A 21-year-old was jailed after targeted gay men and befriending them before choking and robbing them.

Mason Shaw preyed on men who were drunk and alone in the Gay Village in Manchester, the northern English city.

He is now banned from the Gay Village for life.

Shaw was also jailed for eight years and nine months for the robberies.

Mason Shaw would find isolated gay men in the Village

Manchester Crown Court heard how in September 2017, Shaw had robbed a man in Oldham.

Between this incident and 10 December, Shaw committed a further six robberies.

Shaw would find isolated gay men from the Gay Village, and would often take them to Sackville Gardens.

Either by offering them pills or just strangling them, he would then rob their possessions.

Since September that year he had robbed six men, and stolen one man’s possessions after he gave the victim pills and he fell asleep.

Offering ‘sexual favors’ and then strangling them

In September 2016, police received their first report that [Mason] Shaw (pictured) had robbed a man in Oldham.

Between this incident in September and 10 December 2016, Shaw has committed a further six robberies, targeting people predominately around Manchester’s Gay Village.

The court heard how Shaw would seek out people from this area, isolating them from the crowd, before strangling them until they lost consciousness.

At this point he would rob them before leaving his victims to come around, Manchester Evening News reports.

In one case he engaged in sexual activity with a victim before attacking them.

‘You were ruthlessly assessing their vulnerability.’

Sentencing, Judge Tony Cross QC said: ‘I am satisfied that you targeted men from the LGBT community. You did so in a variety of ways.

‘You kept watch, in my judgement, of the community around the Gay Village, looking for targets. Lone men, slightly intoxicated or worse.

‘Then gaining their trust by drinking with them or pretending to be interested in having a relationship with them.

‘All the while I have no doubt you were ruthlessly assessing their vulnerability.’

Shaw also robbed a man, who was not gay, in Oldham town centre on 6 September.

One victim nearly died

The victim was followed by two men, after he left Georgian Health Club, who was beaten up. Residents heard assailants laughing as the beating occurred.

Shaw left the man in the street. A car, unrelated to Shaw, then drove over the man causing severe injuries.

The victim suffered a collapsed lung, a fractured collarbone and several arm fractures.

Manchester robber pleaded guilty

Police issued an alert about Shaw, and he was finally arrested on Christmas Eve. He was spotted in a doorway on Canal Street.

Shaw pleaded guilty to six counts of robbery and one count of theft.

The judge ruled Shaw is a ‘dangerous’ offender. He imposed an extended sentence of four years and three months.