Prolific offender from Arbourthorne punched man as he walked back from cash machine near Sheffield Asda

Drug addict Kristian Hewitt, aged 41, formerly of Aylwood Road, Arbourthorne, Sheffield, punched a man from behind as he was walking back to his car with £100 from a cash machine, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

Recorder Ian Mullarkey told the hearing on November 4 Hewitt’s victim had used a cash machine near an Asda store, on City Road, in Sheffield, and was walking down a ramp towards his car as the defendant struck him and got on top of him and tried to take the £100.

A store security guard dragged Hewitt off his victim, according to Recorder Mullarkey, before the defendant fled leaving a cap, a rucksack and a lighter behind from which police established a DNA match to the offender.

Recorder Mullarkey told Hewitt: “You admit your involvement in this offence and you intended to beg or steal from inside the Asda store to fund your drug addiction.”

He added: “Given your lack of motivation to address your drug misuse and your extensive record of using violence to steal and make good your escape when you are confronted, I am satisfied you pose a serious risk to the public.

"I consider that you are prepared to resort to violence in order to obtain monies to fund your chronic addiction and you have no regard to the consequences of using violence aganist members of the public.”

The court heard Hewitt who has 21 previous convictions for 71 offences including robbery, burglaries, affray and an assault was found guilty by a trial jury of the attempted robbery.

Rebecca Tanner, defending, said Hewitt, of no fixed abode, now accepts he committed the attempted robbery on April 15, 2020 while he was in the grips of drug addiction.

She added that it had been an opportunistic offence after Hewitt had seen the complainant withdrawing cash from an ATM.

Recorder Mullarkey sentenced Hewitt to five years of custody which he extended by three years due to the risk the defendant poses to the public.

Hewitt was told he will have to serve at least two-thirds of the eight-year sentence before he can be considered for release.