Jon Wood, aged 35, of Westfield Avenue, was yesterday (Tuesday 1 March) jailed at Sheffield Crown Court. He had been due to stand trial for possession of a firearm and possession of an offensive weapon, but changed his plea to guilty within the trial.
The sentence relates to an incident that occurred on 21 June last year. Wood attended the address of his vulnerable victim, a man in his 70s, in the Monk Bretton area of the town.
While at the property, Wood took the bank card and the electricity card of the victim, with the victim’s permission, stating he was going to top up the electricity card at a shop.
He later that day returned to the victim’s house with what turned out to be an imitation firearm and a baseball bat-type weapon.
Wood threatened the victim with the imitation firearm and forced him to transfer £200 via bank transfer to his own account, before fleeing the scene.
At court, yesterday Wood was handed a 16-month sentence for possession of the imitation firearm and six months to run concurrently for possession of an offensive weapon. He was also handed a five-year restraining order to stay away from the victim and his address.
DC Jade Smith-Sykes, leading the investigation, said: “This was a nasty incident where Wood prayed on a vulnerable pensioner for his own gains.
“We hope that by seeing Wood sentenced and having the restraining order in place, the victim can now get on with their life and start to move on from what must have been a terrifying ordeal.”
