Man jailed for 20 months after attempted robbery - Birmingham

A man has been jailed for 20 months after attempting to rob a man at Small Heath railway station in 2024, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Younes Hairy, 30, and of Swanage Road in Birmingham, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery and was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 8 May 2025 to 20 months imprisonment.

The court heard how on Monday 12 August 2024 just after 10pm, Hairy approached the victim near the ticket machines at Small Heath railway station.

Hairy spoke to the victim briefly before leaving the station, returning five minutes later with a large piece of metal resembling a weapon and attempted to grab the victim’s crossbody bag from him.

The big ripped and fell to the floor, the contents of the bag spilling onto the floor and hairy appeared to reach into his jacket for something. The victim believed he was grabbing a knife and began shouting for help.

The victim moved away and Hairy grabbed the bag and opened the zip, searching through the bag and the items on the floor before taking a bank card from the victim’s belongings.

Hairy then left the station, dropping the card on the stairs as he left. 

The incident was reported to BTP who conducted immediate enquiries to identify Hairy, and he was arrested two months later on 9 October.

Investigating officer PC John Cowling said: “Younes Hairy acted with extreme violence during his random and brazen robbery attempt, so I’m extremely pleased with the sentence handed down.

“We take all reports of robbery and violence extremely seriously, and we will continue to ruthlessly prosecute all those who would target others for their own gain on the railway network.”