Moment man attempts to violently rob man in his 60s at West Midlands railway station

CCTV shows the moment Lance Hughes attempted to violently rob a man in his 60s at a Birmingham railway station.

The British Transport Police say a court heard how on August 21 2024, Hughes was at Chester Road railway station when he saw the victim walking up the stairs towards the ticket machine with two women.

While the victim and the women were at the ticket machine, Hughes placed his coat over his head in an attempt to disguise himself from the station CCTV.

Hughes attempted to engage with the victim, and after a moment attempted to grab the victim's bag that was over his shoulder.

The victim ignored this, but Hughes pulled harder and dragged the victim towards the stairs.

The victim was thrown onto the floor, as Hughes continued to attempt to wrestle the bag out of the victim's grasp.

Hughes put the victim into a headlock before punching him in the face.

The victim managed to keep hold of his belongings, and Hughes left the station empty-handed.

Hughes was later arrested by officers after it was discovered he had only recently been released from prison and was under probation.

Officers waited outside the probation office for him to come out after his appointment, and in spite of Hughes' attempt to flee he was caught and arrested.

In interview, Hughes showed no remorse for his actions nor offered any apology or explanation.

On August 8, at Birmingham Crown Court, Lance Hughes, 33, of St Dominics Road in Birmingham, was sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment and ordered to pay a court surcharge of £228, having pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery at an earlier hearing.

Detective Constable Genna Chambers says “Hughes acted with a shocking degree of audacity and stupidity”

Detective Constable Genna Chambers said: "In attempting to rob someone in full view of CCTV cameras while on probation, Hughes acted with a shocking degree of audacity and stupidity, so I'm extremely pleased with the result in this case.

"In the end, all Hughes benefitted from his attempt is an extended stay in prison. I hope that it provides him ample opportunity to think on his actions, and serves as a warning to anyone who thinks about robbing others on the railway network."