Two men who robbed 3 properties at knifepoint have had their sentences increased after the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP referred the case to the Court of Appeal.

On 20 March 2021, Alfie Spain, 26, and Freddie Hanratty, 20, armed themselves with knives and travelled from London to the Isle of Sheppey where they robbed three householders at knifepoint.

At the first property, the victim was seen running into the road with a stab wound to his right shoulder, the offenders chased and lunged at him. At the second property, the offenders broke into the house with knives and wore black latex gloves. They smashed 4 mobile phones and stole £200 in cash and a moped. They then forced their way into another property, where 2 young children aged 3 and 6 were present. The offenders held a kitchen knife to one of the victims faces and demanded money. Hanratty also threatened to kill the victim if he called the police.

On 27 September at Maidstone Crown Court, both were found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery, and having an article with a blade or point. Spain was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment, and Hanratty was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment.

Following the sentencing, the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP, referred their sentences to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

On 10 December the Court of Appeal found their original sentences to be unduly lenient and increased Spain’s sentence to 8 years and 3 months’ imprisonment, and Hanratty’s to 6 years’.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP said:

Spain and Hanratty set off from London with the sole intention of committing these violent robberies. They inflicted a terrible ordeal on the occupants of the properties they targeted, and the victims will be suffering the effects for a long time. I hope the Court’s decision to increase these sentences can bring some comfort to all of those affected.

• Chancellor visits County Durham tourist attraction to see how £20 million Government investment will develop a heritage railway line.
• Residents will benefit from 18km cycling and walking route, connecting rural communities to employment and educational opportunities.
• Funding will also reopen the UK’s oldest road suspension bridge, and reroute the A68 Bypass near Bishop Auckland, to improve journey times.

Rishi Sunak toured the Locomotion tourist attraction in Shildon – the world’s first railway town – to see where £20 million of government investment will fund a second building to house its collection. It will also deliver improvements so that heritage engines can run along the museum line, helping to boost jobs and the economy.

The area will also benefit from a 18km walking and cycling route alongside the railway, further connecting rural communities to jobs and education in Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe.

This is one of the five projects in the North East of England to receive a share of £100 million from the £1.7 billion first round of the Levelling Up Fund, as announced by the Chancellor in October’s Budget.

Following his visit, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

We are absolutely committed to levelling up opportunities across the whole of the UK so people have good jobs and greater opportunities.

It’s fantastic to see how our £20 million investment will enhance this popular tourist attraction. This will boost access for rural communities so they can enjoy the area’s rich railway heritage and connect people to key transport links nearby.

Once complete, Locomotion Building 2 will house up to 50 rail vehicles, expanding the museum’s collection to 120. This will create the UK’s largest rail vehicle display, spread across the museum’s two buildings.

Durham County Council’s successful Levelling Up Fund bid will also support the reopening of Whorlton Bridge, the UK’s oldest road suspension bridge, linking nearby villages to the A66 and A67.

A visitor centre will also be developed to celebrate the bridge’s transport heritage. In addition, funding will allow the rerouting of the A68 at Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, to improve journey times and the quality of life for village residents.

This all builds on the Towns Fund awards announced for the region, totalling £53 million for Bishop Auckland, including one of the largest Town Deals in the country. That investment will provide infrastructure to support the town’s development as a visitor destination, as well as a range of other improvements.

Further information:

• The first round of the Levelling Up fund announced at the Budget, will invest £1.7 billion in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UK. The full list of successful projects are here.
• Photos are available on the Treasury’s Flickr page.

• Chancellor visits County Durham tourist attraction to see how £20 million Government investment will develop a heritage railway line.
• Residents will benefit from 18km cycling and walking route, connecting rural communities to employment and educational opportunities.
• Funding will also reopen the UK’s oldest road suspension bridge, and reroute the A68 Bypass near Bishop Auckland, to improve journey times.

Rishi Sunak toured the Locomotion tourist attraction in Shildon – the world’s first railway town – to see where £20 million of government investment will fund a second building to house its collection. It will also deliver improvements so that heritage engines can run along the museum line, helping to boost jobs and the economy.

The area will also benefit from a 18km walking and cycling route alongside the railway, further connecting rural communities to jobs and education in Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe.

