A GANG robbed a man of his phone and bank cards before kidnapping him while they hacked into his account, a court heard.

Hassan Nazir is standing trial for kidnap and robbery after two men were attacked in the centre of Southend.

Basildon Crown Court heard how a gang of three men approached their first victim, forcing him to the floor before taking his card and PIN number, and then striking him in the leg.

He was left with a fractured hip as a result.

The second victim was allegedly confronted by the same gang as he left work, with them driving him around with a coat on his head for an hour after forcing him into a car.

Nazir, 20, of Lodge Lane, Grays, denies two counts of robbery and one count of kidnap.

The prosecution say Nazir was one of the men in the group who attacked the victims on November 25 and 27, 2018.

Bridget Todd, prosecuting, told a jury of ten women and two men that the first victim had visited Tesco in the Royals Shopping Centre and was attacked after he left.

She said: “He saw three males in the distance who were wearing dark clothing and had their faces covered.

“He continued walking. He heard footsteps behind him and then was hit either side of his head.

“He heard voices shouting ‘get down, police, get down’.

“The same voice demanded his credit cards.

“He told them his PIN number, they said ‘it better be right or we will come back and stab you up’.”

Ms Todd said the man was then struck on his leg which caused the fracture before the gang fled, and the victim was helped minutes later by members of the public.

He later saw on his bank statements that £4,000 had been transferred from another account - the name of which was of the second victim on November 27.

Ms Todd said the second victim was grabbed by three men after finishing work at Coral in Southend High Street at 10.30pm, before having his bank cards and phone taken.

She said: “Ten minutes later he was taken to the road and to get into a parked car.

“The driver threatened him, saying ‘if you don’t cooperate I will take your life, I have taken lives before’.

“He was driven around for more than an hour while they figured out how to get into his bank account.”

Ms Todd told the jury it was the prosecution’s case that the robberies were linked due to the transactions in the victim’s accounts.

The trial continues.