KITCHENER - A woman fell to the floor sobbing moments after seeing her young son, described as kind-hearted and loving, taken to jail for his role in three nighttime robberies of students on or near university campuses in Waterloo.

Ahmed Hassan, 20, had never been in trouble with the law until he began hanging out with the wrong crowd, court was told.

"The conduct was inexplicable," Justice Gary Hearn said in sentencing Hassan on Thursday. "There's nothing in his background that would indicate that he would be inclined to take part in violent activity."

Hassan and at least two other men robbed three people on three separate nights in 2015. Hearn said Hassan, who was 18 at the time of the robberies, played a lesser role but was still involved.

On April 3, close to midnight, a man walking on a University of Waterloo path was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground. One of the attackers, not Hassan, stuck a black handgun in the man's face.

"The victim was punched, kicked and struck with the handgun during the course of the robbery and suffered minor injuries," Hearn said.

The assailants demanded money and a cellphone, which the victim didn't have. They took his jacket and fled.

The following night, at 10 p.m., the robbers targeted another man walking on a UW path.

"The victim was pushed to the ground, punched and kicked before having his backpack stolen, which contained a laptop with a speaker," Hearn said.

The victim suffered minor injuries. No gun was seen.

More than two months later, on June 20 at 8 p.m., a man walking on Hickory Street near Wilfrid Laurier University was pushed from behind and fell to the ground. A robber pointed a black handgun at his head.

"One of the males said, 'Take off your f---ing backpack,' " Hearn said.

The robbery was interrupted when a Laurier special constable approached. The assailants fled with the victim's cellphone. They were later arrested by police.

The robberies on the UW campus prompted the university to post an alert to students on social media, school websites and by email. UW warned students to be "cautious and observant" while walking at night.

"The individuals that you preyed upon with the others were targeted, it appears," Hearn told Hassan, a Conestoga College student.

"They were students who were trying just to get by, going about their daily business, trying to get an education, trying to do something just like you're trying to do something."

Hearn agreed to a joint submission from the defence and prosecution for a jail sentence of 11 months and 15 days.

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"It's unpleasant and it's going to be difficult for you," the judge told Hassan.

"These are the type of sentences that I find the most difficult," the judge said, noting sending a youthful first-time offender to jail is "not a pleasant task."

But the serious crimes require a sentence that reflects general deterrence and denunciation, Hearn said.

Hassan, who pleaded guilty to the charges, likely won't serve the full sentence. The Kitchener man hopes to return to Conestoga's mechanical engineering technology program in September, defence lawyer Bruce Ritter said.

Hassan was put on probation for three years, banned from owning weapons and ordered to have no interaction with the other robbers. He must give a DNA sample for the national databank.

Hassan now associates with a better group of people. He volunteered last summer as a youth drop-in worker in Kitchener.

"He's hopeful that he can put this behind him and continue to do well in the community in the future," Ritter said.

A pre-sentence report describes Hassan as a "kind-hearted, loving young man."

"He has very much to offer," the judge said.

Before heading to jail, Hassan waved to family members in court. His mother gave him a big hug. Outside the courtroom, she fell to the floor sobbing as family members consoled her.