Sick attack on old man by thug who thought he was above law
A THUG who thought he was ‘above the law’ took a flying kick at the face of an innocent elderly man.
After sneaking up behind him in the street Kyron Blackley, 18, then turns to the camera and laughs following the shocking, unprovoked attack.
It was just one incident in a crimewave which a judge said gave the appearance of an almost complete breakdown in law and order in north and east Manchester last year. Blackley, who the judge said thought he was above the law, racked up 41 offences in just nine months from January to September including four violent robberies. A court heard he then bragged about his crimes on social media such as Snapchat.
In one taunting video found on his phone, Blackley drives a car he stole from outside a mechanics near his home in Harpurhey as he laughs and utters the phrase ‘don’t leave your car ticking around us.’ In another clip by a bystander, he leads a mob terrorising a local taxi driver and jumps onto the roof of his car.
The videos were shown in court as Blackley was jailed for nine years.
They can be shown by the Manchester Evening News as local police chiefs say his sentence, and the fiveyear term handed down to his 16 year-old co-defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were a fantastic result for residents in the areas of north Manchester which had been terrorised.
The victim from the street attack, footage of which was recovered from another person’s phone, simply walked on and has never been traced so it’s not clear if he was injured but prosecutors said they believed him to be elderly.
Judge Anthony Cross QC said Blackley had chosen a life of crime. Sentencing him and the 16-year-old at Manchester Crown Court, he said: “This is no ordinary case. Dishonesty, armed violence – you showed a complete disregard for the police and the communities in which you lived, resulting in serious harm being caused to those communities.
“I hope the lengthy spell in custody will provide the opportunity for rehabilitation and reflection.”