Thugs kicked man unconscious on Morley street and stole his £200 Nike Vapormax trainers

The victims had been walking home along Clough Street in Morley after a night out when they were set upon by three men. It happened at around 1am on June 11 last year when the victims walked past a pub and heard someone shout: “Oy, come over here.”

Fearful of what was about to happen, they continued walking but the group of three males caught up with them. The gang included 22-year-old Lewis Woodcock, 21-year-old Richard Crawshaw and a third male who was never identified, prosecutor Harry Crowson told Leeds Crown Court.

They ordered the two males to empty their pockets and one said “give me your f****** chain”, referring to the victim’s necklace. The third male then punched him five times to the head and face and the forcibly removed the chain from his neck.

They were both then told to hand over their iPhones and pin codes. After one of the victims tried to give them a fake pin code, all three set about him, hitting him to the floor and kicking and punching him until he was unconscious. He later woke to find his black Nike Vapormax trainers, that retail at around £200, had been taken.

The three then appeared to start walking away but one turned and said to the second victim: “I will have a bit of you.” He then punched him three times and warned him: “If you tell anyone, we will kill you.”

Woodcock, of St Johns Bail Hostel, Leeds, was later picked out by one of the victims who had remembered a scar he had, and was also wearing a surgical fracture boot at the time. Crawshaw, of California Mews, Morley, was also arrested and identified.

While on bail for the matter, Crawshaw was also part of a gang who broke into a school in Morley on November 8 of last year and tried to steal up to 20 laptops.

He admitted two counts of robbery of the men in Morley, burglary of the school, possession of cannabis and failing to surrender to custody. Woodcock admitted the two robbery charges.

Woodcock has 26 convictions for 54 offences, including an ABH from 2019. Crawshaw has two convictions from two offences, including possession of a bladed article last year.

Mitigating for Woodcock, Aubrey Sampson conceded he had a lengthy record but said: “He is a young man and has a lot of growing up to do. He realises he can’t continue this type of offending or his prison sentences will get longer and longer.”

For Crawshaw, Mohammed Rafiq said there was “financial pressure” on him at the time and fell prey to defending which he said he “deeply regrets”. He added: “He accepts he was part and parcel of what happened. He has always accepted his guilt in this.”

Judge Simon Batiste jailed both of them for five years and said of the street robbery: “Far greater violence was used than necessary. There was very significant force used.”