Judge anger at ball bearing gun trio
A trio of teenage robbers who used ball bearing guns and a knife to terrorise holidaymakers in ¡°horrendous¡± attacks in Southwold acted like they had been ¡°sucked into a fantasy world¡±, a judge said yesterday.
The three boys were being sentenced for robbery, attempted robbery and conspiracy to rob after three attacks in the seaside resort last August.
A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, both from London, and a 15-year-old boy from Southwold appeared at Ipswich Magistrates Court after they admitted robbing a 41-year-old man and his 70-year-old father when they were taking photographs of the full moon on the footpath in East Street on August 28 last year. The 70-year-old was threatened with a BB gun and his digital camera was stolen before the boys fled towards Gun Hill.
District judge David Cooper, sentencing the youths, said: ¡°I find this so bizarre. The boys obviously got sucked into a fantasy world. It is so depressing that this kind of thuggery has spread to places like Southwold. It's unbelievable.¡±
In an earlier attempted robbery the teens, who had covered their faces with items of clothing, approached a 22-year-old man who was walking alone along the promenade near the beach huts, listening to an iPod. The boys surrounded the man at about 9.30pm and asked him to show them the music player but they then disappeared.
As the man headed back towards St James' Green he saw the boys again on North Parade, where one of teenagers threatened him with a knife and demanded he hand over the iPod, but the man escaped unhurt with his property by running in front of a car to get away. The boys later tried to steal a mobile phone from a man sitting on a bench on the seafront.
After reading reports from the victims, Mr Cooper said: ¡°These people will have memories of a ruined holiday and I imagine that the 70-year-old man will never forget it. It is so sad.¡±
He said that the offences were ¡°horrendous¡± and would have resulted in life imprisonment if the boys were in an adult court. He added: ¡°It is so sad that a man was just out to photograph the moon and he gets mugged in Southwold. It defies belief. I do not usually think about my cases, but the first time I heard this one it left me very troubled.¡±
But Mr Cooper praised the boys' parents, who were all in court, and said: ¡°I believe all the parents have acted utterly responsibly in this and must have suffered themselves. It is horrible for them, they are as innocent as the victims in all this.¡±
The 15-year-old Southwold boy was given an eight-month detention and training order and Mr Cooper said that a custodial sentence had been unavoidable because of the boy's previous convictions.
Mr Cooper added: ¡°You were not involved to such a degree as the others, nor did you have the privileges of their background. I find their behaviour sick, as yours is not, but strong punishment is unavoidable.¡±
The 15-year-old from London was given a 12 month referral order and will pay a total of £2,000 in compensation to the victims, as well as £600 costs. Mr Cooper said that he avoided custody only because he was 14 when he committed the offence and therefore below the custody threshold. Sentencing, Mr Cooper said: ¡°If I did not have to follow that point of law, I would have sent you into detention for 12 months, which is what you deserve.¡±
The 14-year-old, who was holidaying in Southwold from London at the time of the robberies, was also given a 12 month referral order and will pay £2,000 in compensation and £600 costs.
The three boys were being sentenced for robbery, attempted robbery and conspiracy to rob after three attacks in the seaside resort last August.
A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, both from London, and a 15-year-old boy from Southwold appeared at Ipswich Magistrates Court after they admitted robbing a 41-year-old man and his 70-year-old father when they were taking photographs of the full moon on the footpath in East Street on August 28 last year. The 70-year-old was threatened with a BB gun and his digital camera was stolen before the boys fled towards Gun Hill.
District judge David Cooper, sentencing the youths, said: ¡°I find this so bizarre. The boys obviously got sucked into a fantasy world. It is so depressing that this kind of thuggery has spread to places like Southwold. It's unbelievable.¡±
In an earlier attempted robbery the teens, who had covered their faces with items of clothing, approached a 22-year-old man who was walking alone along the promenade near the beach huts, listening to an iPod. The boys surrounded the man at about 9.30pm and asked him to show them the music player but they then disappeared.
As the man headed back towards St James' Green he saw the boys again on North Parade, where one of teenagers threatened him with a knife and demanded he hand over the iPod, but the man escaped unhurt with his property by running in front of a car to get away. The boys later tried to steal a mobile phone from a man sitting on a bench on the seafront.
After reading reports from the victims, Mr Cooper said: ¡°These people will have memories of a ruined holiday and I imagine that the 70-year-old man will never forget it. It is so sad.¡±
He said that the offences were ¡°horrendous¡± and would have resulted in life imprisonment if the boys were in an adult court. He added: ¡°It is so sad that a man was just out to photograph the moon and he gets mugged in Southwold. It defies belief. I do not usually think about my cases, but the first time I heard this one it left me very troubled.¡±
But Mr Cooper praised the boys' parents, who were all in court, and said: ¡°I believe all the parents have acted utterly responsibly in this and must have suffered themselves. It is horrible for them, they are as innocent as the victims in all this.¡±
The 15-year-old Southwold boy was given an eight-month detention and training order and Mr Cooper said that a custodial sentence had been unavoidable because of the boy's previous convictions.
Mr Cooper added: ¡°You were not involved to such a degree as the others, nor did you have the privileges of their background. I find their behaviour sick, as yours is not, but strong punishment is unavoidable.¡±
The 15-year-old from London was given a 12 month referral order and will pay a total of £2,000 in compensation to the victims, as well as £600 costs. Mr Cooper said that he avoided custody only because he was 14 when he committed the offence and therefore below the custody threshold. Sentencing, Mr Cooper said: ¡°If I did not have to follow that point of law, I would have sent you into detention for 12 months, which is what you deserve.¡±
The 14-year-old, who was holidaying in Southwold from London at the time of the robberies, was also given a 12 month referral order and will pay £2,000 in compensation and £600 costs.
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