A WOMAN was “frozen in fear” as her e-scooter was snatched by two men during a late-night Carlisle knifepoint robbery.

Roberta Kirkpatrick had gone to the Spar shop on Newtown Road just before 11pm on July 15. 

She entered the store and, for safety and security, left the e-scooter inside the front door close to a lottery stand.

Zayd Alasaly, 20, and 19-year-old Liam Bateman were also present.

“Both had seen the scooter and showed an interest in it,” prosecutor Paul Brookwell told Carlisle Crown Court.

Miss Kirkpatrick left the shop with the scooter and tried to get a cigarette out of her pocket. By that time, Alasaly and Bateman were outside on a street corner.

They approached her, Alasaly being slightly in front. “It was Mr Alasaly who produced a large kitchen knife from the waistband of his clothing,” said Mr Brookwell. “He said words to the effect of ‘pass it over’, referring to the scooter.

She froze in fear. It was Mr Alasaly who took the scooter and moved away together with Mr Bateman following, who was noted to laugh at what had just happened.”

Miss Kirkpatrick was seen clearly distressed in the aftermath, with tears in her eyes. She went to the house of a friend, who said she was “shaking, crying, visibly upset”.

Police were called and arrested the two robbers at Mardale Road.

The scooter was recovered but the knife was not.

Both Alasaly, of Corinto Street, Liverpool, and Bateman, of Warwick Square, Carlisle, admitted robbery, with Alasaly also pleading guilty to having the knife illegally in public.

Andrew Gurney, giving mitigation for Bateman, said a probation service report highlighted a traumatic upbringing. Bateman was “truly remorseful”, said Mr Gurney, who spoke of the robbery having “little or no planning”.

Alasaly committed the crimes just weeks after being spared an immediate prison sentence at Kingston upon Hull crown court for a catalogue of class A drugs supply offences.

His lawyer, Peter White, said he had taken a small amount of alcohol and diazepam before the robbery which may have affected his mindset. “Mr Alasaly accepts he effectively squandered that opportunity he was afforded by the court previously,” said Mr White.

Alasaly was jailed for four years and Bateman for 32 months.

“The pair of you saw her, you targeted her, you wanted that scooter,” said Judge Nicholas Barker as he passed sentence. “She was very distressed as one might only imagine, being threatened with a knife,having personal items stolen from her; being a female at that time of night on her own.”

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