Sheffield Crown Court round-up: Here are some of the biggest cases heard last week including robbery and assault

Case 1:

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 9 how Hassan Salim, aged 21, put two students through what police described as ‘terrifying’ ordeals last summer when he targeted them as they walked through the city.

His first victim was a 19-year-old when Salim pulled up next to him in a vehicle on July 8 last year and asked if he wanted to buy some drugs. When the student refused, Salim became aggressive and threatened to get him into the car. He took him to a cashpoint, where he was again threatened and told to withdraw a sum of money.

A few days later, this time near Sheffield Botanical Gardens, a 22-year-old man was walking with his friends when he stopped to tie his shoelace and they walked ahead, at which point a vehicle approached. The victim spoke to the occupants, one of whom was Salim. and he was threatened with a knife and made to get in the car.

The occupants were demanding money, forcing the victim to hand over his mobile phone, before driving around the Upperthorpe, Bramall Lane and London Road areas for about 45 minutes. Salim let the victim out of the car on London Road and gave him back his phone.

The victim found that Salim had transferred significant sums of money into another bank account in an alias’ name.

Salim, formerly of Sicey Avenue, Sheffield, was sentenced on August 9 to six years and three months for one robbery, and five years and four months for the second count of robbery, to run concurrently.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-crime-man-jailed-for-robbing-students-one-of-whom-was-threatened-with-a-knife-3810946

Case 2:

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 11 that Duy Chong Khuu, 52, of Wellgate, Rotherham, was interviewed after he was found to have uploaded an indecent video of a child on his Facebook account.

Officers seized his phone and examined it, finding two Category A and two Category C images on his device, and Khuu was charged with distributing an indecent image of a child.

Khuu pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-crown-court-man-jailed-for-sharing-harrowing-child-abuse-video-on-facebook-and-downloading-indecent-images-of-kids-3812373

Case 3:

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 16 how Wayne Anderson, aged 28, of Stone Moor Road, at Stocksbridge, Sheffield, had already been made subject to a restraining order not to contact his ex-partner after he had previously stalked and assaulted her and caused damage.

Stuart Bell, prosecuting, said that following the imposition of the restraining order Anderson pulled his ex-partner to the ground by her hair in the street and later tried to get into her home on June 21, and he repeatedly phoned her between June 21 and 23.

Mr Bell added Anderson also got into his ex-partner’s home on June 29 while she was in her bedroom where he repeatedly punched her.

Anderson, who has 33 previous convictions for 58 offences including violence, domestic-related offending and breaches of restraining orders, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a restraining order, assault by beating and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Sean Fritchley, defending, said Anderson has instructed him that the complainant had encouraged the breach of the restraining order and the defendant had not randomly stalked and harassed the complainant.

Anderson also has learning difficulties and suffers with ADHD and he has the functioning age level of a ten-year-old, according to Mr Fritchley.

Mr Fritchley added Anderson has also been struggling after the death of his brother and he is genuinely remorseful for his actions.

Recorder Christopher Rose sentenced Anderson to three-years and three-months of custody and made him subject to a five-year restraining order to protect the complainant.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-thug-who-attacked-his-ex-partner-in-her-bedroom-has-been-jailed-3809830

Case 4:

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 15 how Michael Cavanagh, aged 52, of Well Drive, at Thrybergh, Rotherham, followed a 62-year-old neighbour to his nearby flat at St Leonard’s Avenue and refused to leave before he grabbed an extendable baton from his victim and beat him with the weapon.

Neil Coxon, prosecuting, said Cavanagh followed the complainant to his flat and refused to leave so the complainant picked up an extendable baton to scare him away.

But Cavanagh grabbed the baton after a struggle and the complainant went to the ground and he was struck by the defendant, according to Mr Coxon, and suffered a fractured collar bone and a 7cm laceration to his head.

Mr Coxon added Cavanagh, who pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, has previous convictions including violent offences against neighbours and people he knows.

Judge Richardson sentenced Cavanagh to 11 months of custody and imposed a five-year restraining order to protect the complainant.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-crown-court-thug-with-a-short-fuse-is-jailed-after-he-attacked-a-neighbour-with-a-baton-3808052

Case 5:

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 15 how Mark Roberts, aged 61, of Fleet Cars Direct, on Milethorn Lane, near Wheatley, Doncaster, sold a Nissan Pathfinder for £4,300 with a £395 warranty but the vehicle was later found to be in a dangerous condition and not fit for the road.

Roberts admitted he had used misleading advertising, had sold a vehicle in a dangerous state, had misled the buyer about the mileage, and had sold on a suspect warranty after the buyer from Sheffield had complained to Doncaster council’s trading standards office.

Judge Richardson acknowledged what happened was not Roberts’s normal practice and that he had made a mistake, apologises and accepts full responsibility.

But Judge Richardson said: “In my judgement this is a serious example of a secondhand car salesman conducting his business operations in a comprehensibly dangerous and illegal manner.”

He fined Roberts £6,000 and ordered him to pay £7,395 in costs. Judge Richardson pointed out Roberts has incurred other related costs not subject to the proceedings which means he will have to pay out a total in excess of £20,000.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/car-salesman-must-pay-out-over-ps13000-after-he-sold-a-dangerous-vehicle-to-a-sheffield-customer-3811256