A man has been jailed for a series of planned robberies in Crawley.

It was heard that Erasmus Darkwah would either find his victim or meet someone known to him in an alley way off Northgate Road and threaten them with a smashed glass bottle.

On 14 April, a man in his 30s used the alleyway as a shortcut when he was met with Darkwah. He stole his phone.

On 15 April and 27 May, Darkwah arranged to met two men in their 40s and 50s respectively via a dating app. When he met them both, he took them down the same alley off Northgate Road, threatened them with a bottle, and stole their phones.

Similarly, on 2 June, a man in his 20s was walking down the alley when Darkwah threatened him and demanded his phone. The victim managed to escape without handing over any property.

On 3 June, Darkwah, 29, of Northgate Road, Crawley was arrested and later charged with three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

He pleaded guilty to all four charges at [Lewes Crown Court?] on 15 August.

On 15 November, he was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment when he appeared before Lewes Crown Court.

Detective Inspector Martin Drabble said: “This pattern of incidents was concerning for the community and it was vital that teams across the county worked hard to secure charges for Darkwah.

“I am glad the sentence reflects the harm he caused to his victims. To put your trust into someone, only for them to rob and threaten you, is shocking.

“This sentence should also act as a deterrent for potential offenders and to show that we will investigate and put you before the courts.”