Teen who mugged woman, 72, spared custodial sentence

Police said the defendant wore a mask, grabbed the woman’s bag and then used the stolen bank card four times before it was blocked by the bank

A teenager who has previously been jailed for robbery has been given a youth referral order for mugging a 72-year-old woman in the street.

The masked 17-year-old, who cannot be named by law, approached the woman in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, on 16 June, demanded money and pushed her to the ground.

Police said he had a "significant offending history" which included two convictions for four separate instances of robbery.

He admitted robbery and fraud by false representation at Huntingdon Youth Court and was ordered to pay compensation, complete unpaid work, and sentenced to an 18-month youth referral order [YRO].

The teenager was filmed on CCTV while using the bank card and identified by detectives, Cambridgeshire Police said.

Police arrested him at his home where they found some of the woman’s stolen property in the boy’s bedroom.

'Violent behaviour'

He was ordered to pay £150 in compensation, complete 120 hours of unpaid work and has been banned from Paston for the next six months.

The teenager was also told to adhere to a curfew between 19:00 and 07:00 until 18 November.

The police force said YROs were "the first community sentence given to most first-time young offenders, requiring them to attend a youth offender panel... where they will agree a contract of certain commitments".

Det Con Megan Sims said: "Despite only being 17, the boy has a significant offending history including two convictions for four separate instances of robbery or attempted robbery which have resulted in prison sentences.

"As part of his latest sentence, the Youth Referral Order will seek to rehabilitate him and get him on the right path and hopefully away from the violent behaviour he has shown."