A thug has been jailed after chasing a man along an Aberdeen street and stealing his laptop at knifepoint, while his accomplice brandished a glass bottle.
Paul Johnson was identified from a “distinctive leg tattoo” after officers investigating the terrifying robbery scoured CCTV footage.
The 30-year-old, who acted along with another male who has not yet been identified, chased his victim down in a white SUV after he fled when the pair confronted him on foot.
The muggers had approached the man on Jute Street and asked what was in his bag, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.
Johnson pleaded guilty to assaulting, chasing and robbing the man of his laptop, a rucksack and some clothing.
He also admitted to being in possession of a knife at the time of the offence.
Muggers demanded victim hand over rucksack
Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAlister told the court that the man was walking to his friend’s house just after midnight on July 31 last year when he saw two men ahead of him.
As he was talking to his friend on the phone, the two males passed him on Jute Street and one of them asked: “What’s in the bag?”
The man ran away from the pair but soon saw a white SUV vehicle overtake him and suddenly stop in front of him.
Mr McAlister said: “He saw that the accused had a sharp object in his hand, which he assumed to be a knife.
“He also saw that the other man had a bottle in his hand.
“The unidentified male suspect held the bottle menacingly above his head and towards the witness, and both made demands for the complainer to hand the rucksack over.”
The man handed over his bag and the muggers got back into the vehicle.
As the SUV drove off, the man’s friend – who had remained on the call – hung up and called the police.
CCTV captured the incident in full and Johnson was identified by a distinctive leg tattoo and arrested.
Accused had ‘spiralled’ into drug abuse
Defence agent Iain Jane told the court that, due to his previous criminal record, Johnson “understands that a custodial sentence is inevitable”.
He said Johnson had “spiralled” into drug abuse during the period of the robbery.
“He has a number of previous convictions and one of those is a directly analogous offence”, Mr Jane said.
“He has had his first real experience of prison and he wants this to be his last.
“But he knows this was serious and that there is really only one realistic sentencing option.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Johnson: “This was an extremely serious incident in which you took part in an armed robbery with another person.
“It is clear that you took part in this while in possession of a knife and the other perpetrator had a bottle.
“Your record is significant and includes crimes of violence and one which caused permanent disfigurement.”
Sheriff Miller sentenced Johnson, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, to 20 months in prison.
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