A THIRTEEN-year-old feared he could be stabbed after a knife was produced when he was robbed of his mountain bike by two other boys.

Details of the shocking Carlisle incident, close to Holme Head Bay, Denton Holme, were aired at the city’s youth court. The crime occurred at around 5-30pm on July 16 last year.

The victim was riding his bike when he was approached by two other boys.

One boy made to grab the bike. “While he has done this, the other boy has taken a knife out of his pocket and showed it to me,” the complainant had recalled. “He didn’t say anything to me. I perceived it to be a threat.”

The first boy, now aged 15, got on the bike and rode off after the incident. The owner followed and heard the other robber, aged 13, say: “I’m going to slash his tyres.”

“He was concerned they may use the knife on him,” prosecutor Peter Bardsley said of the victim. The boy had said: “This has made me feel scared. Because of this, I’ve called 999.”

He also provided an impact statement. “After the robbery occurred I was in a state of shock. I came back home in tears. I was quite emotional for the remainder of the evening,” he stated.

“In the weeks that followed I’ve begun to process things a bit. I do still feel quite unsettled when I’m out alone or with friends.”

Some damage had been caused to the bike, and he now avoided the area where the crime had occurred.

Both of the boys responsible admitted robbery, and were sentenced at the city’s youth court on Friday. 

Nick Kennon, for the boy aged 13 who had the knife, said he was a very young man who had made a “serious error of judgement”. “It has dawned on him now. He’s a lad who needs some support from as many places as possible,” said the solicitor.

Chris Toms, mitigating for the 15-year-old, said he was remorseful. “I doubt if either of the young men went out to rob that day. I think there is an element of it being an opportunistic crime,” Mr Toms told the court.

Lead youth justice Keith Southward told the boy who had produced the Swiss army-style knife: “It wasn’t a pleasant thing for somebody to have to face. We read a lot about knife crime.

“It is very dangerous. We’re hearing more cases of people being stabbed and it is not the thing to be doing.”

Both boys were made subject to 12-month referral orders and will work with youth offending service staff to access support aimed at keeping them on the straight and narrow.

Both must pay £50 compensation for damage caused and an order was made for forfeiture and destruction of knife.