full incident was caught on CCTV.

Cronshaw was arrested for the incident on October 23, 2020, before being released on bail.

During his interview, he said that he had gone to the Royal Oak and acted in self-defence.

While on bail, Cronshaw was trying door handles of cars at 6am on July 3, 2021, and managed to gain access to a car on Mary Court Avenue, Blackburn, owned by Tanya Jolley.

He stole a set of keys, an e-cigarette and a bank card which he used to buy some items at a local shop.

The shopkeeper did not think that the card was Cronshaw’s so made a note of the name on the card and later contacted Ms Jolley and provided her with a photo of Cronshaw from CCTV in the shop.

She posted this on Facebook and he was quickly identified to the woman who was given a phone number to call him and try and retrieve her items.

The phone was never answered and her partner, Michael Marsden was informed of the incident.

Later that day at about 2.30pm, Mr Marsden was driving down Hereford Road in Whitebirk when he saw Cronshaw with another person and decided to confront him to get the stolen items back.

After words were exchanged, Mr Marsden saw the Cronshaw had pulled out a knife and started to run away when he felt a ‘tap’ on his shoulder – it was later discovered that it was a stab wound.

Mr Marsden continued to run and got back to his car before he noticed he was bleeding.

He called Ms Jolley who contacted the ambulance service and, when he got home, he collapsed on the stairs and was covered in blood.

Mr Marsden was taken to A and E at Royal Preston Hospital where they sewed up a 1cm stab wound below his left shoulder blade.

Defending, Joe Boyd said that Cronshaw was ‘immature’ but had accepted that he ‘used the knife’.

He said: “He is young and very immature and has learning difficulties.

“He accepts that he used the knife.”

In relation to the October 4 incident at the Royal Oak, Cronshaw pleaded guilty to violent disorder and threatening a person with bladed weapon.

In relation to the July 3 incident, Cronshaw pleaded guilty to fraud, theft, wounding with intent and possession of a bladed weapon and wounding with intent.

DC Liam Jarman, of East CID, said: “The shocking and excessive use of violence by Cronshaw and his co-defendants could quite easily have resulted in somebody being killed. Their actions were both reckless and cowardly, especially considering the fact the victims in both cases were unarmed.

“I am pleased Cronshaw has been given this significant custodial sentence and I hope he - and Osbaldeston and Walsh – will use their time in custody to reflect on how truly appalling their actions were.”

DS Steve Munro, of East CID, said: “I would like to praise my colleagues for the hard work and professionalism they showed while investigating these extremely serious and violent offences. The behaviour of Cronshaw, Osbaldeston and Walsh has no place on the streets of Lancashire and I am pleased they have been giving sentences fitting of their crimes.

“I hope these sentences highlight how seriously the police and the courts take offences in which people use weapons. If you arm yourself with a weapon, you will either end up seriously or fatally injured or in custody.”