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Prison for the brutes

From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Thursday 4th Apr 2002.

TWO brutes who robbed vulnerable pensioners and women on the streets to fund their heroin abuse have been jailed for a total of nine years.

Teenager Karl Hartley grabbed hold of four victims' bags in Blackburn -- and on two occasions accomplice Farrakh Rashid acted as a lookout and a decoy.

One of the victims had to be taken to hospital after developing an irregular heartbeat after being robbed.

Hartley, 19, of Neath Close, Blackburn, had pleaded guilty to four robberies and 31-year-old Rashid, also of Neath Close, to two.

Both were given four and a half year sentences by a judge at Preston Crown Court, who said victims had been targeted according to the way they carried their shopping.

Today police warned they would come down hard on thieves targeting vulnerable members of society.

Inspector Tracie O'Gara said: "We hope that with this sentence it will send a powerful message to other criminals that this kind of crime will not be tolerated and other offenders can expect to be punished to this kind of degree.

"We are delighted with the result and we take a dim view of this type of offence."

Judge David Boulton said that such offences towards elderly, frail and vulnerable members of the community were despicable and totally unacceptable. "The emotional impact on the victims was likely to be greater than any physical one," he added.

The crimes were carried out in November last year, around the Blackburn town centre area over about two and a half hours.

Mr Tim White, prosecuting, said the first victim was a 74-year-old woman walking to the Salvation Army around 1pm. She was taken completely by surprise when her bag was ripped from her hand.

The woman turned to see a man running off towards Shearwater Drive and shouted at him. At this point Rashid went over and enquired about her health. He was part of the ploy, acting as a lookout and distracter after the crime, the court was told.

The court heard the next victim was an 80-year-old disabled woman who walked with a stick. She was near to Swallow Drive when someone grabbed hold of her shopping bag. The force used caused her to fall to the ground as her glasses broke and her stick went flying. She ended up taken by ambulance to hospital.

Mr White said the third woman, a 57-year-old out shopping, was in the area of Barbara Castle Way when she was suddenly pushed to the floor by a man. She ended up striking her knee and elbow, but managed to keep hold of her bag before it was pulled from her grip.

Rashid appeared in that instance too, supposedly offering assistance by asking what was wrong. She had been carrying £120 in her purse.

Finally, a 42-year-old woman fell victim as she carried her groceries, the court was told. She too was taken completely by surprise when struck on the shoulder. She tried to regain her balance and a struggle occurred for a few seconds before her bag strap broke. The experience left her shaking with fear and screaming "stop him."

The two defendants told police in interview they had intended to go out and commit crime, though they did not know what that would be. Later they set on a plan to target women, said the prosecution.

Miss Charlotte Holland, defending Hartley, said the teenager accepted they had been dreadful crimes.

At the time he was addicted to heroin and claimed that Rashid suggested they could gain money for heroin by robbing.

Mr Martin Hackett, defending Rashid, said he had become involved in two "disgraceful" offences and could not believe his actions.

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