Rifiqat Khan, 37, of Abbeyfield Road, received a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count of robbery, one count of conspiracy to rob, and one count of handling stolen goods.
On Sunday, September 13, 2020, a member of the public arranged to sell her phone, an iPhone XS, to a man with the Gumtree profile name ‘Leon.’ Later that day, she made plans to meet ‘Leon’ at Glenholme Road in Ecclesall, where she had gone with her boyfriend.
DC “The couple met Khan and his accomplice, who was posing as ‘Leon,’ and handed over the phone,” Ryan Griffiths said. When Khan’s co-accused was handed the phone, he fled, running across the road – at which point Khan appeared from behind a parked car, wielding a baseball bat, and struck the victim’s boyfriend over the head.
Despite the blow, the victim’s boyfriend pursued both men and, with the help of bystanders, detained Khan and his accomplice until officers arrived.
“Being involved in a robbery is a terrifying experience that understandably can leave people traumatised,” DC Griffiths added.
I’d like to commend the victim’s boyfriend’s bravery, as well as the passers-by who came to help, for their efforts to prevent Khan and his accomplice from fleeing the scene. I am pleased that the Judge imposed a sentence that accurately reflects Khan’s reckless behaviour.”
Khan was sentenced to one month in prison for handling stolen goods and nine months for conspiracy to rob in addition to the three-year sentence for robbery. These sentences will run in parallel. In addition, he was fined £190.
Khan’s accomplice, who was 16 at the time of the offence and thus cannot be named, was previously sentenced to a 12-month community referral order with rehabilitation requirements at Sheffield Youth Court.
Khan was sentenced on June 11, 2022.
