Thief tried on £8,000 Porsche Tag Heuer watch in Leeds jewellers before darting for the door
A thief who asked to look at an £8,000 watch in a Leeds jewellers then ran out with the expensive item still on his wrist.
Days later Ahmed Amin pulled the same trick with a £200 pair of designer trainers, bolting for the door. He then later robbed a man of £700 in a pawn shop.
He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week with Judge Kate Rayfield telling him: “You said you just wanted some nice things for yourself. If you want nice things you have to do what everybody else does and go to work to pay for them.”
The court heard that Amin went to Beaverbrooks in Leeds city centre on February 3 and asked to look at the exclusive Porsche Carrera Tag Heuer watch. After trying it on he then quickly ran out.
Four days later the 36-year-old entered the Russell & Bromley store and asked to try on a pair of £200 shoes. Again he ran out with the items.
Finally, on March 3 he targeted H&T Pawnbrokers in Leeds. A man had gone into the shop and put £700 on the counter as he spoke to the assistant.
Seeing an opportunity after loitering outside, Amin entered the shop and grabbed the money and tried to leave.
The man tried to grab Amin and they tussled for a few seconds before he wriggled free and ran out. CCTV of the incident was played to the court.
Amin was recognised from the footage and later arrested but refused to answer questions. He laughed when he was shown the footage from the pawnbrokers, prosecutor Elizabeth Noble told the court.
He has 12 previous convictions for 12 offences, mainly for theft.
Amin, of Wellington Street, Laisterdyke, Bradford, admitted two counts of theft and one of robbery for his latest offending. He appeared in court from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.
Mitigating, Philip Mahoney said Amin had come from a “difficult background”, had severe mental health troubles which had deteriorated further while in custody.
He said that deportation was “very likely” in his case.
Judge Rayfield told Amin: “There must have been some planning in each of these offences.”
She jailed him for 24 months. However, she rejected an application by the Crown for a criminal behaviour order (CBO) to ban Amin from Leeds city centre.