Teenage lives 'ruined' by terrifying mobile phone robbery spree

Yahoo

a day ago

On nights when the terror threatens to overwhelm him, a 16-year-old boy uses the dining table and chairs to make a barricade against the front door. He now battles suicidal thoughts, has dropped out of college, rarely sees friends, and is too afraid to go out in public without his mother by his side.
All of this devastation comes from falling victim to a terrifying street robbery at the hands of two masked teenagers.
'At the time of incident, I felt terrified, like I was going to die', the boy told Snaresbrook crown court. He and his friend, also 16, had been standing in the street at just before 8pm on a Thursday evening when they were confronted by two older teens wearing gloves and balaclavas.
One of the robbers, 18-year-old Prince Awoyemi, told the victims to move closer and feel the handle of what appeared to be a knife tucked into his waistband.
The victims had to hand over their iPhones and money, and the ordeal did not end when they complied, as the robbers attempted to ensure that they would not be caught.
The boys had to enter the passcodes for their phones so that the handsets could be wiped ahead of being sold, they were forced to show ID including their home addresses, and, said prosecutor Kate Jenkin, the scared teens were 'told if they screamed they would stab them'.
The traumatised victim told the court in a haunting victim impact statement: 'Ninety five per cent of the time I'm not going anywhere without my mum. I'm scared to go to college. I have put the dining table and chairs against the front door a few nights, as I'm scared they would come to my home.'
His mother said her son has struggled to find a job after dropping out of education, his mental health has nosedived, and he now suffers from mood swings and bouts of anger.
'I dread each day and how (he) might be, it is hard to manage my mental health and his', she said.
'I feel really low about what they have done to my son. He has become a recluse, it feels like they have ruined his life and I've lost my son.'
Awoyemi and his 17-year-old accomplice pleaded guilty to six robberies, carried out over two Thursday nights in January.
'Sadly, you aren't the only one committing robbery on the streets, there are too many young people doing this', said Judge Sarah-Jane Griffiths. 'Young people going out with knives is increasing and is of huge concern. If these knives are produced, somebody could easily end up dead.'
In March, the Standard reported the latest Met Police figures showing more than 70,000 phones were stolen in London within a year, equating to an average of 192 a day.
'This type of offence ruins lives', said the judge, telling one of the culprits. 'It's ruined the victims' lives, hopefully not forever. It's also ruined your life.'
The crime spree of these two teenagers has left in its wake a trail of devastation for the traumatised victims and their angry parents and relatives. The robbers themselves are also facing an unpleasant future – one, his prospects stained forever by crimes that those close to him struggle to explain, the other, a target in prison after being branded a 'snitch'.
On January 23, the thieves robbed the two 16-year-old boys in the street in Romford, stealing iPhones and Air Pods. The second boy's mother said the incident 'has destroyed him'.
Within an hour, the robbers had struck again on two teenagers at a bus stop.
Awoyemi used the same method to implicitly threaten them with a knife, before stealing a Canada Goose jacket, Air Pods and an iPhone from one boy, and an iPhone and a Calvin Klein jacket from the other. Those victims were photographed by the robbers and told to keep quiet or suffer the consequences.
At 9.30pm, another 17-year-old was robbed at a bus stop of his Canada Goose jacket. This time it was someone who knew Awoyemi personally, but that did not stop him.
Seven days later, the two boys put on their masks again and committed more robberies, targeting two teenage boys at a bus stop and threatening to 'shank' them.
On Friday, the teenage culprits came before the court to be sentenced by Judge Griffiths.
Awoyemi turned 18 a month before the robbery spree and so can be sentenced in an adult court. He is already in detention, has previous convictions for similar offences, and is keen to end the legal process.
But his barrister, Oliver Renton, raised concerns that there needed to be further investigation into how these robberies came about.
Awoyemi says he was kidnapped and badly beaten six days before the first bout of robberies, which forms the background to his 'exploitation' at the hands of another who he says directed him to commit crime.
