In a separate incident, he skidded and swerved around the road in a car while being pursued by police before crashing
Wade Kershaw has been jailed(Image: Humberside Police)
A violent serial criminal strangled and repeatedly punched a terrified ebike rider after grabbing him around the neck and pulling him to the ground in a nasty attempt to steal the bike. In a separate incident, Wade Kershaw skidded and swerved around the road in a car while being pursued by police before losing control, spinning 360 degrees and crashing into railings, Hull Crown Court heard.
Kershaw, 25, formerly of Duddon Grove, off Waveney Road, east Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted attempted robbery on July 4. He also admitted dangerous driving and having no insurance and driving licence on April 10.
Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said that a man left work in Holderness Road, east Hull, on an ebike, valued at £1,000. Kershaw grabbed him around the neck, pulled him off the bike and strangled him.
He falsely claimed that the bike belonged to him. Kershaw shouted to a woman accomplice: “Grab the bike, grab the bike.” He punched the man all over his body with both fists and told the woman again to grab the bike. “People in the street began to get involved,” said Mr Welch. Kershaw and the woman ran off, abandoning the ebike.
The man suffered pain all over his body, a bruised eye and a cut elbow. He had been left feeling unsafe and unable to leave the house or go near the bike again.
Kershaw and the woman were identified from CCTV pictures. She had, at an earlier court hearing, been given a community order for attempted theft.
In the dangerous driving incident, police spotted Kershaw in a BMW car in Bawtry Road, Selby, at about 12.30am. He looked nervous at seeing the police, prompting them to turn round and follow him.
The car accelerated sharply, smoke came from the tyres and there was screeching. It went into Station Road at speed and police activated their flashing blue lights and sirens.
Kershaw drove recklessly, skidding, swerving and going onto the wrong side of the road. He approached a left hand bend at excessive speed and lost control of the car.
It spun 360 degrees, reversed up the kerb and hit metal railings. Despite the collision, Kershaw continued at speed and failed to stop.
The police pursued him onto Ousegate, Selby, where he failed to give way at a T-junction. “A rear tyre was fully deflated and running on the rim,” said Mr Welch.
Kershaw later got out of the car and ran down a narrow alley. A police dog tracked him to a house, where he was arrested.
Kershaw had convictions for 35 previous offences, including for violence and dishonesty. His convictions included robbery in April 2014 and being locked up in February 2020 for four years for blackmail and assault causing actual bodily harm.
He was given a consecutive 18 months in October 2020 for robbery and he was locked up for eight months in February 2022 for affray. He was given six months in June 2022 for possessing an offensive weapon and assaulting police.
Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Kershaw suffered a bereavement and this took a “massive toll” on him and “sent him careering off on a downward spiral” leading to the offences. He turned to drugs.
“It’s not an excuse,” said Mr Hammersley. “He knows that he is facing a further period in custody. He is motivated to address the issues so that he can return to the positive place that he was in previously.
“He is doing everything he could to better his position and better himself. He wants to get back to work and living a normal life, as he had been.” Kershaw had been in custody since September.
Judge Alexander Menary told Kershaw: “These are serious offences and only a sentence of immediate imprisonment can be justified here.”
Kershaw, recently of Melrosegate, York, was jailed for three years. He was banned from driving for two-and-a-half years and he must pass an extended retest before he can drive legally again.
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.