A criminal has been jailed for five years after he was convicted of trying to rob a disabled man in Dewsbury.

Shaun Andrew Pollard was unanimously found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court today (Friday) of attempted robbery on April 18 this year.

Sentencing him Judge Tom Bayliss QC said the only reason he did not succeed was that his intended victim bravely resisted and managed to punch him in spite of his disabilities.

The jury heard the complainant suffers from cerebral palsy and uses two sticks to help with mobility.

CCTV recorded him walking slowly to a cash machine outside Barclays Bank in Dewsbury.

“He is plainly severely disabled,” said Judge Bayliss and he said that must have been apparent to Pollard who saw him approaching the cash machine.

“He uses it and then it is perfectly plain to me that you decided he was an easy target. He was your prey.

“You are seen on CCTV following him. When he stops you stop, when he turns you make as though you are disinterested. When he goes to the Post Office you follow him. When he goes to a department store you followed him.

“You were quite deliberately targeting that man and you were doing so because of his disability. But he wasn’t such an easy target, when you went to steal his wallet he fought back.

“There was a tussle in which he was pushed against a car but he managed to punch you and stun you and because of that and only because of that you were thwarted in what you intended to do, which was to relieve him of the money you had seen him take from the cash machine.”

Judge Bayliss said Pollard had shown no remorse for what had happened. His victim was still suffering from the psychological effects of what had happened and had described being fearful to walk around his own town.

“People have a right to go about their business without that fear and the courts will protect that right particularly for those who suffer a disability.”

He said Pollard, 43 of Cemetery Road, Westtown, Dewsbury, had a bad record for dishonesty and violence and was on licence at the time of the attack which aggravated his position.