“This was a nasty attack and robbery"
Faisal Yousaf, aged 20, of Nether Edge, Sheffield, was jailed for five and a half years after carried out a knifepoint robbery.
It was heard that after the robbery, he went on the run for two years.
In May 2018, the victim was followed by a group of men on Frog Walk, near one of Sheffield’s busiest streets.
They began threatening him with a knife. The group then stole his phone and wallet before punching him in the face.
Shortly after the knifepoint robbery, Yousaf was identified as a suspect. However, he evaded police for two years until he was arrested in May 2020.
At a trial in December 2020, Yousaf was found guilty of robbery.
On January 26, 2021, Yousaf was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
DC John Briers said: “This was a nasty attack and robbery on a young man near one of Sheffield’s busiest streets, Ecclesall Road.
The victim was followed by a group of men, who threatened him with a knife and stole his phone and wallet, before punching him in the face.
“Another man was charged not long after the incident and sentenced to six years in prison, but our enquiries to trace Yousef continued.
“I am really pleased that we have finally brought him before the courts and that he has received a decent sentence for his crimes that day.
“I’d like to thank the victim for continuing to work with us since the incident and commend his bravery and co-operation.”
The Examiner reported that Abdulrahman Yafooz, aged 24, of Sheffield, was previously jailed for six years for robbery for the same incident.
He was sentenced in November 2018 and continues to serve his prison sentence.
In a similar incident, two men targeted an 18-year-old student outside Space nightclub on Hirst’s Yard, Leeds, on October 21, 2020.
The pair approached the student after he became separated from his friends as they enjoyed a night out in the city centre.
Hussain and Hamza initially appeared “jovial” when they spoke to the victim. Then they asked the student if he wanted to buy drugs.
The victim declined their offer. At that point, one of the robbers asked for his mobile phone.
He refused to hand it over but one of the thugs took out a large kitchen knife.
The victim handed over his phone, an iPhone 11 worth more than £1,000, along with £30 in cash and his driving licence.
They were identified after the victim said that one of them had a gold tooth.
After pleading guilty to the knifepoint robbery, both were sentenced to be detained in a young offenders’ institution.