A thug has been jailed for three years for his part in an early hours robbery at the Kewz Bar in Huddersfield.

A court heard today (Fri) how unsuspecting Arfan Yasin had gone to the toilets at the nightspot last June, but he was followed in by Kyle Sylvester, 25, and two other men.

Prosecutor Lorraine Harris told a judge at Bradford Crown Court that Sylvester punched Mr Yasin in the face and demanded the chain before grabbing it from round his neck.

Mr Yasin was punched by one of the other men before being patted down and £150 in cash taken from him.

The former Kewz bar on Queen St Huddersfield.
Kewz bar on Queen St Huddersfield.

During the robbery Mr Yasin was said to have told the attackers he had a heart condition, but he was still hit again.

Sylvester, of Quaker Lane, Paddock, pleaded guilty to the robbery charge and also admitted two further offences of witness intimidation in relation to a comment about “dropping the charges” and a gun gesture he made towards Mr Yasin during chance meetings.

The court heard that Mr Yasin had trouble sleeping after the attack and was now on anti-depressants.

In 2011 Sylvester was sent to a young offenders institution for 12 months for offences of robbery and wounding.

Barrister Ian Brook, for Sylvester, said thankfully the injuries suffered were not the most serious and he described the robbery as “opportunistic.”

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said that as with many young men who appeared before him there were two sides to Sylvester.

He said documents he had read from family members spoke about the defendant’s good side, but on the other hand he had been in trouble from time to time.

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The judge said Mr Yasin had been robbed of an expensive and “prized” gold chain which had been given to him in marriage.

He said others had been involved in the robbery, but Sylvester had struck the first blow.

The judge explained that if Sylvester had been convicted after a trial he would have been jailed for 40 months, but his guilty plea earlier this week meant the sentence could be reduced to three years.