Ipswich: Kebab shop boss jailed after late night robbery
Emrullah Kurum - Credit: Archant
An Ipswich kebab shop owner who hit a man with a baseball bat during a late night robbery has been jailed for four years.
Emrullah Kurum had denied robbing student Gareth Gorvin of his mobile phone and iPod Nano and attempting to rob his friends George Crisp and Nathaniel Day as the trio walked home along London Road, Ipswich, in the early hours of the morning.
Kurum, 21, of Wallers Grove, Ipswich, was found guilty by a jury after a two day trial at Ipswich Crown Court earlier this year and sentence was adjourned until last week for a pre-sentence report.
The court heard that Mr Gorvin and his friends had been to Liquid nightclub and were walking home along London Road at dawn on July 23 when a car driven by Kurum stopped behind them.
Kurum and his passenger got out of the vehicle and asked the trio what they were doing before getting back in the car.
As Mr Gorvin and his friends continued their journey they became aware of the two men running towards them.
Mr Gorvin was told to hand over his phone and was butted in the face and hit on the leg with a metal baseball bat.
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He fell to the ground and was aware of the men going through his pockets.
Kurum claimed he had run after the trio because he thought they had thrown something at his car. He claimed he had swung the baseball bat when two of the men started walking towards him but denied deliberately hitting anyone with it.
The court heard that the passenger in Kurum’s car had not been traced.
Roger Thomson, for Kurum, said his client had expressed regret for being involved in the incident and acknowledged it must have been frightening for the three victims.
He said Kurum had no previous convictions for violence.
