Teenage boys stole car from home before causing 'mayhem'

At Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday (November 1), two 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named due to their age, were sentenced after pleading guilty to robbery, theft and possession of knives.

Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, told the court that on May 6 this year, Boy A had contacted a man on an online platform and had organised to meet up.

Despite the boy being 15 at the time, he insisted he was 21 when the victim repeatedly asked him to confirm his age.

Boy A contacted Boy B, who was also 15 at the time, and asked him if he wanted to join him at the meeting, knowing the plan was to rob the man.

The pair met the victim at Alexandra Park before all three went back to the victim's house.

AS IT HAPPENED: Two teenagers arrested following crash in Oldham

There, Boy B locked the victim in a room and threatened him with a knife, demanding he hand over cash and his car keys while Boy A waited downstairs.

The victim, who Ms Boocock said was "terrified" and fearing for his life, handed over £15 in cash and his car keys, with the pair then taking two knives from downstairs and leaving the house "laughing" before driving off.

As they drove, Boy B filmed the pair in the car, which Ms Boocock said showed the pair were "revelling" in their crimes.

They drove to Alexandra Retail Park, where they crashed into a parked car before continuing to drive off dangerously.

The pair then eventually drove to the junction of Hollins Road and Frederick Street, where they crashed into a stationary car, causing the car they were in to flip onto its side.

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A woman working nearby heard the crash and went outside to see her car was not where it had been parked and was damaged.

The woman went to help Boy B as he was getting out of the car, only for the boy to shout at her: "I've got a machete, f*** off."

The stolen car following the crash at the junction between Hollins Road and Frederick Street (Image: Facebook)

The pair made off from the scene, however they were caught and arrested by police shortly after and were found to be carrying knives.

Ms Boocock said the man who was robbed at knifepoint in his own home has since been diagnosed with PTSD and struggles to sleep and when he is in public places.

She also said the woman who tried to help Boy B but was instead threatened was "terrified" by the pair and "devastated" at the damage to her car.

"Extremely difficult" upbringings

Laura Broome, defending Boy A, admitted the incident was "extremely unpleasant" and pointed to the boy's difficult upbringing.

She told the court Boy A had endured an "extremely difficult childhood", which included him being put into care at the age of four and lacking positive role models, as well as being diagnosed with ADHD and autism.

She pointed to Boy A's youth and immaturity and said he had been engaging well with a referral order.

Sacha Waxman, defending Boy B, said he had also suffered a difficult upbringing and pointed to his age and immaturity.

She admitted Boy B had not considered the consequences when he agreed to join Boy A but argued that "meaningful intervention would render him not a lost cause".

Pair "caused mayhem"

When passing sentence, Judge Mark Savill said the two boys had "caused mayhem" and run "amok" as they committed their crimes.

He accepted that the pair, who both have previous convictions for robbery, were "products of highly unsatisfactory upbringings".

Judge Savill sentenced Boy A and Boy B to 42 months and 37 months, respectively, in a young offenders institution, of which they will each serve half.

Meanwhile, Boy A was disqualified from driving for 28 months and Boy B was disqualified for 30 months.