"Your sole objective was to take money from him"
Salim Amir, aged 50, of Kitts Green, Birmingham, was jailed for nine years for two separate incidents. The drug addict robbed a 90-year-old man and conned another man.
Birmingham Crown Court heard he followed the elderly man into his home before barging in and stealing his wedding ring.
He also pretended to help a robbery victim suffering from mobility problems before scamming him.
On January 12, the elderly man had gone shopping on Stratford Road when Amir offered him some cheap alcohol.
The victim refused but was followed home by Amir who was wearing a hooded top and gloves.
As he was opening his front door, Amir came up behind him and pushed him over.
Amir then grabbed the man by the throat. He took a wallet containing £30 from his jacket pocket and a gold wedding ring from his finger.
Charles Crinion, prosecuting, explained that the ring had been given to the victim by his wife who had died 13 years earlier and was of sentimental value.
The man suffered cuts and bruises.
On October 27, 2018, Amir targeted another man on Stratford Road, who suffered from Parkinson’s and arthritis.
The victim had been at a bus stop when he was robbed and knocked unconscious.
When he woke up, Amir was standing by home and offered to take him home which he agreed to.
However, two days later, Amir went to the man’s address and said his family had been involved in an accident in Milton Keynes and he needed £50.
The victim felt intimidated and gave Amir £45. But he wanted more, they went to a cashpoint together where the victim withdrew and handed over £50.
Amir then hugged the victim to make it appear as if everything was okay.
Following his arrest, Amir admitted charges of fraud and robbery.
He had several previous convictions for robbery which had involved the use of pretence.
Referring to the fraud victim, Judge Kristina Montgomery told the drug addict:
“You exploited his vulnerability by pretending to be the Good Samaritan following him home.
“Your sole objective was to take money from him and you tried first by a sob story to get his sympathy.
“It was a callous and despicable fraud perpetrated on a man with vulnerabilities with a sophisticated deception at its heart.”
Of the robbery, she said:
“You took him to the ground and held him by the throat. He was in his own words terrified and overpowered.”
Judge Montgomery said that Amir had taken “last reminder of many years of a happy marriage” from him.
“It is clear to me that you are a man that when caught in a cycle of addiction will stop at nothing to feed it.
“Your demeanour and appearance belie the devious and determined criminal that you actually are.”
Lee Masters, defending, said that Amir’s guilty plea spared the robbery victim of having to relive the ordeal and that he had not used any weapons.
He said: “The catalyst for his offending is his addiction to drugs.”
Birmingham Mail reported that Amir was jailed for nine years.
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