Two muggers who stole £3 and a phone in 'sickening' attack jailed for 23 years

Two muggers who used bricks and a paving slab to attack a man with learning difficulties and then stole just a phone and £3 have been jailed for more than 23 years.

Mohammed Ali and Umair Anys carried out the "sickening attack" that left the victim in a coma for three days after being left for dead on the street.

The man, in his 30s, was walking in Caldmore, Walsall, West Midlands, at about 10.45pm on 18 June, 2020, when he was shoved to the ground.

He pleaded with Ali and Anys to stop as they repeatedly kicked and punched him, and later started hitting him with bricks and a paving slab.

A trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the pair then rifled through his pockets and stole his phone, keys and £3 in coins.

Detectives analysed CCTV and spoke to witnesses to identified Anys, who was 17 at the time of the attack, and he was arrested a week later.

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In August 2020 West Midlands Police launched a manhunt to find Ali. Four months later he was tracked down to Newquay in Cornwall, where officers arrested him on 9 December.

Ali, 27, and Anys, now aged 19, of both of Walsall, denied robbery but were found guilty after a 10-day trial earlier this year.

A third man was cleared of the charge, while Ali was jailed for 14 years and Anys sentenced to nine-and-a-half years.

The vulnerable victim, who has not been named, has recovered but has been left traumatised by the robbery and is too scared to go out on his own.

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PC Jodie Allen said: "Ali and Anys carried out a sickening attack on a helpless man for the sake of a phone and few pounds.

"They ignored his cries for help and their vicious attack has left him and his family with scars that will never heal.

"We can't accept violence like this on our streets and we will always pursue those who commit such awful crimes."