Scarborough Man jailed for over five years after attacking elderly man in Whitby and burgling seafront fish shop

Jarrod Roberts, 32, attacked the 78-year-old man in the street in a “stomach-churning” attack so sickening and ferocious that a Crown Court judge told the feral Scarborough man that he was “exceptionally lucky” he wasn’t facing a murder charge.

The named victim, who has early-onset dementia and slight learning difficulties, was set upon in an unprovoked and motiveless attack as he was “slowly” walking down the road and minding his own business.

Prosecutor Rachael Landin said that before the attack, in which the victim suffered broken and displaced ribs and damaged vertebrae, Roberts was seen by passers-by acting aggressively, shouting incoherently things such as “Give me my fxxxxxx money” in Whitby town centre in the early hours of October 7 last year.

He ran towards the helpless victim, described as infirm and suffering from various ailments, in Flowergate.

“He grabbed (the victim) and threw him towards a shop,” said Ms Landin.

Crazed Roberts, who had been drinking, shouted “Get my money!” at the terrified and bewildered victim who had never met him before and was laid out on the street.

“The defendant moved away then came back towards him,” added Ms Landin.

“(The victim) was on his back, lying in the street. The defendant sat on him and threw several punches which connected.

“He continued to shout, ‘Go get my money!’, walked away again (across the street) and returned immediately, repeatedly kicking and punching him and stamping on his back while (the victim) was on the floor.”

Police were called by witnesses and located Roberts with the help of CCTV operators.

The victim wasn’t at the scene, having gone straight to his accommodation where he told his carers about what had happened.

The distraught victim told police that “the man got cross with me and mounted me and took me to pieces”.

He said Roberts was “bullying” him and “had his hands on my neck and I nearly choked”.

He had been kicked “lots of times” including to his stomach and backside and had been “thrown towards a bench” on which he banged his head.

“He got up once, but the defendant threw him down again,” said Ms Landin.

The victim suffered “multiple fractures” to his ribs and back.

The shocking attack occurred during a one-man crime spree in which Roberts stole alcohol from shops in Filey and Whitby, terrorised and assaulted shop staff and broke into a seafront takeaway where he stole a safe containing £1,500.

The burglary occurred at about 11pm on October 20, when Roberts and his sidekick Dennis Reynolds, 42, broke into Papa’s Fish and Chips on Foreshore Road by using a tool to wedge a fire door open.

Roberts, who was hooded, and Reynolds, wearing a balaclava, went downstairs and stole the safe which was brimming with cash.

However, they were captured on CCTV as they made their way down St Sepulchre Street after taking off their hoods and balaclavas, which enabled police to identify them.

Reynolds’ home was searched where officers found the balaclava and cash sealed in bank bags.

It wasn’t clear how much of the stolen money, “if any”, had been recovered.

Reynolds, of North Marine Road, was jailed for eight months in December but Roberts’s sentence was adjourned because he also faced a string of other serious charges including shoplifting, criminal damage and causing grievous bodily harm to the elderly man in Whitby.

During his booze-thieving spree in August, September and early October, Roberts stole a £19 bottle of whisky from the Co-op in Whitby, then returned to the shop two hours later and stole another two bottles.

Days later, he went back to the store again with his hood up and was caught lifting £64 of spirits.

On being confronted, he shoved his shopping basket into the shop manager’s face and threatened to “kill him and his family”.

He went back into the shop the following day and when a staff member told him he was banned, Roberts swung a punch at him and “threatened to find where (the victim) lived and said he would punch his face in”.

He then lunged at and pushed the victim, causing him to stumble.

Unbelievably, Roberts returned to the store 10 minutes later and stole a crate of lager.

Police were called and he was arrested and bailed, but a few days later he stole a hair dryer and straighteners from Boots in Baxtergate, Whitby.

When he was challenged by a staff member, he assaulted him and spat in his face.

Roberts, a “chronic” alcoholic, also caused £10,000 of damage to a security device in the chemist store.

He was arrested and bailed again, but the following day he attacked the elderly man in Whitby.

Five days after the attack, he was out shoplifting again and after being arrested and bailed yet again, he failed to turn at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on October 12 as he was busy preparing to burgle the fish shop in Scarborough.

Roberts, of Aberdeen Walk, ultimately pleaded guilty to 14 offences including shoplifting, burglary, damaging property, GBH and two counts of public disorder.

Ms Landin said the father-of-one had 38 previous offences on his record including burglary, serious violence and being drunk and disorderly.

Defence barrister Daniel Ingram said that Roberts’s offending escalated following the death of his parents in January 2021, when he started drinking heavily.

At the time of the crime spree, he was drinking two litres of whisky a day and stealing to fund his addiction and “make some quick money”.

He was also taking crack cocaine at the time.

Judge Sean Morris blasted Roberts for the “stomach-churning” attack on the elderly man and his “catalogue of offending”, labelling him a “habitual” thief.

“You are exceptionally lucky that you are not up for murder,” added Mr Morris.

“It was an attack on a vulnerable, elderly man at night. You are fortunate that you didn’t break his spine, rendering him a paraplegic, or rupture his internal organs so he bled to death.

"This could so easily have happened.”

Roberts was jailed for five years and seven months.

He was told he must serve two-thirds of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.