Judge Griffiths agreed to the delay, until next Wednesday, but acknowledged the families of the victims - who had come to court to watch the sentencing - may find the news of a delay hard to hear.
'They are thinking 'they don't care about my nephew, my son, when they were threatening him with a knife, stealing his phone, jacket, Air Pods, getting IDs and threatening to find out where you lives if you report us'.
'I can understand them thinking 'what about my child? What about the impact on them?'.
'These offences are deeply unpleasant, they are serious without a shadow of a doubt.
'The fear these young people must have felt while being robbed – it must have been absolutely terrifying for them.'
But she accepted that extra evidence on Awoyemi's immaturity and exploitation should be gathered before the sentence – highly likely to be a jail term – is finally passed.
He was then led away to the cells and back to custody, where he faces an uncertain time after being labelled a 'snitch' by some of those he is incarcerated alongside.
The 17-year-old robber faced a different fate, as he was sentenced by the same judge but sitting in a youth court as he is just short of his 18th birthday.
Youth courts aim to avoid sending defendants to custody unless it is absolutely essential, they explore some of the reasons behind the crimes, and aim to rehabilitate instead of purely punishing.
The boy's barrister, Theodore Burges, says he too was 'exploited' and directed into crime, but that he 'takes full responsibility for what happened'.
'He would do anything to help the victims move on and have a normal life', he said. 'There is a vast amount of shame he now feels.'
The court heard the boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, got ten GCSEs and had a promising future, but this has been knocked off course by the convictions.
Part of the youth court proceedings is for the teen criminals to explain what they did. The boy's mother, sitting along side him, broke down into tears as he told the judge what he understood of the pain he has caused.
'They (the victims) would have felt really scared, and are scared to go out of the house', he said. 'I feel like they would be very scared to do anything in case they see us.'
He said he felt 'pressure' to join in, but now acknowledges that is no excuse. 'I've definitely learned my lesson', he added.
The judge was handed 'glowing' reports on his work so far with the youth offending team, while the boy's mother detailed her own shock and devastation at what he had done.
'When I went to court, I thought 'it can't be my son, it's the wrong person'', she said. 'I was disappointed, which he knows. We've had those conversations about it.'
The boy sat behind his lawyer for sentencing instead of in the dock, and also alongside him was a youth worker who he has been meeting for more than four months.
'I didn't think what they were telling me was true', she said, of her shock and disbelief when first learning about the allegations. 'I don't think I've ever met a child like (him). So respectful, so kind, and his work ethic is so great.'
The Judge observed that a social worker had described him as 'truly exceptional' and 'admirable and inspiring', before remarking: 'It's like it was an entirely different person out in the streets, with a balaclava on, threatening to stab young people.'
She sentenced him to a 12-month referral order, in which he must meet youth justice workers three times a week, sit down with mental health professionals, speech and language experts, go on a victim awareness course, attend educational and career advice sessions, and take part in restorative justice.
She said he could be asked to meet the victims or write to them to apologise, if the traumatised boys want to hear from him at all.
The teen will also be do community service, such as cleaning up graffiti, and take learning sessions on exploitation, healthy relationships, peer influence, and decision-making.
'There may be victims or victims' families who think I shouldn't have given you a chance and you should have gone to custody today', said the judge.
'I could understand that.
'I've given you a chance because I genuinely think and hope this is a one-off.'
She pointed out that referral orders in the youth court have a strong success rate, and wanted to avoid a detention and training order which could derail his rehabilitation and place him instead next to other. 'That would probably do more harm than good', she said.
And she added that he is fortunate to be walking free: 'Let me make it clear, if I was dealing with you as an 18-year-old, I would be hard pushed not to be sending you to prison for these offences.'
On his way out of the door, the judge told the boy: 'Don't let yourself down.
'I genuinely hope I don't see you again in this court, and I mean it in the nicest possible way.'