(Image: West Yorkshire Police)
A man who stalked his target along a street before carrying out a violent robbery has been jailed.
The attack took place in the early hours of May 31 this year after the complainant had walked to a cash machine on Bow Street in Keighley to withdraw £20 for his taxi home.
A judge at Bradford Crown Court was shown CCTV footage which captured 37-year-old Scott Kenny following the man as he headed towards the Santander ATM.
What happened?
Prosecutor Carmel Pearson said as the complainant walked towards Hanover Street, Kenny put his arm round his shoulder and began punching him in the face.
During the attack, Kenny demanded the man’s wallet, which was of sentimental value to him.
“Once he got the wallet he ran away,” said Ms Pearson.
Man given black eye
The court heard that Kenny, of no fixed abode, had a record of 25 previous convictions which included a jail sentence for robbery back in 2016.
Kenny indicated an early guilty plea to the robbery charge when he appeared before the magistrates court in June and at crown, Recorder Taryn Turner sentenced him to three years and four months in prison.
The court was told that the complainant had suffered injuries including a black eye and Ms Pearson said the offence had had a bad impact on him.
Street robbery committed against lone member of public
Barrister Verity Barnes, for Kenny, conceded that his best mitigation was his guilty plea.
She said Kenny had been heavily addicted at the time and had spent all of his benefit money on drugs.
“He is very sorry for the harm he has caused and has held his hands up at an early stage,” she said.
Recorder Turner said the offence had been a street robbery committed against a lone member of the public.
“Violence was employed to obtain property and overcome any resistance that there may have been,” said the judge.
“He was selected simply because he was an available target.”