Two robbers have been jailed for an attack in Margate town centre.
Alex Bull and Oliver Lee assaulted a man and stole £40 from him after he refused to buy any tablets from them in January 2020.
They both pleaded guilty to the robbery, leading to Bull being jailed for three and a half years, and Lee receiving a three-year custodial sentence when they appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday 20 July 2021.
The victim, a man in his fifties, had arranged to meet someone during the evening of 30 January 2020 in Oxford Street but was approached by 39-year-old Bull and 28-year-old Lee who told him they had a quantity of Valium for sale.
The victim refused to buy any, and the pair responded angrily, demanding money from him.
They followed him, pushing him to the ground, punching and kicking him. As the pair attacked the victim, they took his belongings including £20 after ripping his shirt. His phone was taken from his hand, which Bull squeezed so hard, the victim feared his fingers had been broken in the process.
Lee handed back the victim’s keys but Bull would only return the phone when offered another £20.
The following day the robbers were identified and arrested by police.
Bull and Lee, both of no fixed address, were charged with one count of robbery which they admitted in court.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Richard Cordery said: ‘Regardless of what is stolen, being a victim of robbery is frightening and can leave people very anxious as they are left coming to terms with such an attack.
‘This pair were aggressive and greedy, targeting someone simply because they could and because they wanted cash.
‘I hope losing their liberty makes them reconsider their attitudes.’