Ceri Gibson (Image: South Wales Police)
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A 38-year-old man has been handed a 12-month prison sentence after threatening to kill members of the jury that convicted him of robbery.
Ceri Gibson, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after pleading guilty to six counts of juror intimidation and one count of making threats to kill.
The outburst
Gibson directed violent threats at jurors immediately after he and a co-defendant were found guilty of robbery following a trial in October last year. As he was being taken into custody ahead of sentencing, he shouted towards the jury: “You are f***ing dead. I am going to slice your throats.”
The words were accompanied by a gesture in which he drew his hand across the front of his neck. A transcript of the court’s audio recording and statements gathered from jurors afterwards confirmed what had been said.
Prosecutor Emily Bennett told the court that the outburst had caused concern among several members of the jury.
When officers later attended the prison where Gibson was being held on remand, he refused to come out of his cell. He told prison staff his words had been “empty threats” made on a “bad day” and that he had not meant them.
Threats against the victim
The court also heard that during a subsequent interview with a probation officer – carried out ahead of his sentencing for robbery – Gibson stated that if he was sent to prison he would kill and “mutilate” the person he had robbed. He instructed the officer to pass a message to his solicitor that the victim would be “dealt with”.
The robbery
The conviction which triggered Gibson’s courtroom threats related to an incident on the night of January 27 last year. Gibson and co-defendant Christopher Palmer had been targeting vulnerable people on the streets of Swansea late at night.
They approached a man on St Helen’s Road and, after gaining his trust, led him to a quieter side street away from CCTV coverage. There, they forced the intoxicated victim to the ground, threatened to stab him, and searched his pockets – stealing his cash, phone, and bank cards.
Gibson was sentenced on December 1 last year to a nine-year extended sentence as a dangerous offender for the robbery, comprising six years in custody followed by three years on licence. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial term before becoming eligible to apply for release, with his case then to be considered by the Parole Board.
Previous offending
Gibson has amassed 36 previous convictions spanning 85 offences, including unlawful wounding, burglary, aggravated burglary, knife possession, public disorder, harassment, and robbery. In 2022, he was among a group who robbed two schoolboys before using one of the victims to gain entry to a nearby flat, where occupants were assaulted and hundreds of pounds in cash were stolen.
Sentencing
Andrew Evans, defending, acknowledged that Gibson’s behaviour towards jurors carrying out their civic duty had been “appalling to say the least”. He suggested that Gibson’s own description of his words as “empty threats” made during a “bad day” perhaps reflected the reality of the situation.
Judge Catherine Richards said she accepted the threats had been “spontaneous” and, given the circumstances, were “somewhat empty threats”. However, she said they had caused understandable concern and worry for people who were simply fulfilling their public duty as jurors.
Gibson received a one-third discount for his guilty pleas and was sentenced to 12 months in prison – comprising 12 months for juror intimidation and 12 months for threats to kill, running concurrently. The sentence will run consecutively to the extended sentence he is already serving.
