The victim tried to hold onto the bike but was dragged along the ground
Connor Dunne appeared at Hull Crown Court(Image: Humberside Police)
A young robber with a long history of crime suddenly attacked an unsuspecting man from behind –before grabbing an electric bicycle and escaping with it up the road. The shocked victim fell to the ground because of the sheer force of the violent blow but he bravely tried to hold on to his bicycle in a bid to stop it from being stolen.
He could not do so, however, but, minutes later, he chased after the robber despite being in pain from the fall. A nearby builder stepped in to help and he managed to detain the fleeing robber until the police arrived, Hull Crown Court heard.
Connor Dunne, 23, of Hereford Street, off Hessle Road, west Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted an offence of robbery, involving an electric bicycle, valued at £1,150, on July 23. He originally denied the offence but later changed his plea before a scheduled trial.
Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that a man, in his 60s, returned to his home in Malm Street, off Boulevard, west Hull, with his electric bicycle at about 4.15pm. “As he was standing next to his bike near his gate, the defendant attacked him from behind,” said Mr Masson.
The victim felt a heavy bang to his right shoulder with a large amount of force. “He describes being blindsided by the blow, which caused him to fall to the floor,” said Mr Masson.
Dunne took the electric bicycle and rode off on it while the man was still on the ground. The man tried to keep hold of the bicycle but he was dragged along the ground, ripping his tracksuit bottoms, skinning his left kneecap and injuring the middle finger of his right hand.
Dunne pulled the bicycle away from the man. The elastic, which the owner had been holding onto, snapped and he fell onto his left hip and the left side of his body.
He already suffered from earlier fractures in his hip and the fall caused a lot of pain. “The defendant peddled off towards the bottom of Malm Street, which is a dead end,” said Mr Masson.
The man tried to chase him but he was forced to stop because of breathing difficulties. “Dunne realised that the street was a dead-end and turned back, heading towards him,” said Mr Masson.
The victim was distressed and was crying in the street because of shock. A nearby builder came to see what was wrong and the man repeatedly asked them for help.
“Dunne stopped and got off the bike, throwing it to the floor,” said Mr Masson. “He tried to run away.” The bicycle owner could not detain Dunne as he felt as though he was about to “pass out”.
One of the builders grabbed hold of Dunne after the victim told him what had happened and he detained him until the police arrived and arrested Dunne. A female neighbour heard the commotion and saw the electric bicycle’s owner chasing after Dunne before the defendant was detained. She called the police.
The man later said that he suffered further fractures to his already weakened hips. During police interview, Dunne made no comment to most questions but he denied using force with the intention of robbing the victim of his electric bicycle.
Dunne had convictions for 58 previous offences, including four involving assaults and 18 theft-related. He had been jailed at Leeds Crown Court in December 2024 for robbery and assault. He was on licence for those offences when the latest robbery was committed.
He had a conviction at Leeds Crown Court in March 2020 for two burglary offences. He had a conviction at West Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court in June 2024 for theft and attempted theft of bicycles.
Judge Gurdial Singh said of the latest robbery: “This was a particularly mean and unpleasant offence. You were on licence for robbery. You are a burglar by trade as opposed to someone who carries out this sort of offending. You have been convicted of yet another robbery.”
Dunne was jailed for four years.
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