Bristol man jailed for stealing phones and laptop

A 27-year-old Bristol man was handed and three and half year jail term on Tuesday (March 19) for a string of offences including robbery, burglary, black mail and assaulting a police officer.

It follows three incidents in which Kyle Mehmet stole mobile phones, laptops and cash from his victims.

The first happened on November 17 at an address in Redcliffe, Bristol. Mehmet attended the address with a number of others and socialised before he demanded money from a woman who knew him through a mutual friend. When she refused he pushed her and then made off with her mobile phone, a Samsung Galaxy and a number of money boxes with around £60 cash inside.

A few months later on Monday February 18, he committed a similar offence when he attended the address of another woman who had only known him for a few weeks.

He asked to use the woman's iPhone for directions, left and never returned. When her friend returned they noticed that he had also stolen a laptop from the property.

The women called Mehmet who then tried to blackmail the women in order to get their property back. He demanded £200 and arranged to meet them. After several failed attempts the women contacted the police the following day.

Undercover officers attended and he was arrested following a struggle in which a police officer was injured on Chimney Steps.

On Tuesday a judge at Bristol Crown Court handed him a three and a half year prison sentence.

Detective Constable Andrew Coggins said: "Kyle Mehmet targeted these women and took property that did not belong to him and most of this has never been returned. He then used blackmail and intimidation to try and further his gains.

"The sentence handed to him reflects the seriousness of his crimes and means the streets of Bristol are safer now that he is behind bars.

"We will not tolerate crime like this and I would ask anyone who has been a victim to come forward and contact us."