A LOW-LIFE mugger who snatched £50 from the mouth of a disabled man celebrating his birthday has been jailed for three years.
Calvin Humanikwa, 25, stole the cash from wheelchair-bound Terrence Marshall after he'd withdrawn it from a cash machine in North End.
Mr Marshall, who was attacked outside HSBC at around 8.15am on April 3 this year, was described by Judge Peter Gower at Croydon Crown Court as "about as vulnerable as one can contemplate".
Police caught Humanikwa after driving around the area with the woman who reported the offence.
When the thief was arrested in nearby George Street, he immediately admitted his guilt, saying: "Sorry, I've got problems with my finances."
Humanikwa, who obtained 10 GCSEs and attended business school, was five months into a six-month conditional discharge for possession of Class B drugs.
He had also previously tried to mug someone on a bus by threatening to use a knife, although no weapon was found when police arrested him.
Following the mugging of Mr Marshall, a search of Humanikwa's bedroom in Croham Road, South Croydon, found a handbag belonging to a resident in his building.
He pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and another of handling stolen goods. No action was taken for his breach of the conditional discharge,
At his sentencing last Friday, Judge Gower said: "I have absolutely no doubt that, once you saw him in his wheelchair at the cashpoint, you decided that he was an easy target."
The judge said he did not believe the theft was pre-meditated but the nature of the offence warranted a strict punishment.
Defence lawyer Andrew Horsell asked that Humanikwa be given a suspended sentence because of his substance misuse and mental health problems.
Prosecution lawyer Shahnaz Ahmed said Mr Marshall, who only has some use of just one arm, is now scared to use cashpoints.
Although there was no physical assault, Mr Marshall's head jerked back when Humanikwa snatched the cash from his mouth.
Judge Gower expressed sympathy for the mugging happening on Mr Marshall's birthday although he said this should have no bearing on the sentence.
