Bare-chested mugger kept punching victim in the face
THUG MADE OFF WITH BANK CARD, BUT HAD BEEN GIVEN WRONG PIN NUMBER
A MAN was left needing stitches after being violently mugged in Beeston.
The 59-year-old was punched and robbed during an evening walk in the town centre.
He was walking along Station Road just after midnight on October 11 last year when he heard someone approach from behind, and first thought it was a jogger.
But he was then violently assaulted by John Christon, 33, of Willowcroft Road in Derby.
Christon demanded the victim’s bank card after he realised the man had no money on him, and fled the scene.
The victim would later need stitches for a cut to his forehead, along with a bloodied nose and bruising. Further medical appointments were needed to ensure he had not sustained irreversible damage to his eyes.
He said: “Before I knew what was happening, I was punched in the face. The blow knocked my glasses off and just stunned me a bit.
“My attacker didn’t say anything at first and just kept hitting me in the face. It was a very stressful situation as I was really powerless to do anything.
“I was no physical match for him so I couldn’t fight him or even outrun him. I remember at the time wondering when he was actually going to get around to telling me what he wanted, and I had to ask him.
“Thankfully I have no other similar experience to compare them against, but I think the officers involved in this case did a really good job to move so quickly and get a suspect in custody. I am now relieved and happy that this man has been brought to justice.”
After fleeing with the bank card, unaware he was given a false PIN by the victim, Christon was later caught on CCTV as he tried and failed to withdraw £250 from a cash machine in Alfreton Road, Radford.
Christon, who was bare-chested at the time of the attack, was identified partly thanks to a number of distinctive tattoos. Police also unearthed footage of him being driven away in a car that was tracked to Derbyshire.
Local officers pulled the car over and Christon was arrested on October 12, 2021. He later pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and fraud.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday he was jailed for three years and nine months for robbery and fraud by false representation.
Detective Constable Andrew Sibley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a frightening ordeal for the victim who had been enjoying a late night walk at the time of the attack.
“I am delighted that Christon has now been taken off the streets. He is a violent thug who launched an entirely unprovoked attack against a victim he knew had no hope of defending himself.
“He clearly hadn’t reckoned on the very quick thinking of his victim.”