Robbers held Wolverhampton student at knifepoint
Two ruthless robbers who held a terrified student at knifepoint for 20 minutes and frogmarched him to a cash point have been locked up for a total of 12 years.
The victim was watching a video on his mobile phone as he walked from a friend's house along Merridale Road, Wolverhampton, when the pair struck at 8.50pm.
He was wearing earphones but felt a tap on the shoulder and when he turned around he found to find he was face to face with James Oakes, who pulled out a kitchen knife and warned: "Give me everything or I will stab you – I am not messing about."
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the student handed over his mobile, wallet and earphones out of his pockets during the confrontation on July 22 last year.
Mr Justin Jarmola, prosecuting, said Oakes, aged 39 and with 18 previous convictions involving 50 separate offences, took a bank card out of the wallet and alerted Shaun Watson, who was standing nearby while the initial attack occurred on the student.
The two men then marched the victim at knifepoint to the cash point in nearby Chapel Ash where they kept watch as he withdrew £150 from his account under instructions and gave them the money.
He was then ordered to walk the short distance to Lord Street, where his wallet and bank card were returned and he was warned not to tell anybody.
"He had been held for around about 20 minutes," said Mr Jarmola.
Watson, aged 26 and with 10 previous convictions for 20 offences, was on bail after being convicted of another robbery in which a young man had a mobile phone stolen at knifepoint outside a Tesco store in Madeley, Shropshire, on August 17, 2013.
Mr Danny Smith, for Oakes, of no fixed address, said: "He was not thinking straight because drugs were clouding his mind."
Miss Hannah Wood, representing Watson, from Glebelands, Donnington, Telford, added: "He was not aware of the robbery or the fact his co-accused had a knife until the man called him over.
"He then provided support as the victim was marched to the cash point."
Oakes, who admitted robbery and possession of a knife, was jailed for four years by Judge Stephen Eyre, QC.
Watson received a total prison sentence of eight years for the Wolverhampton robbery, which he admitted, and the Shropshire robbery, which had been denied.
