Violent masked robber targeted expensive electric bikes on secluded Leeds pathways
He attacked one cyclist leaving him with a broken knee
A robber who would lie in wait for cyclists on quiet footpaths in Leeds has been locked up.
Alfie Smith attacked two victims on expensive e-bikes, leaving one with a fractured knee cap.
The 20-year-old appeared at Leeds Crown Court and admitted two counts of robbery, one of attempted robbery and two for non-domestic burglary.
The court heard that on February 3 and and March 17 this year, Smith accessed secure an underground car park on Whitehall in Leeds city centre and tried to steal e-bikes parked in bays.
CCTV footage was played to the court showing Smith with another man “ragging” at the locks in a bid to free the bikes, but failing.
On August 10 at around 11.30am a man was riding his e-bike from Castleford to Leeds when he was accosted by Smith and two accomplices on Skelton Grange Road, near to the River Aire.
They told him to hand over his bike or he would “get hurt”.
The panic-stricken man tried to ride off but came to a dead end. The court heard he considered jumping into the river to get away, but eventually handed over the £3,400 bike.
Nine days later, Smith was on another secluded path on Thwaite Lane, Hunslet, again with accomplices.
As a group of riders approached him he was seen to put on a balaclava and step in front of one of the riders.
A melee ensued in which Smith tried to grab a bike and threw punches and kicks at one of the men. The incident was captured on camera by one of the riders.
Smith managed to get one of the victims’ e-bikes, which was worth £2,500, and ride off. There were also hundreds of pounds worth of items in a saddle bag attached to the bike.
One victim suffered the knee injury and broken ribs, but they were able to identify Smith, of Brooklyn Street, Armley, to police.
He was arrested on August 31 and appeared in court this week over a video link from HMP Doncaster.
Mitigating, Dan Lee said Smith had struggled with substance abuse and was “leading an unstable, chaotic lifestyle”.
He added that Smith endured a difficult childhood.
Mr Lee said he was drug-free in prison and was undertaking education classes.
The judge, Recorder Simon Jackson KC told Smith his robberies were “well organised and planned”, having picked the quiet roads and paths to target cyclists.
He told him: “Expensive bikes were very much your focus. You knew where to lie in wait in different locations, you went as a group, you had disguises ready to deploy, you used or threatened violence and you targeted high-value bikes.
“You knew exactly what you were doing. A lengthy sentence is appropriate.”
He jailed him for a total of six-and-a-half years.