This is one of the five projects in the North East of England to receive a share of £100 million from the £1.7 billion first round of the Levelling Up Fund, as announced by the Chancellor in October’s Budget.

Following his visit, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

We are absolutely committed to levelling up opportunities across the whole of the UK so people have good jobs and greater opportunities.

It’s fantastic to see how our £20 million investment will enhance this popular tourist attraction. This will boost access for rural communities so they can enjoy the area’s rich railway heritage and connect people to key transport links nearby.

Once complete, Locomotion Building 2 will house up to 50 rail vehicles, expanding the museum’s collection to 120. This will create the UK’s largest rail vehicle display, spread across the museum’s two buildings.

Durham County Council’s successful Levelling Up Fund bid will also support the reopening of Whorlton Bridge, the UK’s oldest road suspension bridge, linking nearby villages to the A66 and A67.

A visitor centre will also be developed to celebrate the bridge’s transport heritage. In addition, funding will allow the rerouting of the A68 at Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, to improve journey times and the quality of life for village residents.

This all builds on the Towns Fund awards announced for the region, totalling £53 million for Bishop Auckland, including one of the largest Town Deals in the country. That investment will provide infrastructure to support the town’s development as a visitor destination, as well as a range of other improvements.

Further information:

• The first round of the Levelling Up fund announced at the Budget, will invest £1.7 billion in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UK. The full list of successful projects are here.
• Photos are available on the Treasury’s Flickr page.

• The export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the painting
• The extremely rare painting depicts a black female sitter alongside her white companion, contributing to the historical debate about race and gender in the 17th century

Valued at £272,800, Allegorical Painting of Two Ladies, English School, dating to around 1650, is at risk of leaving the country unless a UK buyer can be found.

This extremely rare painting shows two women, one black and one white, side by side, presented as companions and equals with similar dress, hair and jewellery. The depiction of a black female sitter in a 1650s painting was highly unusual, particularly a work showing an adult, rather than a child in a position of subservience, inviting important debate about race and gender during the period.

Another remarkable aspect of the painting is the depiction of beauty patches on both the women. Although in vogue at the time, the painting appears to condemn wearing these “spots” via an inscription above the two women which claims wearing beauty patches is a sin of pride, a widespread opinion in the 17th century. This style of work gives the painting an affinity with popular woodcut prints at the time, making it clear the work is allegorical and associating it with satirical verse, pamphlets and sermons.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

This fascinating painting has so much to teach us about England in the 17th century, including in the important areas of race and gender, which rightly continue to attract attention and research today. I hope a gallery or museum in the UK can be found to buy this painting for the nation, so that many more people can be part of the continuing research and discussion into it.

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA). The Committee agreed that it is an extremely rare and fascinating painting, which has tremendous potential for further research in many subjects. The Committee found the early date of this picture particularly significant, given the subject, as all known comparisons are from much later.

Committee Members Pippa Shirley and Christopher Baker said:

This anonymous painting is a great rarity in British art, as a mid-seventeenth-century work that depicts a black woman and a white woman with equal status. It is not a portrait of real people, as far as we know, but the inscription reveals that it is in fact a sternly moralising picture that condemns the use of cosmetics, and specifically elaborate beauty patches, which were in vogue at the time.

Although not distinguished artistically, its imagery relates in fascinating ways to contemporary stereotypes of women, fashion, and, through the juxtaposition of the figures, race. The fact that it has only recently emerged, and only one other related painting is known so far, and that it could be used to explore important aspects of black culture in seventeenth-century Britain, makes it particularly important that it remains in this country so that its meaning can be widely studied and understood.

Further research could reveal how the picture connects with contemporary print culture and texts, and the contexts and purposes for which it might have been created and displayed.

The Committee made its recommendation on the grounds that the painting’s departure from the UK would be a misfortune because it is of outstanding significance to the study of race and gender in the 17th century.

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred until 9 March 2022. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £272,800 (including VAT). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.
2. Details of the painting are as follows: British School
   Allegorical Painting of Two Ladies wearing Beauty Patches 1650s
   Oil on canvas
   640 x 750 mm
3. Provenance: by family descent in the family of Tyrell-Kenyon, Barons Kenyon of Gredington; sold Trevanion, Fine Art and Antiques sale, 23 June 2021, lot 564, sold for £220,000.
4. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by the Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
5. Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. They invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.