After he was attacked and robbed of £80, the victim returned to the scene of the crime in Grimsby, where he found a bank card belonging to Ashley Bracey, 36, which enabled him to stalk him on Facebook and hand his details over to the police
A violent thief was tracked down his victim found a glaring clue at the crime scene.
Cocaine addict Ashley Bracey, 36, was standing close to a hole in the wall at a Sainsbury’s in Grimsby when he spotted his victim around midnight. He then waited for the man to withdraw £80 and let him cycle away.
As he did, Bracey cried out after him and pretended the unsuspecting victim had left his card in the machine, shouting: “Hey mate you forgot your card.”
As he returned to the cash point, Bracey pounced, attacking the man and stealing his money, Grimsbury Crown Court heard. The defendant had already pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, a theft, and another of possessing a knife.
However, Bracey’s plan was soon to come tumbling down after the victim returned to the scene shortly after the attack. He then discovered a bank card belonging to the mugger, with his full name on it. The man opened up Facebook and found Bracey’s page, reporting the details on to Humberside Police.
Vince Blake-Barnard, prosecuting, also told of a theft of a flatscreen TV from accommodation on Eleanor Street, Grimsby where he was staying on September 18. Police later recovered the TV which had been sold to an associate of Bracey.
While he was homeless, Bracey asked to stay at the Grimsby home of a friend and turned up at the address with a knife, telling his friend he wanted to stab someone.
The host said he could stay at the address. But he later decided the guest had to leave.
The court heard Bracey became violent and attacked his host with a knife. He suffered three separate fractures to his face. A total of £65 was stolen from the man. The following day Bracey surrendered himself at Victoria Street Police Station.
He told officers that if he was let out he would “do the same again.” In a victim impact statement, read by Mr Blake-Barnard, the host said he was convinced he was going to die in the attack in his home. He said he suffered nightmares and is determined to find a new home.
For Bracey, Craig Lowe said his client had done little planning in the robbery at the home and there had been little damage. He said he had been motivated by his addiction to drugs, but is now drug-free, having been in custody since the offences.
He said his client is a roofer and keen to get back to work and his duties as a father and stepfather. Mr Lowe said his client is genuinely ashamed and remorseful and had written letters to the judge.
Judge Richard Woolfall said the attack in the man’s home was “utterly terrifying” and had resulted in him being desperate to find a new home. He said it was to the defendant’s credit that he accepted he had “hit rock bottom.”
The judge sentenced Bracey to a total of nine years and eight months in prison, with a further four-year, extension due to the seriousness of his offending. It means Bracey will serve more than six years in prison before being considered for release by The Parole Board.
