A man who claimed he may have been feeding ducks at the time a mum was threatened and ordered to hand over £150,000 worth of her jewellery has been found not guilty of robbery.
A jury took less than an hour to find Daniel Inamder not guilty of two charges of robbery after a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Mr Inamder, 30, of Albion Street, denied the attack on mum Jane Williams and told the jury he may have been feeding the ducks in Roundhay Park, Leeds, at the time of the incident.
Mrs Williams was targeted as she waited outside Moorlands School, in Meanwood, Leeds, on October 7 2011.
Two men approached her as she sat in her Land Rover and held a hammer against her face.
Mrs Williams described how one of the men climbed into the car before threatening her with the weapon, and tried to grab the rings from her hand.
Another parent who had been talking to Mrs Williams was struck with a hammer.
Mrs Williams handed over her wedding and engagement rings, a ring from her right hand and her watch.
The pair fled and got into a Volvo being driven by a third man. The car crashed moments later, however, and the robbers forced an off-duty police officer Thomas Powell to stop his car before driving off in it.
The prosecution claimed a drinks bottle found in the Volvo contained Mr Inamder’s DNA and mobile phone evidence also linked him to the offences.
Another man, Anthony Clarke, has admitted the offences after his saliva was discovered on the airbag which had deployed in the Volvo.
A judge who sentenced Clarke said: “It was a most audacious robbery in a different category to any so-called mugging.”
Clarke, 40, of Hemingway Garth, Hunslet, was jailed for eight years in January last year after admitting robbery of the jewellery and blackmail of witness.
Mr Inamder gave evidence at the trial and said he was looking after his baby son around that time of the incident.
He told the court he may have taken the youngster to feed the ducks in Roundhay park or to visit relatives in the area.
His barrister, Freddy Apfel, asked Mr Inamder: “Did you at any time that day go to any particular house to watch what was going on there. Mr Inamder replied: “No sir.”
The barrister then asked: “At any time during that day were you near, or did you, as far as you know, deliberately go to where there is a school. Mr Inamder replied: “No sir.”
Mr Apfel continued: “Were you involved or did you take any part in taking any jewellery from any lady on that afternoon?”
Mr Inamder replied: “No I did not. Not in any way, shape or form.”