TWO men who won thousands of pounds at a Bournemouth casino were attacked by a would-be robber as they began walking home.

Robert Jones, of Alexandra Road in Poole, targeted the two men in the early hours of Friday, March 2 after they won thousands of pounds at the Genting Casino in Yelverton Road.

The victims, one aged in his 30s and another in his 50s, had just collected winnings totalling £9,000 between them.

They were approached by Jones, who told them he had no money. However, the 28-year-old had just collected £28 of winnings himself.

Jones also claimed he was unable to get home because of heavy snowfall.

The victims offered to pay for a hotel room for him and all three began walking towards Westover Road.

Jones then attacked both of the men. The victims offered him £1,000 of their winnings to stop the assault, but Jones demanded the full amount.

He was arrested hours later at his home. Police recovered all of the stolen money.

The men suffered facial injuries in the assault.

During an investigation into the incident, officers found CCTV footage which showed Jones looking over the victim's shoulders in the casino. He then began speaking to them both.

Jones admitted assault with intent to commit robbery and assault by beating at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday. His sentenced was deferred until Friday, December 21.

Detective Constable Chris Griffin, of Bournemouth CID, said: “This was a deliberate and targeted attack where Jones had identified his victims as being in possession of large sums of money.

"He gained their trust before assaulting them with a view to stealing their cash.

"This occurred after both victims offered to help him out by paying a for a hotel room for him due to the adverse weather and him declaring that he had no money.

“Dorset Police will not tolerate violence of this nature on our streets and is committed to ensuring those who are responsible for such behaviour are identified and brought to justice.”