Sheffield man who attacked defenceless takeaway driver jailed

On 9 September, Ian Kleute, formerly of Merton Lane, Sheffield, was one of three men who flagged down a deliver driver on Langsett Road in Hillsborough before attacking and robbing him.

He was today sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to that robbery, a second charge of attempted robbery in October and triggering his suspended sentence.

Investigating officer DC Ryan Griffiths said the men initially stopped the driver claiming they had ordered the takeaway, but attacked him as he got the food from the boot.

He said: “At this point, the driver was threatened by the three men and punched in the face multiple times, causing serious facial injuries. They demanded the car keys and continued to attack their victim. As the driver fell to the floor, the men went through his pockets taking his wallet and phone.

“Whilst being subjected to this brutal attack, he managed to tell them that the keys were in the car and the three men took his vehicle. Our officers found the car a short time later, after seeing it being driven erratically and then abandoned.

“Just days later, Kleute was involved in a second incident, where a man was attacked on Langsett Road, again by three men. The victim in this case managed to break free from the group. Kleute was later identified on CCTV captured that night and arrested soon afterwards, footage on his own phone also linked him to the incident.

“In both cases, the victims were innocently going about their daily lives, one was a takeaway delivery driver earning a living and the other was a young man walking home from the pub. They were both brutally attacked by Kleute and I am pleased that he has been sentenced accordingly.

“In Sheffield we are working hard to bring people like Kleute to justice, and I hope the result today demonstrates that to the public.”