Schizophrenic drug addict freed after admitting two violent Wakefield street robberies
A drug-taking paranoid schizophrenic has been released having admitted two street robberies, after a judge said being locked up “would achieve very little”.
Jacob Morley punched one victim, taking his cash, and two months later robbed man withdrawing cash at an ATM in Wakefield city centre.
But the 21-year-old, who has been locked up on remand since July, was given a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court this week, meaning he would be released immediately.
The court heard that the first victim had phoned Morley in the early hours of May 30, asking to buy £20 of cannabis from him. They agreed to meet outside Ricco’s pizza shop on Tavern Street.
When they arrived, the man pulled out the £20 and asked Morley for the drugs, but he was punched to the face before Morley snatched his cash and walked away. The victim called the police and Morley was arrested hours later.
He was picked out by the victim in a video identification parade. He gave a no-comment interview with officers.
But having been bailed, Morley went on to rob another man withdrawing cash from the ATM at the Post Office in Wakefield city centre in the early hours of the morning of July 4.
The victim had been waiting for his £120 to be dispensed when he noticed Morley stood next to him. He asked Morley to back off, but was punched to the mouth and Morley snatched the cash from the machine. The victim suffered swelling to his face and his tooth became loose.
Again, Morley was picked out in a video parade and once again said nothing in his police interview.
He later admitted two counts of robbery. He has one previous conviction for possession of drugs for which he received a 12-month conditional discharge.
Mitigating, Nick Murphy said Morley had “expressed his remorse” while behind bars and “feels sorry for the person he punched and wishes he had committed neither offence”.
Judge Richard Mansell KC gave him an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 45 rehabilitation days.
He acknowledged that Morley had a problem with cannabis over several years and his mother said he was also taking crack cocaine. Judge Mansell said that the schizophrenia diagnosis was probably made worse by his drug use.
But he told him: “A further period in custody would achieve very little in my view. You know what the consequences will be if you commit further offences.”