A Belfast man was jailed for 16 months over a street robbery which left his female victim with a bleeding nose.
Steven McCormick, of Saintfield Road in the south of the city, was told on Friday, April 4, he will spend a further 16 months on supervised licence on his release from prison.
The 29-year-old previously pleaded guilty to a single count of robbery.
Belfast Crown Court heard that on April 17, 2024, the female victim was walking with her friends along Montgomery Road in east Belfast when they bumped into the defendant.
A prosecution lawyer said: "She was counting £100 in cash when the defendant grabbed the cash and tried to pull it from her hand.
"When she resisted he hit her in the face with his open left hand and then ran off with the cash.
"As a result of the attack the victim was left with a bleeding nose. Police went to the defendant's home and arrested him. He made no comment to police questions at interview.''
The court was told McCormick has 36 previous convictions including one entry for burglary and four for theft.
Judge Mark Reel heard that McCormick was a homeless man living in hostels following "paramilitary threats about his criminal activities''.
In written defence submissions, the court was told McCormick has learning difficulties and left school with no qualifications.
He admitted that he has had a drug problem from his teenage years and his offending was down to funding his addiction issues.
The defendant also acknowledged his drug addiction was a problem and he could not move away from his criminality until he addressed this issue.
Since his committal into prison, the court heard McCormick had engaged with substance misuse counselling and had passed two drug tests.
He admitted that he carried out the street robbery to feed his drug addiction and knew his victim through her boyfriend.
In a pre-sentence report compiled by the Probation Board, the defendant was assessed as a high likelihood of reoffending but he did not pose a danger to the public in the future.
Passing the 32 month sentence, Judge Reel told McCormick: "Your offending is so serious that neither a fine alone nor a community sentence could be justified and only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.''
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