Mugger who snatched handbag in Leeds town then Googled what sentence he could face
A mugger who snatched a handbag from a terrified woman at Christmas later searched for what sentence he could expect.
Ryan Myers even contacted his mum and confessed and seek advice on what he should do after the violent street robbery in Otley.
He escaped an immediate jail sentence by the “skin of his teeth” at Leeds Crown Court this week.
The victim had been walking along the road at around 8.30pm on December 27 when Myers appeared from alleyway and made a grab for her bag.
He yanked it from her, badly injuring her thumb. She screamed at him to let go but he overpowered her and ran off with the bag.
The victim was due to go on holiday the next day so her passport, £132 in Euros, travel money cards and £225 in sterling were in the bag.
The determined woman then put a description of Myers on social media and the clothes he was wearing and he was quickly identified and arrested.
He was interviewed and denied the matter, claiming he was at home at the time. During a second interview he refused to answer questions.
He phone was analysed and they found the search about the possible sentence for a street robbery.
The 35-year-old had also swapped messages with his mum who gave him advice on what he could say to police, prosecutor Jessica Lister told the court.
Myers, of Weston Drive, Otley, later admitted a charge of robbery. He has five previous convictions for 15 offences including violence and thefts.
The victim said she was left suffering nightmares, anxiety and “struggled not to think about it”.
Mitigating, Anthony Sugare said that although it was “unpleasant”, Myers had not used a weapon.
He said that Myers had never been in custody before, was “deeply sorry and remorseful” and that it was done “on the spur of the moment”.
He said that Myers was hoping to get into rehab for his drug addiction.
The judge, Recorder Ella Anderson told Myers that the incident had “long-standing and awful consequences” for the woman.
She accepted it was opportunistic.
She gave him a 24-month sentence, suspended for 24 months, telling him it was “by the skin of his teeth” that he was not locked up.
She also gave him a drug rehabilitation requirement and 20 rehabilitation days with probation.