A violent robber is back behind bars after attacking a 21-year-old in a city centre street as he demanded money.
Thomas Pickering punched his victim in the face as he walked home with his girlfriend in the early hours of 14 December last year.
CCTV shows Pickering approach the couple in High Street, Nottingham, before hitting the man in a completely random and unprovoked attack.
He then demanded cash and when the man said he had none, Pickering insisted he go to a cash machine and withdraw money.
As the couple walked away towards Old Market Square, Pickering – who has previously been in prison for robbery – followed them and continued to demand the man give him money.
Nottingham Crown Court heard he then launched a second assault on the man, this time shoving him so hard that he fell onto tram lines.
The victim’s partner alerted security guards at the nearby Christmas Market and this prompted Pickering to flee the scene.
The incident was reported to Nottinghamshire Police and Pickering was soon located on the city centre’s CCTV network.
As officers approached to arrest him, he ran off but was successfully detained a few seconds later (pictured below).
Pickering, aged 26, of no fixed address, gave ‘no comment’ responses in his police interview but officers already had sufficient evidence to charge him.
He went on to plead guilty to assault with intent to commit robbery and was jailed for three years when he was sentenced on Tuesday (22 April).
The sentencing hearing had heard Pickering had eight previous convictions from 28 offences, including two robberies in which he received a custodial sentence in 2019.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Tim Townsend, who led the investigation, said:
“This was a disgraceful and unprovoked attack that could have caused the victim a serious injury.
“Thankfully his injuries were relatively minor, but the effects of the crime were not just physical. The victim is now anxious to walk through the city centre at night – all because of one man’s despicable actions.
“I am pleased that Pickering has been dealt with so quickly by the courts and hope this case serves as a warning to others about the consequences of this type of behaviour.”
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