A VIOLENT robber who punched his victim seven times in the head in Bradford city centre before dragging him to the ground and stealing his computer has been jailed for three years.

Desperate drug addict Christopher Cunningham attacked his 60-year-old victim in Aldermanbury, off Centenary Square, at 10.30pm on March 18, Bradford Crown Court heard on Friday.

Cunningham, 29, of no fixed address, was drinking beer and unsteady on his feet just before he attacked the man, prosecutor Alisha Kaye said.

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He punched him six or seven times to the head, grabbed the shoulder strap on his laptop bag and pulled him to his knees.

Cunningham fled with the bag while his victim pursued him shouting for help.

He lost sight of the defendant but Cunningham was caught on CCTV cameras in the city centre and the police recognised him.

The victim also identified Cunningham as the mugger, the court was told.

The man suffered a cut knee when he was pulled over and a cut to his left wrist when he put out his arm to break his fall.

In his victim personal statement, he said he had lost five years of work when his computer was stolen.

He said irreplaceable photographs and personal papers were also lost.

He was left very distressed by the robbery and was now fearful of being out on his own late at night.

Miss Kaye said that Cunningham had “25 pages of previous convictions.”

Those offences included two instances of robbery, in 2009 and 2012, the court heard.

Among the 75 offences were house burglary, theft and breaches of prison licence.

He had also been prosecuted for persistent begging and breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order.

Miss Kaye said the offence was aggravated by Cunningham’s long criminal record and the facts that he was intoxicated and targeted his victim at night.

Cunningham’s barrister, Jessica Heggie, said he did not threaten his victim or use a weapon.

He pleaded guilty to the robbery at the magistrates’ court and, although heavily convicted, he had committed very few offences of violence, and none for the past seven years.

Cunningham had struggled with drug addiction for many years.

He was very remorseful and apologised to his victim, Miss Heggie said.

While on remand in Leeds Prison, he had joined the waste management team, helping with recycling.

Judge Colin Burn told Cunningham: “You were desperate to get hold of money or property by any means.”

The defendant was intoxicated and must have been a frightening spectacle for his victim.

He had repeatedly punched him and injured him in the struggle to wrest his bag from him, the court heard.

“You have previous convictions for robbery and a bad record in general terms,” Judge Burn said.