Robbery victim 'thought he would lose his life' after walking into trap

HE WAS STABBED IN ALLEYWAY BY VIOLENT GANG

- By MARTIN NAYLOR [e-mail]

A GANG lured their victim into an alleyway, stabbed him, stole his £11,000 Rolex watch and £6,000 in cash.

A trial at Nottingham Crown Court was told how the victim arranged to meet sellers in The Meadows who he had agreed to buy some goods from - but in reality they were there to rob him.

When he arrived, he was bundled down the alleyway, punched, threatened with the blade, stabbed in the arm and robbed.

And in a victim impact statement the man who was attacked said he "thought he would lose his life" during the "terrible and terrifying" incident.

Jailing the gang for a total of 40 years, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said: "All of you were involved in the commission of the planned robbery. You (ringleader Ionel Radu) had been scouring the country for people to cheat for some time, selling empty boxes to people claiming they contained goods that did not exist.

"You spoke to a man in Nottingham and talked the others into travelling up here in a car on false number plates. You told so many lies during the trial you lied yourself into a standstill by the end of the evidence.