Teen ‘beggars’ attacked man
A HALIFAX man was attacked and robbed by a group of teenage “beggars” after he had generously handed them £5, a court heard.
Bradford Crown Court heard that the complainant had parked his car in George Square, Halifax, on the morning of July 15 and initially declined to give the trio any money as he went into a cafe.
But Judge Jonathan Rose said the man had shown the teenagers a generosity that he suspected many would not have shown when he later handed them a £5 note on his way out.
“He did not just walk away from you,” the judge told 18-year-old Florin Copcec and his 16-year-old accomplice. “But he recognised you were in need and gave you what was a very generous donation.”
The complainant was grabbed from behind by the third teenager, whose whereabouts are unknown, and Judge
Rose said the man was understandably frightened that they might have a weapon and feared he would be stabbed.
Copcec, who was banned from driving, drove away with the two teenagers, but a few hours later the stolen car was boxed in by police in Leeds.
Copcec, of Cavendish Road, Birmingham, was jailed for 28 months after he admitted robbery and driving while disqualified. The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to a two-year youth rehabilitation order after he admitted his part in the robbery.
As part of the boy’s sentence the judge imposed a six-month electronically-monitored night time curfew.
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