Jailed: Violent robber shaved head to change appearance - and then boasted he was 'famous' after police appeal
A Dudley thug who brutally robbed a pensioner of £200 shaved his head to change his appearance after police circulated CCTV of his bushy-haired look - and then boasted to friends that he was "famous".
But Shoaib Iqbal is now starting a three-year jail sentence after the appeal by police still led to him being identified by members of the public.
The attack, on March 9 last year, saw Iqbal follow his 65-year-old victim to a alleyway off Chapel Street, in Lye, after watching him take cash from the post office, before dragging him to the ground and ripping his wallet from his pocket.
Iqbal stole £200 and ran off, leaving the man with bumps and bruises and very shaken by the attack, with West Midlands Police putting out an appeal for help in identifying the attacker.
Following information sent to the force, officers visited the 20-year-old's home on Belmont Road, Lye, and found him hiding upstairs, having shaved his head to alter his look from the bushy-haired suspect in the images released.
The force also discovered messages on his mobile phone, telling his friends he was "famous" and all over Facebook wanted for robbery, even sending out a photo of his freshly-shaved head.
Iqbal pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to three years at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.
DC Neil Payton, of Force CID, said: "This was a really nasty street robbery by a man who then tried to change his appearance to evade justice.
"But with the help of the public Iqbal, who had no previous convictions, is now behind bars.
"We hope that this result brings comfort to his victim and also shows that committing such offences can lead to a custodial sentence."
