Man jailed for robbing woman

A man has been jailed for almost two years after robbing a woman in a Peterborough alleyway.

Daniel Smith, 42, was walking along St Pauls Road, in New England, Peterborough, just after midnight on 28 December with two acquaintances – one of whom was 40-year-old Lea-Anne Moss – when he robbed the woman.

The victim was cycling through the alleyway when Smith blocked her path before pushing her off her bike and making demands for money.

He then searched through her pockets and punched her in the face at which point her mobile phone fell on the ground and she managed to get away and called police.

CCTV operators spotted Smith and the two others walking in Lincoln Road who were all stopped and searched by police.

Officers rang the mobile number for the stolen phone when it was found to be on Moss, resulting in her arrest.

As officers told Smith he was also being arrested for robbery, he ran but was detained nearby and further arrested for escaping lawful custody.

Smith, of no fixed address, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (Monday) where he was sentenced to 21 months and two weeks in prison after admitting robbery and escaping lawful custody.

Moss, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and in May was jailed for one day, having spent 140 days on remand in prison.

Detective Constable Megan Sims, who investigated, said: “This was a frightening incident for the victim and I would like thank her for her quick actions in calling 999 as soon as it was safe to do so.

“Our call takers were able to alert CCTV operators who tracked the offenders down and directed our officers to them, catching them with the victim’s stolen mobile phone.”