A MAN who attacked his victim with a hollowed-out torch before robbing his prized possession at a railway station in Ellesmere Port has been jailed.

Kai Davis, 22, of Blacon Avenue, Chester, had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to robbery of a £295 Norco mountain bike and possession of an offensive weapon.

Appearing at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, June 1, Davis was sentenced to a total of four years in prison.

Prosecuting, Suzanne Payne said it was 8pm on May 2 when the victim was walking down the ramp with his mountain bike to the platform at Overpool Railway Station.

He was spotted by Davis, who walking behind him. The two had known each other for about eight years, and Davis was accompanied by a woman.

The victim said he did not know why he was approached by Davis, who shouted at him before producing the hollowed-out torch and hitting the victim on the head with it.

The force of the blow caused the victim to fall over his bike. Davis tried to grab the bike but the victim held on to it, so Davis landed further blows on the victim's arm with the torch until the victim let go as he did not want to be hurt any more.

Davis then walked away from the scene with the woman. The victim, left in shock, contacted police and provided a description. Davis was located at an address half an hour later, with police recovering both the stolen mountain bike and the hollowed-out torch.

Davis was arrested and gave a 'no comment' interview.

He had 15 previous convictions for 30 offences, including a burglary committed when he was a youth, a possession of an offensive weapon from January 2021, and possession of cannabis in June 2021. For that, the most recent offence, he received a 24-month conditional discharge and was therefore in breach of that.

The victim, in an impact statement, said he had suffered bad dreams since the robbery, waking up in a panic, and that had made him dread night-time coming around.

He did not feel safe around others and did not want to go out on his bike, and his mental health had suffered as a result.

He did not want people to see the scabbing on his forehead.

He was "so pleased" police were able to recover the bike, which was his only method of transport.

Defending, Chris Hunt said Davis deserved full credit for his guilty pleas.

Davis had mental health issues including anxiety and depression, a diagnosis of ADHD and was understood to be on the autism spectrum.

He had had a difficult upbringing, the court heard.

The offence had been "unsophisticated" with CCTV footage widely available at Merseyrail stations, and the fact the defendant and the victim knew each other.

Since being in custody, Davis had obtained work on his prison wing and was on track for 'enhanced prisoner' status, and had stopped taking drugs.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Berkson said: "A hollowed-out torch was used to commit a robbery on a man going about his normal business. You stole his prized possession.

"It has had a marked effect on his life.

"You are a man with numerous previous convictions; you have been regularly in and out of trouble.

"I accept you did not plan to rob him on that day, but you did have a weapon on you."

As well as the four-year prison sentence, the metal torch weapon was made the subject of a deprivation order.