[Image of recovered knife]
Two teenagers have been sentenced after they were caught by fast acting officers just minutes after committing a knife-point robbery in north London.
A 17-year-old male [B] from Islington, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a Class B drug (cannabis) and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 12 January.
He was sentenced at the same court on Thursday, 28 January where he was ordered to pay £50 compensation, handed a youth rehabilitation order, will be subject to intensive supervision and surveillance for 91 days and cannot enter the London Borough of Islington for three months.
Another 17-year-old male [A] from Islington, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to robbery at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 8 January. He was sentenced at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 12 January where he was ordered to pay £50 compensation and was referred to a youth offender panel for eight months.
The court heard that at about 15:30hrs on Wednesday, 6 January, a 15-year-old boy was walking northbound along Highgate Hill in Islington, on his way to meet a friend, when he noticed two male teenagers approaching him near a bus stop.
One of the boys mumbled something, so the victim took out an Apple AirPod that he had in his ear; the suspect – later identified as being [B] – then demanded his AirPods.
The victim handed over the AirPods fearing for his safety when [B] said: ‘I’ve got a knife, don’t do anything.” The victim then noticed a flick knife in the suspect’s hand.
The suspects then demanded money, to which the victim said he did not have any, before demanding his mobile phone. Once they had his phone, they made the victim turn off the iCloud settings so the phone could not be traced. While the victim complied, the suspects said things such as ‘hurry up or we will kill you’ and ‘hurry up man, do you want to get shanked.’ They then asked for the victim’s PIN number and made him type it in to ensure it unlocked the phone.
A bus then pulled up alongside them and as the passengers began to disembark, the victim was told: “Don’t scream or I’ll shank you.”
The suspects then walked off towards the Archway area.
The victim crossed the road and spoke with his friend who arrived immediately after the incident.
Police were called and officers from Central North Area’s Violence Suppression Unit and Central Emergency Response Team flooded the area and began searching for the suspects.
An officer quickly spotted two teenagers who matched the description given by the victim and the suspects were chased.
[A] was detained and arrested in nearby Junction Road, while [B] was detained and arrested a short distance away in Hargrave Park.
The victim’s earphones and mobile phone were found on [B] along with a quantity of cannabis. A knife was also found behind where [B] had been detained, thrown over a fence.
They were both taken to a north London police station and were subsequently charged and convicted as above.
PC Christian Willans, the investigating officer from Central North Area’s Violence Suppression Unit, said: “This was a nasty robbery and a terrifying ordeal for the young victim, who luckily was not injured. Thanks to a great joint effort by officers from the Violence Suppression Unit and the Emergency Response Team, we were quickly able to identify and arrest two dangerous individuals – one who was in possession of a knife.
“After being caught red handed by officers, they had no choice but to plead guilty and they are now facing the consequences of their actions.
“Anyone else thinking of committing robbery can expect to see the same robust response from us and should expect to face justice.”
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