A DRUG dealer and street robber who was part of a local gang known as the Young Farm Boys has been jailed for almost five years.
Daniel Lakatos was caught on camera selling heroin and crack cocaine to an undercover police officer whilst on bail for two earlier robberies.
Prosecutor Mollie Briggs told Bradford Crown Court how Lakatos, now 20, of Sand Street in Keighley, was among a group of youths who chased and robbed a 14-year-old boy near Keighley bus station on October 25, 2022, taking his iPhone, a fake Rolex watch, jewellery, a bag, and cash.
Lakatos was arrested three days later but answered “no comment” to all questions.
On April 4, 2023, Lakatos and the balaclava-clad Milano Gaspar, now 19, were on a train to Shipley when, as part of a group, they intimidated and threatened two 15-year-old cyclists before forcing them off the train and keeping their expensive bikes.
Milano Gaspar (Image: British Transport Police)
One victim was told, “I will kill you” before being hit and slapped.
One of the bikes, worth £500, was later sold on an online site. The other, worth £1,300, was never recovered.
The incident, described in court as “unpleasant”, was captured on CCTV allowing both Lakatos and Gaspar to be identified.
Between September 13 and 26, 2023, Lakatos acted as a delivery boy for a drugs line and handed over multiple wraps of heroin and crack cocaine to an undercover police officer who rang the number to make orders on three occasions.
Miss Briggs said the final deal involved Lakatos arriving on a mountain bike and handing over wraps of drugs from a Kinder egg.
He was caught on the officer’s recording device, identified from still images, and arrested on April 23 this year.
The court heard he had previous convictions for harassment, affray, disorderly behaviour, and possession of an offensive weapon.
Miss Briggs said: “[Lakatos] is part of a group of males who call themselves the Young Farm Boys. They hang out in large groups in hoods and balaclavas and cover their faces.
“There have been repeated reports of anti-social behaviour, street robberies, thefts, and public order matters against this group with [Lakatos] considered a very active member as well as being the eldest.”
His Honour Judge Colin Burn sentenced Lakatos to a total of 57 months – or four years and nine months – in prison, and jailed Gaspar, of Newton Court, Keighley, for 27 months for his part in the robbery on the train.
Referring to the robbery of the two teenagers on the train, Judge Burn described it as “intimidating and unpleasant”.
He added: “There was nowhere for [the victims] to go. They were effectively locked on the train with you two until they were pushed off the train minus their bikes, which of course were then stolen. It’s a serious robbery.
“As far as the Class A drugs are concerned, it’s been said before and will have to be said again that Keighley is turning into a place which is in danger of having a reputation for places where people can’t go because it’s full of drug dealers. Certain parts of it, anyway. And you are contributing to that.”
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