Sheffield man jailed for brutal robbery that left victim with broken nose and fractured jaw

Joel Hodson, and his co-accused Daniel Marshall, attacked the young man as he was returning to his flat in the Westfield area of the city on the evening of January 13 this year, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Marshall initiated contact with the victim by shouting a racial slur at him, before cornering him on a stairwell and proceeding to attack him.

Referring to CCTV evidence shown to the court, prosecutor, Louise Gallagher, described how when the attack began, Hodson, of no fixed abode, initially looked to be walking away, but he eventually returns and joins in with the attack.

"Hodson returns and joins in. There are punches and more punches. He tries to defend himself, but he is knocked straight to the ground, and is stamped on by Hodson and punched and kicked," added Ms Gallagher.

During the course of the robbery, Hodson, 31, and Marshall, 29, stole a number of items from the man including his brand-new phone, worth £700, his Vivienne Westwood watch and the keys to his flat.

The man was left with a fractured jaw, broken nose and three chipped teeth.

He said of the attack: "I won't ever go back to my flat, because I'm scared this will happen again. I don't even know if I want to be in Sheffield anymore."

Police were able to identify Marshall of Oak Street, Mosborough from the CCTV, and he was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in April this after pleading guilty to one count of racially-aggravated robbery.

Due to the fact Hodson kept his hood up during the attack, it took police longer to identify, and charge, Hodson, who handed himself in to the police in May after the force circulated a public appeal.

Hodson, who was sent to prison in 2013 and 2015 over robbery charges, pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery at an earlier hearing.

Defending, Richard Thyne, said: "He asks me to submit that he is truly sorry for what he did, and for the harm that we have heard about."

Judge Paul Watson QC jailed Hodson for seven-and-a-half years, during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, July 27.

He said: "You have a bad record. In particular, two serious offences of robbery, for which you received substantial sentences in custody, for which you were barely out of when you committed this offence."

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable John Briers, investigating officer, said: "This is a lengthy sentence for an appalling crime and I am pleased that both men responsible for this vicious attack are now behind bars.

"The victim in this robbery suffered serious facial injuries and had a number of high-value items stolen.

"Earlier this year, Hodson's co-accused was convicted and received a jail term of over eight years for this crime. In May this year, we asked for the public's help to trace Hodson and circulated him as wanted.

"He handed himself in and has subsequently been convicted and sentenced for his role in the robbery.

"I hope the victim is reassured by the sentences handed down to his attackers and the wider community is confident in the police's ability to apprehend those involved in violent crime in Sheffield."