Bike thief threatened to stab boy - court

Levi Martin admitted robbery at Lincoln Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution

A man who robbed a 16-year-old boy of his £4,500 electric bike after threatening to stab him has been given a custodial sentence.

Levi Martin, 19, of Newark Road, Lincoln, snatched the bike from the youngster at the railway crossing on Lincoln High Street on 13 July.

He had warned the boy: "Run me that bike or I'll stab you."

Martin admitted robbery at Lincoln Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution.

Martin was among a group of youths who approached the victim and his friend at about 18.45 BST.

Prosecutor Noel Philo said Martin, who asked the boy for drugs, grabbed the ignition keys and ordered him off the bike.

Mr Philo said the victim did not see a knife but believed there was one and felt scared.

The barrister told the court a number of the victim's friends took photos of the robber and tried to pursue him but were warned: "If you keep following me, I'll stab you - you don't know what I'll do or what I'm on."

The robbery happened at the railway crossing on Lincoln High Street

In a statement read out in court, the victim described how he now felt afraid to go out in case he was robbed again.

"It has made me feel very depressed mentally and physically as I can no longer go to the gym," he said.

In mitigation, Tom Heath said his client had endured a troubled childhood but accepted this was a very unpleasant offence.

"No knife was actually produced by him and the incident was fairly short lived," he said.

The court heard Martin's crime was aggravated by his previous convictions for robbery, affray and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

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