A CRACK addict who tried to rob three women at knifepoint in Ilkley town centre has been jailed for two and a half years.

Ellis Morton, 30, was sentenced via a video link from Armley Prison at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

He had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted robbery, one of robbery, and one of possessing a bladed article in public.

Prosecutor Richard Walters told the court that at around 1am on June 25 this year, Morton had come into contact with three women – Gemma Lenik, Natalia Walker, and Charlotte Creighton – who had been walking home through Ilkley following a night out.

As they were walking down Brook Street towards Leeds Road, the women saw Morton “stalking or following them”, re-appearing out of side streets and snickets.

He approached the women and asked them to hand over their purses, brandishing a small kitchen knife with a serrated edge.

He held the knife towards Miss Lenik’s stomach, before taking her bag and fleeing the scene.

The purse contained her passport, credit cards, and store cards.

Morton was then arrested, and the knife recovered from him.

After all three victims had identified Morton, he made full admissions in a second interview with police.

He said his intention had been to steal from all three women, but he had only taken a purse from one.

He tested positive for cocaine at the time of his arrest, and admitted to officers he had a “massive cocaine addiction”.

Danielle Graham, for Morton, of All Saints Court, Ilkley, said her client had struggled with a long-term drug addiction but had managed to hold down a job as a roofer.

She said he had gone into a “downward spiral” after the death of his grandparents in December last year, and had lost his job in March.

Miss Graham said that a few days before committing the offences “to feed his addiction”, Morton had tried to reach out to his parents for help with contacting the Project 6 drug and alcohol charity in Keighley.

She added that since spending time in custody following his arrest, Morton had sought to attend drug and alcohol treatment programmes in prison.

Judge Colin Burn said he was satisfied Morton had shown “genuine remorse” for his actions, but said that for the three women, the incident would have been a “very scary experience that they will never forget”.

He told Morton: “You were going through a crisis, and unfortunately you were not able to control that crisis and prevent yourself committing this offence.

“Your offending has the hallmarks of drug abuse. An immediate custodial sentence is inevitable.”

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