Teen duo jailed for mugging 81-year-old

Published on 29th March 2007 in News

CCTV cameras captured the two muggers eyeing up their victim: Left, Oliver Hargreaves, and Christopher Belton.

The mothers of two Goole muggers wept as their sons were locked up for two and half years for robbing an 81-year-old pensioner of £960 by pouncing on him yards from his own home.

17-year-old Oliver Hargreaves and 18-year-old Christopher Belton had watched the elderly man win more than £1,000 playing electronic roulette at Coral bookmakers in Goole.

Greedily, they hatched a plan to trail him in a car, change clothing and hide behind his shed before flattening him when he had put his cycle in his shed.

They split the proceeds £480 each but were caught out bragging about the incident and were recognised on CCTV images in the bookmakers. Mr Hargreaves was caught with £130 in cash on him and had sneakily banked £350 – thinking he had got away with it.

The victim, who had lived in the same house for 30 years without incident, said in a victim impact statement that he now looked over his shoulder every time he got his cycle out and had stopped visiting the bookmaker's until they later heard of his plight and sent him a letter inviting him back with a voucher.

Mr Belton knocked the man to the ground and held him down while Mr Hargreaves went through his pockets and stole the money. The pensioner told police he thiught it was strange how one went straight for his pocket – but they did not get another bundle of £310.

The robbery, on November 24 last year, left the victim with a torn shirt, stunned and upset. Prosecutor Mark Bury said: "He found the incident very upsetting."

Hull Crown Court heard that Mr Hargreaves, of Thorntree Lane in Goole, and Mr Belton, of Garth Lane in Hook, initially blamed each other in police interviews. Mr Hargreaves was overheard in a pub talking about robbing a man.

He was subjected to a citizen's arrest when an off-duty policeman and the victim's son-in-law overheard his confession.

The bookmaker's CCTV footage was examined and the pair could be seen watching the elderly man.

Defending Mr Belton, barrister Paul Genney said he was a model teenager whose crime had taught him a salutary lesson. He said he would do anything to avoid going into custody and hung his head in shame during police interviews.

Barrister for Mr Hargreaves, Charlotte Baines said he might have a potential gambling problem and could appreciate how he would feel if someone attacked his grandparents in this way. She said: "He feels bad. He feels lousy and ashamed of himself."

The court heard the pair had the support of good homes and parents who were in court to see them sentenced. The money was recovered.

Recorder Michael Smith ordered them both to stand as he told them last Friday: "He (the victim) set off home on his bike with his winnings and unbeknown to him, you two had made a planned decision to rob him."

"When he was at his back door you both attacked him. You, Belton, admitted knocking him to the ground then held him while Hargreaves went straight for his pockets, where the money had been placed. You then ran off and disappeared.

"There are a number of aggravating features in this case.

"While I accept the level of violence was not great, there are a number of disturbing features about it.

"This was clearly a planned offence.

"You saw the victim obtain the money, you knew where he lived, you drove to his home and attacked him virtually at his door.

"It was obviously disturbing for this man and clearly given his age it did not take a great deal to subdue him.

"This offence is so serious in my opinion I would be failing in my public duty if I did not mark its severity with a period of custody."