Good Samaritan was violently robbed of his car by three beggars

The man was set upon by the young Romanians who drove off in his VW Passat after grabbing him from behind, putting an arm across his mouth and seizing the vehicle keys.

The car-jacking in broad daylight in the centre of Halifax left the victim with pain in his back, shoulder and leg and “a different outlook on life”, the court heard.

The oldest gang member, Florin Copcec, 18, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, was locked up for two years and four months in a young offender institution while his 16-year-old accomplice from Leeds was sentenced to a two year youth rehabilitation order and a six month electronically monitored curfew.

The third accused, who was 17 at the time, was arrested and charged but had since disappeared.

Copcec, also known as Sandu Novacovic, and the youth pleaded guilty to robbing the man of his car when he came out of a café in George Square just after seven in the morning.

The pair, who were assisted by a Romanian interpreter during the court hearing, were begging in the square with the third teenager. The man felt sorry for them and handed over five pounds for them to share.

They followed him, grabbed him from behind and dragged him backwards. He was intimidated and let go of his keys because he feared he would be stabbed or bitten.

Copcec drove off in the car with the other two but they were stopped two hours later when the police boxed them in on the M61 near Leeds.

All three made no comment when questioned by the police.

The man said in his victim impact statement that he no longer felt safe. “It has changed my whole outlook. My bubble has been burst,” he said.

Copcec had a previous conviction for theft from the person at London’s Victoria underground station. He stole cash, a wallet and a passport from a woman’s bag and was locked up for breaching the community order.

Saf Salam, solicitor advocate for Copcec, conceded that he was disqualified from driving at the time but said he had no previous convictions for robbery.

Copcec made no physical contact with the victim himself but he drove a significant distance in the stolen car which was an aggravating feature.

He was immature and lacked thinking skills, Mr Salam said.

Copcec’s family had moved back to Romania and he would be deported to join them.

Judge Jonathan Rose said the victim gave the three a generous donation.

“You should have thanked him, instead you and another man, cowards that you are, robbed him, that was your way of repaying his generosity,” he said.

Copcec was banned from driving for 32 months.