Teen robber who posed as Amazon courier sentenced

Freddie Gray was handed a suspended sentence after Lincoln Crown Court heard he was a victim of "forced criminality"

A teenager who took part in an armed robbery at a family home in Lincolnshire has been given a suspended sentence after the judge accepted he was a victim of "forced criminality".

Freddie Gray was just 16 when he carried out the robbery with an older man at a home in Elsea Park, Bourne, on 4 April 2023, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Hal Ewing, prosecuting, said the homeowner and three of her children were in when Gray and the man, who was armed with a knife and a syringe, came to their front door posing as Amazon delivery men.

The older man tried to push the front door open and poked the syringe through the letter box when the female homeowner tried to stop him entering, the court was told.

Once inside, Gray demanded cash and asked the woman to fill black bin bags.

Mr Ewing told the court "the terrified householder" saw the older man was holding a knife with a blade 20-30cms in length and had also threatened to discharge liquid from the syringe.

The two robbers fled with hundreds of pounds in cash and property including an X-box, a £300 jacket and a £200 watch.

Gray, of Woodfield Avenue, Lincoln, admitted a single charge of robbery, and was sentenced to two years youth custody suspended for two years.

'Criminal lifestyle'

He must also complete 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 100 hours of unpaid work in the community.

In a victim statement, the homeowner described the impact on her three children.

"One of them said 'I thought you were going to die mummy,' " she told the court.

"When the robbery happened they tricked me by pretending to be delivery drivers.

"It is a horrible feeling not to feel safe in your own home."

The court also heard that Gray had become a victim of modern slavery after being exposed to crime since the age of 13, and police had recovered £500 from him when he was arrested.

An investigation showed he had been exposed to a criminal lifestyle as a result of threats and pressure.

Anna Soubry, mitigating for Gray, now 18, said the teenager had stayed completely out of trouble since the robbery.

"He does apologise and is truly ashamed," she said. "I hope it is of some small comfort to the victims."

Passing sentence, Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told Gray she was taking an exceptional course because of his previous history and his willingness to be rehabilitated.

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