Robber jailed for attacking schoolgirl, 13, over mobile phone

Police said James Valentine attacked the girl after she refused to hand over her mobile phone

A robber who attacked a 13-year-old schoolgirl after she refused to hand over her mobile phone has been jailed.

James Valentine, 21, approached the teenager while she was sitting on swings in Queen's Bower Recreation Ground in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, on 20 January.

When she refused to give him the phone, he pulled her to the ground and kicked her in the stomach, police added.

Valentine was jailed for four years at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

'Terrifying experience'

During the attack, the girl tried to get up but Nottinghamshire Police said Valentine grabbed her school tie and pulled her back to the ground before running off with the phone.

Valentine, of Heathfield Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, was traced to a pub in Nottingham one week after the robbery, which he admitted earlier this week.

Det Con Shannon Hutchinson said: "This must have been a terrifying experience for the teenage victim, who will have believed she was in danger of being seriously hurt throughout the ordeal.

"In interviews with officers she described being extremely scared for her safety during the attack.

"So I am pleased Valentine has been brought before the courts and given such a significant prison sentence."