Cowardly thug jailed after robbing pregnant woman's laptop – West Sussex
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A cowardly thug who stole a pregnant woman’s laptop before hitting her in the face and fleeing has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Kieran Blunden, 30, and of Honeysuckle Walk, Horsham, pleaded guilty to robbery on 25 September at Lewes Crown Court, following the shocking incident at Littlehaven railway station last year.
On Friday 25 September, a judge sentenced him to seven years in prison – comprising of a four-year custodial sentence and a three-year extension period.
He is also required to pay a victim surcharge of £181.
At 5.10pm on Friday 28 June 2019, Blunden, 29 at the time, approached a pregnant woman who was seated at the station and snatched the laptop she was using out of her hands. The woman tried to take the laptop back, but Blunden struck her in the face to stop her and ran away.
Making off with the laptop under his arm, Blunden headed down the platform, jumped over the level crossing barriers and crossed the tracks, falling over in the process. He got to his feet and was pursued into a residential area by a witness, but got away.
During the chase the witness shouted at him to stop and come back, to which Blunden replied “it’s my laptop”.
CCTV footage of the incident at Littlehaven station was acquired and circulated to local police officers resulting in Blunden being identified due to previous dealings with officers.
In the early hours of the morning on Sunday 30 June 2019, Blunden, who was in police custody for an unrelated matter, was arrested for the offence.
British Transport Police Detective Constable, Imogen Sweeney, said: “This was a shocking and brazen incident in broad daylight involving a pregnant woman. We will always pursue offenders carrying out crimes of this nature in the strongest possible terms.
“I would like to thank the victim for her continued support throughout the investigation, as well as the members of the public that came forward. I am grateful to the courts for the strong sentence imposed on the defendant.”