The shocking moment where a man accosted a shopper on a bustling street in broad daylight, has been captured on camera. CCTV footage released by the Crown Prosecution Service shows Daniel Carmichael, 34, assaulting a woman in the heart of Swansea city centre.
The victim was left petrified as Carmichael trapped her in a doorway, seized her hair, and attempted to snatch her shopping, reports WalesOnline.
Previously, WalesOnline reported that Carmichael received a 30-month prison sentence for trying to rob an unknown woman while she was waiting for a taxi after a shopping trip. The distressing event occurred at approximately 2:30pm on February 22, as shown in the video at the top of this article.
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The woman, in her 40s, is seen standing on Singleton Street when Carmichael approaches, causing her to retreat into a doorway with her two bags of shopping.
After talking briefly with her, Carmichael starts unsteadily walking away but then turns around and returns to the doorway, where he bends to pick up her bags. Prosecutor Brian Simpson told Swansea Crown Court that Carmichael "came really close" while talking gibberish and shouting "you robbed her". For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here
"The victim told the defendant she was calling the police," said Mr Simpson. "He then tried to grab her mobile from her hand. He grabbed her hair and pulled it, pressed down on her head, and again shouted 'you robbed her' and called her a 'crackhead'. After a number of people approached, he walked away towards Nelson Street while shouting at people."
The footage shows Carmichael left the scene after passers-by stood between him and the victim. Council workers then detained him until police arrived. The court heard he was "staggering around" and struggling with officers before he was eventually put in a police van.
In a personal statement the victim said: "I was the type of person to go anywhere on my own, day or night. Now I'm more cautious. I have not gone out on my own since the incident. While I am lucky I did not lose any of my possessions, I have lost my confidence. It made me fearful for the safety of my loved ones, as this could happen to anyone. My daughter stayed away last weekend and after my experience I was more concerned for her."
Carmichael, of Carlton Terrace in Mount Pleasant, admitted the attempted robbery, which happened while he was out of prison on licence after punching Tesco staff and threatening to stab them. In total he has 58 previous offences on his record including four for violence and 12 for theft-related crimes.
Andrew Evans, mitigating, said: "The defendant had recently left custody. He was trying to remain drug-free while living at a BandB. On the day in question he came across an old acquaintance who gave him some non-prescribed medication."
Mr Evans added that the "medication" led to Carmichael's "erratic" behaviour. He said his client was remorseful and wanted to work with agencies to deal with mental health issues which had been identified while he had been in custody. Passing sentence, Recorder Christian Jowett said he took into account the aggravating factors that Carmichael was "heavily intoxicated" and that the offence took place while he was on licence. He imposed a jail term of 30 months.
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