Michal Czerniawski, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to four years and five months in prison for robbery and attempted robbery.

Michal Kardas, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after being convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.

Czerniawski and Kardas approached their first victim, a man in his 50s, on Dale Street in the City Centre on the afternoon of November 10, 2021, demanding his bag before viciously and repeatedly punching the victim in the face, according to the court. A member of the public noticed the situation and ran over to assist the defendants who were fleeing the scene.

Later that evening, around 8 p.m., the defendants discovered their second victim, a man in his 30s walking alongside the Canal in the city’s Ancoats neighbourhood. Kardas put the victim in a headlock while the pair demanded money from him. Czerniawski lifted the victim up by his legs during the attack, leaving him terrified of being thrown into the canal. Czerniawski then punched the victim in the stomach, while Kardas gripped his neck so tightly that he passed out, before returning to the pair and demanding the pin code to his mobile phone, which he then took with him.

An officer apprehended and arrested the defendants after the first victim spotted them walking in the city centre the following Sunday and alerted police.

“These incidents were terrifying for the victims who were simply going about their day,” said Police Constable Benjamin John of GMP’s Operation Valiant team. No one should be afraid to walk around in public, and I am relieved that these two men are now facing prison time for their heinous actions.

The investigation was carried out by GMP’s Operation Valiant team – the force’s response to cracking down on personal robberies across Greater Manchester, which has yielded some excellent results since it began in 2018.