A group of robbers viciously attacked an innocent man who had been “on his way to pray”, stealing his phone and coat.

Mark Davies, 39, Christopher Astley, also 39, and 20-year-old Brandon Astley had struck in Bolton on June 4, 2022, as their victim made his way to prayers at his local mosque.

More than two years on, Bolton Crown Court heard how the man had been on his own after locking his front door.

Prosecutor Tanya Elahi said: “When he turned around, he saw a white van parked in the middle of the road.”

The two Astleys and Davies then started to attack him, punching and kicking him and at one point tried to hit him with what appeared to be a fire extinguisher.

Ms Elahi said: “One of the defendants shouted, ‘take off your jacket.’”

The case was heard at Bolton Crown CourtThe case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

She added: “He again asked why the defendants were doing this to him and in response they hit him again.”

The victim tried to run off only for the three men to chase after him and steal his jacket, worth around £40 and his iPhone, worth around £350.

The three men watched silently from the dock as Ms Elahi read out a statement on behalf of their victim.

She said: “I can’t believe this happened to me, I feel scared to go out again when all I was doing was going out to the mosque to pray.”

Ms Elahi told the court how in a separate incident, Davies had assaulted his former girlfriend on December 24 last year after getting into an argument.

He was already under investigation for the robbery at the time.

Mark DaviesMark Davies (Image: GMP)

Brought before the courts all three men confessed to robbery, while Davies also pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm for the attack on his former partner.

In a separate incident Brandon Astley was sent to a young offenders’ institute for 63 months in August last year for trying to rape a woman with learning difficulties.

Amanda Johnson, defending Davies, of Blackburn Road, Egerton, said that he deserved credit for his guilty plea and that he had shown a “frankness” about the events.

She said Davies was “genuinely remorseful” for his actions and is now “quite appalled at his conduct.”

Gwen Henshaw, defending Brandon Astley, said that the 20-year-old was “barely a man” when the robbery took place and that he has a “relatively low IQ.”

She said that since being jailed Astley, of Junction Road, Deane, has been “the victim of bullying by those more sophisticated than him in custody.”

Christopher AstleyChristopher Astley (Image: GMP)

James Preece, defending Christopher Astley, also of Junction Road, Deane, told the court that the robbery “does not quite amount to very significant force.”

Mr Preece said: “He describes his decision to involve himself in this as a stupid decision.”

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But the Honorary Recorder for Bolton Judge Martin Walsh reminded the court of the vicious nature of the attack.

He said this was carried out on a man who had simply left his house “in order to go to his local mosque to pray.”

Judge Walsh said: “This was a sustained attack, and the victim was lucky not to receive a serious injury.”

He jailed Davies, who has 17 previous convictions for 38 offences, for 66 months and Christopher Astley, who has 12 previous convictions for 32 offences, for five years.

Judge Walsh ordered that Brandon Astley, who has one previous conviction for two offences, be brought back to court to learn his fate next week.