Culprits told him he would have to pay £300 to get his phone back
A young reveller who had been out at a nightclub in the early hours was suddenly confronted in the street by a menacing group of men who repeatedly attacked him and stole his mobile phone. The terrified victim begged them to give him his phone back but he was viciously punched again and was told that he would have to pay £300 if he wanted it back, Hull Crown Court heard.
The ringleader, Ramy Abdelgader, 19, of Princes Avenue, west Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted robbery on August 10. He pleaded guilty on the day of a scheduled trial.
Holly Thompson, prosecuting, said that the young man left the Atik nightclub in the Waterfront area of Hull city centre at about 3am and walked down Princes Dock Street. He filmed the area where he was to pinpoint it for others who might want to know where he was.
A group of three men, including Abdelgader, approached him in the Whitefriargate area. Abdelgader pushed him, asked him what he was filming on his phone and repeatedly hit him to his head.
He told the victim: “I’ll be having that phone” and took the phone, which had the man’s driving licence in the case. Abdelgader passed the phone to others and the victim asked for it back. He was told that he would have to pay £300 if he wanted it back.
The man followed the group and he was punched by Abdelgader and others. After 4am, he told police in Paragon Street what had happened and gave a description.
Abdelgader was seen and searched and the victim’s driving licence was found in his back pocket. He claimed that he had found it and that he knew the man involved “personally from back in the day”.
Police viewed CCTV and identified Abdelgader as one of the three men involved. The victim suffered bruises and scratches to his eye, scratches to his neck and bruises and swelling behind his left ear.
The young man later said that he did not want to go back into Hull city centre to drink and he had become cautious. “I am not as carefree and confident going out with my friends as I used to be,” he said.
“I am a hardworking, law-abiding man and I would never dream that something like this could happen to me. It’s not fair that he thinks it’s acceptable to do this.
“It’s an incident I will never forget.” He lost his house keys and a chain of sentimental value during the incident.
During police interview, Abdelgader made no comment to questions. He had convictions for four previous offences, including grievous bodily harm and being concerned in supplying Class A drugs, and he had one caution. He had been given an 11-month suspended custodial sentence on June 28 last year.
Michael Masson, mitigating, said that Abdelgader was out with a group of friends and they seemed to think that the victim was filming them. He pleaded guilty and avoided the need for a trial and he had expressed remorse.
Abdelgader had complied well with the terms of the suspended sentence, despite now breaching it, and he had got himself on a university course studying business at Manchester. He was helped in court by an Arabic interpreter.
Judge John Thackray KC told Abdelgader: “The robbery is a serious offence. It involved a group, namely three men – you and two others – but you played the primary role.
“You delivered multiple blows. You took the phone of your victim. You quickly passed it to others and you made demands for money. Your victim was alone at night.
“Your offending has had a significant psychological impact on your victim. You have been given many chances by the courts to change your ways.”
Abdelgader was sent to a young offenders’ institution for two-and-a-half years.