STOKE-ON-TRENT, UK: Three Punjabi-origin men have been jailed for more than 16 years after carrying out a violent robbery on a DHL delivery driver in Stoke-on-Trent, with the gang attacking the driver with baseball bats before stealing his delivery van loaded with parcels.
The three convicted men were identified as Diljot Singh, 22, Karanpreet Singh, 23, and Simranjit Singh, 19. Diljot Singh was from Smethwick, while Karanpreet Singh was from Birmingham and Simranjit Singh was from Handsworth. All three pleaded guilty to robbery at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
The incident happened on November 8, 2022, when the DHL driver was carrying out his morning delivery round. According to evidence presented to the court, the driver had collected his white Mercedes delivery van from the DHL depot in Stafford and had already completed five deliveries before arriving at Bullrushes Close in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, at around 8:50am.
The court heard that a black Volkswagen Golf entered the cul-de-sac and reversed towards the DHL van. Two masked men then approached the driver. One of them was carrying a baseball bat and demanded that the driver hand over everything he had.
The driver attempted to escape, but the attackers chased him. One of the men struck him with a baseball bat, knocking him to the ground. The gang then took the keys to the DHL vehicle and began driving away with the van.
In a desperate attempt to prevent the theft, the driver jumped onto the bonnet of his own van and grabbed the windscreen wipers. However, one of the robbers repeatedly struck him with a baseball bat on his legs and body, forcing him to fall from the vehicle.
The gang escaped with the DHL van and a number of parcels. Among the stolen items were six brand-new Dell laptops and mobile phones. The remaining load was later abandoned along with the van.
The robbery did not last long before police caught up with the suspects. About an hour after the attack, officers stopped the Volkswagen Golf near Junction 1 of the M5.
Police found all three men inside the vehicle. They also recovered two baseball bats, an eight-inch kitchen knife, six boxes containing new Dell laptops and cases believed to contain new mobile phones. Investigators subsequently established that the Golf had been fitted with false registration plates and had been seen at the DHL depot earlier that morning.
The prosecution told the court that the vehicle had followed other DHL vans before the gang targeted the particular delivery driver, suggesting that the robbery involved advance planning.
The driver suffered a two-inch cut to the back of his head and bruising. Although medical examinations found no skull fracture, the victim told the court that the attack had left him anxious and fearful while working as a delivery driver.
The three men admitted their involvement in the robbery.
Diljot Singh was sentenced to six years in prison, while Karanpreet Singh and Simranjit Singh were each sentenced to five years and two months. Together, their sentences amounted to more than 16 years. They were also ordered to serve part of their sentences on licence after release.
The case highlights growing concerns in Britain over attacks targeting delivery and courier drivers, who can become vulnerable targets because they routinely carry valuable parcels and operate alone.
The court was told that the victim had been carrying out ordinary DHL deliveries when he was suddenly confronted by masked attackers armed with baseball bats.
The prosecution described the incident as a violent robbery in which the driver was attacked simply while performing his job.
The case also demonstrates how quickly organised vehicle and parcel robberies can escalate into serious violence. What began as the theft of a commercial delivery van resulted in a physical assault that left the driver injured and traumatised.
The convictions bring the case to a close, with all three men now serving custodial sentences for the violent DHL robbery.