Robber jailed after violent attack

A robber has been jailed after violently attacking a passer-by and snatching a gold chain from his neck.

The victim had intervened when he spotted Eamon Duffy using a paving stone to break into a parked van in Hoefield Crescent, Bulwell.

Duffy knocked the man’s glasses off his head before hitting him a number of times with the brick and stamping on him.

The victim, a man aged in his 50s, was left with two broken eye sockets following the incident on 27 October 2023.

Thirty-seven-year-old Duffy, of Jephson Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was sentenced to a total of eight years in jail at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (28 November).

He had earlier pleaded guilty to robbery, criminal damage and possession of a Class B drug.

Police were called to the robbery around 4pm and found the victim with visible injuries to his face and the back of his head.

He told officers he had been walking home from a shop when he saw Duffy damaging the van.

Other members of the public who had come to help reported the offender had escaped down an alleyway.

Officers launched a search of the area and located Duffy in Quarry Lane.

The gold chain, which had been seized from the victim during the attack, was found in his pockets along with cannabis.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Malik, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This was a despicable attack on a man who simply intervened when he saw a vehicle being vandalised.

“The victim was left with some unpleasant and painful injuries to his face and head which required hospital treatment.

“I’d like to commend the officers who swiftly tracked Duffy down and the members of the public who came to help the victim following the attack.

“Detectives then built a strong case against Duffy which led to this outcome in court.”