Dewsbury gambling addict locked up for robbing pensioner of wallet containing photo of his wife three days before she died

Ibrar Ul-Haq preyed on the vulnerable victim in order to fund his addiction to gambling.

The 19-year-old convicted sex offender was sent to a young offender institution of 22 months after a court heard how he tried to use the victim's bank cards to place bets after the robbery.

Leeds Crown Court heard Ul-Haq carried out the robbery of the 68-year-old victim in Dewsbury on August 1 this year

Ayman, Khokhar, prosecuting, said the defendant approached the victim near to an alleyway between Russell Street and Brunswick Street and asked him if he knew where the nearest shop was.

The victim offered to show Ul-Haq where the shop was and they walked along the alleyway.

As they got near to the shop the victim put his face mask on and took his wallet out of his pocket.

Ul-Haq grabbed the pensioner's wrist and took the wallet.

Mr Khokhar said the victim shouted to Ul-Haq: "Take my money but leave my wallet."

Another member of the public who witnessed the indecent told Ul-Haq to drop the wallet but he managed to make off with it.

The prosecutor said the wallet contained a photograph of the defendant and his wife from 1974.

His wife's medical prescription was also in the wallet along with £200 in cash and £350 worth of specialist coins.

They included a silver coin made in 1818 and three old Egyptian coins worth £50 each.

Ul-Haq tried to use two of the victim's bank cards to place bets at a Ladbrokes betting shop on Market Street around two hours later, at 9.30am.

One card was voided and the other was declined.

Police managed to obtain a CCTV image of Ul-Haq which was issued in a Facebook appeal to catch the robber.

The betting shop manager saw the appeal and recognised Ul-Haq.

He alerted staff members and police were called when he returned to the bookies on August 5.

Police arrested Ul-Haq at the shop but he refused to comment when first interviewed.

He made full admissions about the offence when interviewed for a second time and said he carried out the offences to fund to his gambling addiction.

The court was told Ul-Haq also spent some of the cash on the services of a sex worker.

Ul-Haq, of Sackville Street, Dewsbury pleaded guilty to robbery and two offences of fraud.

He has five previous convictions for 15 offences.They including motoring offences and sexual assault.

The victim provided a statement to the court describing how his wife died three days after the attack.

He was distressed at losing the photograph of his partner which he had carried for with him for more than 40 years.

He also described how he longer feels safe going out alone.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said the robbery offence was opportunistic rather than planned.

Mr Harding said Ul-Haq came from a difficult family background and asked that he be given credit for pleading guilty at an early stage.

Sentencing, Recorder Tahir Khan QC said: "The robbery itself was, in my judgement, a particularly mean and unpleasant offence committed against a 68-year-old who it seems was not in good health.

"This offending was so serious as to justify only an immediate sentence of custody.

"This isn't your first offence.

"It seems to be part of a pattern of offending by you that goes back to 2016 when you were first convicted of sexual assault."