The family of a man jailed for six years for carrying out a vicious robbery have raised £2,000 for the victim who suffered a broken nose and a fractured vertebrae.
Shane Connor was sentenced on Tuesday at Luton Crown Court after carrying out the attack in an alleyway beside the town’s railway station.
Connor, 34, had earlier been drinking in the town with his victim, Stephen Calder.
Later he walked with him to the railway station where Mr Calder was intending to catch a train.
The court was told when they arrived, Connor suddenly dragged Mr Calder into the alleyway off New Road and kicked and punched his victim about his face and body.
Connor also stole the man’s mobile phone and cash, and struck Mr Calder with a walking stick.
Connor of West Side, Doggett Street, Leighton, pleaded guilty to robbery.
The court heard it was December 31, 2011 when Connor met the victim for the first time in the town.
The pair went drinking in local pubs before they made their way to the station so that the victim could board a train.
Simon Wiltshire, prosecuting, said that following the attack, police arrived on the scene to find Connor in the alleyway which is close to the White Horse Pub.
Warwick Aleeson, defending, said Connor’s family had raised £2,000 which they wanted to pay his victim.
He said Connor, who had mental as well as physical problems, was terrified of going to prison and was someone who could be considered as “vulnerable.”
He said: “In essence he is essentially not a violent man.”
The court was told Connor had had a difficult upbringing at the hands of a violent father, who frequently beat his mother.
On one occasion Connor had his fingers broken by his father when he tried to help his mum by calling the police.