A STUDENT was beaten up and robbed after taking out £40 from a cashpoint machine, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Dylan Emmett, who was visiting a friend in Southampton, ran out of cash in a bar and went to the machine in Bevois Valley where he became aware of a group.

One of them, Gregory Hollingsworth, struck up what was initially a friendly conversation but after he had made the withdrawal, another group member ordered him to go with them to a secluded driveway where they demanded his money.

Prosecutor Tim Moores said the student was floored by a series of punches before he was knelt upon, his wallet removed and a demand for his PIN number made. He deliberately gave them the wrong details and they left.

Mr Emmett contacted the police who drove around the area where they were flagged down by another man who told them he had seen someone acting strangely.

Police then stopped Joseph Smith-Butcher who was found with the student’s wallet.

Hollingsworth, 20, of Millbrook Road West, Southampton, admitted robbery and was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Smith-Butcher, 20, of South Road, Southampton was given a 36-week suspended sentence coupled with an order to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay compensation and costs totalling £800 after he admitted handling stolen goods.