A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years and four months imprisonment after a court heard how he carried out a sustained series of armed robberies and attempted robberies across Bradford.
Ismail Ahmed, from Jesse Street in Fairweather Green, was described by presiding judge Ms Recorder Ella Anderson at Bradford Crown Court as having conducted what she termed an offending spree during which local businesses were terrorised.
The judge determined that Ahmed posed a danger to the public, leading to an additional three-year licence period attached to his longest sentence of five years and seven months.
The court was told that the defendant’s criminal activity extended across two days in May, beginning with an incident at 7:30am on May 9 at an Esso petrol station on Wakefield Road.
Ahmed approached a shop worker and threatened to stab him unless his demands were met.
He departed with £400 in cash.
Later that same day at approximately 6pm, Ahmed visited a Premier store on Beacon Road.
He informed staff members that he was carrying an implement and demanded access to the till.
A brief physical altercation occurred when a panic alarm was triggered, causing Ahmed to flee the premises.
The defendant then proceeded directly to a Morrison’s Daily outlet on Allerton Road.
He produced a hammer and threatened employees that he would use it violently against them.
He escaped with £842 comprising both cash and cigarettes.
Police identified Ahmed through examination of CCTV recordings.
At 5:50am on May 11, Ahmed entered another Premier shop located on Legrams Lane.
He displayed an axe and instructed the assistant to open the till.
Approximately ninety minutes afterwards, he returned to the Premier store on Beacon Road he had targeted two days prior.
He climbed over the counter while armed with an axe and physically moved a female employee aside in an attempt to force open the till.
Following a struggle and after delivering what was described as a countdown, Ahmed fled the scene when a member of the public contacted emergency services.
Ahmed subsequently travelled by taxi to a Co-op store on High Park Drive.
He had instructed the driver to wait positioned close to the entrance.
After climbing over the counter and threatening personnel with an axe, Ahmed left without obtaining any money.
He returned to the same taxi and commanded the driver to depart.
The court heard that Ahmed became increasingly aggressive inside the vehicle.
He demanded the driver accelerate and inquired whether the car contained a tracking device.
Ahmed then produced the axe, placed his arm around the driver’s neck and held the weapon against the driver’s face.
He declared his intention to kill the driver and threatened to take possession of the vehicle.
The driver managed to position his hand between his own neck and the axe blade.
When the vehicle stopped, the driver escaped, taking the keys with him.
Ahmed occupied the driver seat but was unable to operate the car.
He fled the area and was apprehended later that same day.
During his arrest, Ahmed attempted to run away and stated he had consumed a harmful substance.
During police questioning, Ahmed declined to answer numerous questions, denied all criminal allegations and terminated the interview early.
He also declined to provide a sample for controlled substance analysis.
Ahmed subsequently entered guilty pleas to ten criminal offences.
These comprised two counts of robbery, five counts of attempted robbery, one charge of possessing an offensive weapon, one charge of possessing a bladed article and one charge of refusing to undergo drug testing.
The court was informed that Ahmed had accumulated four previous convictions encompassing eleven separate offences.
These included a conviction for conspiracy to rob, for which he had served 67 months in a young offender institution.
He had been released from that sentence only five months prior to commencing the current series of offences.
In response to mitigation arguments presented on Ahmed’s behalf, the court heard evidence regarding his mental health background.
Ahmed was found to exhibit complex personality characteristics, specifically emotional unstable personality disorder.
He had experienced traumatic events during childhood and had been exposed to domestic violence, circumstances that had adversely affected his education and from which he had not adequately recovered.
A history of self-harm was documented, and at the time of his arrest Ahmed had expressed suicidal intentions.
A connection was established between his substance misuse and psychological health difficulties.
The court was told that his condition deteriorated following his return to Bradford from supported accommodation situated outside the area.
Ahmed demonstrated expressions of remorse and regret.
However, the court was advised that he lacked full comprehension of the psychological distress caused to his victims.
It was submitted that he required sustained and coordinated professional intervention.
Ms Recorder Anderson stated that the offences committed were extremely serious, involving the use of weapons to issue threats and generate fear among those targeted.
She ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the axe that had been seized by police.