Robber caught in victim's jacket jailed on appeal

The Court of Appeal at London's Royal Courts of Justice quashed the original sentence

A robber who was caught wearing his victim's jacket has been locked up after his suspended jail sentence was quashed.

It comes after a man on his way home from a night out in Leicester in May last year was grabbed and dragged into a car.

A group slapped him, threatened him with a kitchen knife and forced him to hand over belongings including a phone, ear pods, tablet, trainers, tracksuit, designer bag and Moncler jacket worth about £1,300.

Zakaria Mohamed had been given a suspended jail sentence at Leicester Crown Court in December but the Court of Appeal has ruled this was unduly lenient and the 27-year-old has now been imprisoned.

Leicester Crown Court heard following the robbery, police caught Mohamed outside a nightclub handling and inspecting the stolen items, wearing the victim's jacket.

In his impact statement, the victim said the robbery had led to him moving to another city and he continues to feel vulnerable every time he goes out.

'A stark warning'

Mohamed pleaded guilty to robbery, driving without a licence and driving without insurance on 3 October 2024 at Leicester Crown Court and at the same court on 19 December, he was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Solicitor General Lucy Rigby MP intervened and referred the case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The sentence was increased to a total of four years and nine months' imprisonment at London's Court of Appeal on 25 February.

Rigby said the "violent robbery" was "horrific" and added: "The substantial sentence increase following my intervention should serve as a stark warning that crime and lawlessness will not be tolerated."

Co-defendant Khalid Aadan, 21, of Marwood Road in Leicester, was also sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on 19 December.

He was jailed for 24 weeks in total for handling stolen goods and possession of a knife in a public place.