Jewel thief claimed he was kidnapped

A TEENAGER who stole thousands of pounds worth of his family’s cash and jewellery claimed he had been forced into doing it, kidnapped and imprisoned in a hotel.

Humza Imran and fellow teen Rohail Haseeb were captured on CCTV at a hotel after the cash and jewellery went missing in November, 2017.

Leeds Crown Court heard Imran disabled the CCTV system at his family’s home in Crosland Street, Crosland Moor, after ‘extensive telephone contact’ with Haseeb and left with £15,000 cash, around £10,000 worth of jewellery, his passport, wallet and mobile phone.

Richard Holland, prosecuting, said Imran then met up with Haseeb and they went to a room in the hotel with a third, unidentified male.

After being reported missing by his family, Imran walked out of some bushes on Manchester Road and flagged down a taxi driver shortly before 1am.

He told the driver and a police operator that he had woken up in the woods with no memory of how he got there and the last thing he remembered was eating samosas.

He was arrested and told police his stepdad wrongly identified him on the CCTV as he wanted an excuse to get him prosecuted.

After being released from custody a few hours later, Imran told police his stepfather had been physically abusing him.

Over the following 12 days, he told police he had been forced to commit the crime by Haseeb after being threatened with a gun and eventually kidnapped by him and his associates and imprisoned at the hotel.

Mr Holland said: “The prosecution’s position is that Mr Imran’s lies about being under threat and made a prisoner, were part of a concerted effort to put all of the blame on his co-accused and attempt to escape responsibility for his own involvement in the theft.

“It comes in the context of having told a number of lies throughout the first part of the investigation, and having then been warned by the police that he must now tell the truth.”

The pair, now both aged 18, were both convicted of conspiracy to steal after a trial in July.

Imran, who has no previous convictions, was also convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Haseeb, of Fenton Road, Lockwood, has six previous convictions for 11 offences, including affray and possession of a bladed article.

In a victim personal statement read to the court, Imran’s stepdad asked the judge to give him the lightest possible sentence, describing him as ‘a good kid’ who is remorseful and due to start a psychology degree at the University of Huddersfield.

Anastasis Tasou, mitigating for Imran, described his client as unsophisticated and immature, adding: “This is a young man who, one would hope, has learned through the trial process he is not as clever as he once thought he was.”

Shufqat Khan, mitgating for Haseeb, said his client had a very troubled upbringing.

He said his unemployed client found a sense of belonging with people outside of his family instead and the lifestyle he got into resulted in him being the victim of two stabbings.

Imran was sentenced to 20 months’ youth detention, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and attend an attendance centre for 36 hours.

Haseeb was sentenced to 12 months’ detention in a young offenders’ institute.