A ROBBER who pretended to be a police officer before stealing a Rolex watch from his terrified victim in Chester while falsely calling him a paedophile has been jailed for four years.

Karl Kent, 43, of Raymond Street, Chester, had pleaded guilty to robbery and appeared from custody at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, January 30, to be sentenced.

Judge Patrick Thompson blasted the offence as "dreadful" and called Kent "cowardly" for not owning up to who his accomplice was and where the Rolex watch was now.

Prosecuting, Mandy Nepal said it was about 4.30pm on Saturday, December 7 when the victim – a 55-year-old man from Malpas – had driven to Chester for Christmas shopping and pulled over in Garden Lane to take a phone call.

He heard shouting from two men, saying: "Police, police, show me your ID."

A brick was then thrown through the victim's car window and both men tried to drag the victim out of the car, while reaching for the car keys that were in the ignition.

The victim tried to get people's attention by beeping his car horn, at one point with his knees, and was screaming.

During the struggle, the victim's watch was taken off his wrist and while he tried to hide it under the car seat, it was found by one of the two robbers and stolen.

Ms Nepal added that the men were calling the victim a paedophile, and after the robbery both walked off "in a confident and casual way".

The victim received cuts to his wrists during the robbery.

The watch – a Rolex Explorer II – had been won in a raffle in 1996, was worth £5,000 and the victim had worn it ever since, and had a lot of sentimental value.

Kent had left a glove on the dashboard of the car and DNA evidence was gathered to identify him as one of the two robbers. He made a 'no comment' interview after being arrested at his home on Friday, January 3.

In a victim impact statement, the victim said he had been "really shaken up" by what had happened, and could not sleep properly the following few nights as he kept replaying the incident.

The car was damaged and he was reluctant to pick it up from the garage once repaired as it reminded him of the offence.

He did not want to go back to Chester; in previous years he would do Christmas shopping there but went online instead.

Kent had 14 previous convictions, including those for theft and violence, and in 2018 was jailed for possession with intent to supply cocaine.

He had been out of prison, on licence, for only two months when the robbery took place.

Before Kent's defence solicitor Brian Treadwell could mitigate, Judge Thompson told him: "He knows where the watch is and who the other offender is, and you're going to tell me he is remorseful? Don't bother.

"He is just remorseful he got caught."

Mr Treadwell said Kent had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and Kent had accepted he had made bad choices in his life, particularly concerning class A drugs.

He added Kent did not know the victim and calling him a paedophile was "a distraction technique"

But Judge Thompson disagreed, saying: "It was not distraction, it's there to dissuade anyone from going to help. That is an inference I will make because I have common sense, and I am not insane."

Mr Treadwell added of Kent: "He is at least saying the right things, in terms of going on programmes."

Judge Thompson replied: "I don't have a great deal of confidence in the things he is saying."

Sentencing Kent to four years in prison, Judge Thompson said: "Having already robbed this man you degraded him by telling him he is a paedophile.

"You had only been released from prison two months ago. It's clear prison had no effect on you."

It is the second time that Kent has been convicted after stealing a Rolex, with the previous offence occurring in 2013.

Detective Constable Andrew Manson, who led Cheshire Constabulary’s investigation into the Chester robbery, said: “The victim was subjected to a terrifying ordeal after parking up to look at his phone on his way to do some shopping in Chester.

“His driver’s side front window was smashed with a brick, and he then had arms and latterly a full body enter his car in a bid to steal his belongings.

“He was unable to prevent his watch being stolen but he was able to alert people nearby to the incident by beeping his horn and screaming.

“The evidence given by witnesses and the DNA match from the glove that Kent left in the victim’s car were key to securing this conviction.

“I am delighted that Kent is now behind bars facing the consequences of his actions, and I hope that the culmination of this case gives the victim some closure and enables him to begin to move forward with his life.

“I also hope that it deters other people from committing similar offences, and I would like to thank all the witnesses who gave evidence for their help in securing this conviction.”

On top of his four-year prison sentence, Kent was ordered to pay a £181 victim surcharge.