Holmfirth man jailed for street attacks

May 6 2009 By Neil Atkinson

A STREET mugger who was given a community order last November is today beginning a jail term after a judge criticised the magistrates who passed sentence on him.

And Aaron Jack, of Holmfirth, was branded a menace to young women.

In September last year Jack subjected a 20-year-old woman to a terrifying early hours robbery in Huddersfield town centre after she asked him for some money to make a phone call.

Despite police efforts including the use of CCTV footage Jack was not questioned about that robbery until he was caught soon after carrying out a bag snatch from another lone female in the town two months later.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC was told yesterday that 23-year-old Jack, of Cliff Road, was given a community order for the later theft- from-person offence even though the magistrates were aware that he was also facing the more serious robbery matter.

At Bradford Crown Court yesterday Judge Durham Hall revoked the community sentence despite Jack’s good progress on it and jailed him for two-and-a-half years for the robbery last September.

Prosecutor Duncan Ritchie told the court how the woman had been at a town centre club until 6am and when she left she was unable to telephone her boyfriend because the battery on her mobile phone was flat.

She asked Jack, who was wearing a black hooded top, if he could lend her 20p and he said he would ask his boss for some money.

After taking the woman to the Huddersfield Music School he knocked on the doors, but he then grabbed the woman by her shoulders and threw her to the ground.

Mr Ritchie said Jack straddled the woman holding her down by her shoulders as she shouted for help.

Jack left the area in a red car and the woman sought help from a nearby cafe after realising her bag had been taken.