THE victim of a violent late-night mugging in a Bradford park had been living in the city for just two days and hastily moved out afterwards, a court heard.

The man, aged 31, had been for a jog in Lister Park, Manningham, when he was set upon by three young men who punched and kicked him to the head and body and robbed him of his phone

Danish Fiaz, 20, of Victor Street, Heaton, Bradford, the only one of the three thugs to be caught, was spared an immediate custodial sentence during a hearing held last week.

He pleaded guilty to the robbery, committed on June 28, 2019, on the day of his trial, prosecutor Jessica Randell, told Bradford Crown Court.

She said that Fiaz was 18 when he and two others approached the victim at 10.15pm.

He was sitting on a grass verge in the park catching his breath after his jog and looking at his phone.

He was attacked by the group but defended himself and gave Fiaz a bloody nose.

Fiaz’s accomplices were the ones who held down the man and took his phone, Miss Randell said.

The victim sought help from a nearby shop. He was distressed and upset and could not ring his wife because his phone was gone.

He had Fiaz’s blood on him and the defendant was traced by his DNA.

He was arrested in December, 2019, and denied the robbery.

In his victim personal statement, the man said he had moved to Bradford two days earlier and quickly moved out after he was mugged.

He was now anxious and fearful about going out and had suffered pain to his head and ribs.

He had lost £1,200 in earnings because of having to take time off work.

The court heard that Fiaz had no previous convictions and had stayed out of trouble in the more than two years since the offence.

His barrister, Nicola Hoskins, explained that he had initially denied the offence because he hadn’t taken the phone and so did not accept that he had committed a robbery.

Miss Hoskins said he was in the company of older males and had not been in any contact with them since.

He had now grown up, kept out of trouble and got a full-time job at Morrisons.

Recorder Patrick Palmer sentenced him to two years’ in a young offender institute, suspended for two years. 

He must also undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and complete up to ten rehabilitation activity days.

Recorder Palmer told Fiaz: “The other males were older and more dominant and it maybe that you were under some form of pressure when you committed this offence.”

 

A local councillor condemned the incident but said the victim’s experience was “not a true reflection of the park or city”.