'Desperate' knifeman told would-be robbery victim he 'needed' £10 from cash machine

A drunk thug told his victim he "needed" the £10 he had just taken from a cash machine as he tried to rob him.

Pawel Partyka, 38, had been sat on a bench close to the ATM outside the Beeston Hill Post Office on April 28 this year when he spotted the man using the cash machine. Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday that the man heard Partyka "mumbling" to himself before he was set upon at around 9.05pm.

Prosecutor Robert Galley said: "He said that as he was walking away, the defendant was saying words along the lines of, 'I need it.' He [the victim] said, 'f*** off' and the defendant sped up to near the complainant and maintaining that he 'needed it,' implying the money.

Read more: Tributes paid to Leeds 'hit-and-run' victim as driver appears in court

"He produced a small knife with a black handle. The complainant ran away but a short time later called the police."

The man managed to flag the police down and they attended the scene, where witnesses said they had seen Partyka, of Cemetery Road, Beeston, "drop something." A small knife was later discovered in the area.

Mr Galley told the court: "He was detained and arrested. He accepted he had been drinking and had been sat on the bench near the cash machine but denied attempting to rob anyone."

Partyka went on to plead guilty to possession of a bladed article and attempted robbery. The court heard he had previous offences on his record and at the time of the attempted robbery and bladed article offence, was subject to a suspended sentence order for stalking.

In a victim impact statement, the attempted robbery victim told how the incident had left him feeling "concerned and shocked and anxious." Mr Galley added: "He says a few days after he tried to leave the house but couldn't due to fear. He said when he did he was concerned about leaving after dark and concerned about making sure no one was following him around, particularly in the area where it occurred."

Mitigating, Ismael Uddin, said a pre-sentence report had been completed for Monday's sentencing. He described the offending as "opportunist" and "short lived." The barrister added: "He admitted he is a drinker and had been taking drugs but says he had not on that day. It was a desperate and feeble attempt to extract some money for further drink...

"He has very little by way of family outside - who contact him that is. He does have family but has very little contact with them due to his drinking. He has a long-standing drink problem that led to this offending and previous offending. He apologises to the court by way of his guilty plea."

His Honour Judge Ray Singh jailed Partyka for 27 months.

LeedsLive has launched a WhatsApp community and anyone who joins will get the latest breaking news and top stories sent direct to their phone. To join click here.

If you don’t like our community, you can leave any time. We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here.