Knife-wielding boy tries to rob trainers from man on his way home from Kettering General Hospital

A teen from Wellingborough has admitted the late-night robbery of an injured man.

The man was waling along Northampton Road, Kettering, just after midnight on Monday (April 26) when a man in his 20s was walking back from Kettering General Hospital, where he had just been treated for a broken hand.

As he walked along the road, he was approached by the boy, who cannot be named due to his age, who threatened him with a knife and demanded he take off his trainers and hand them over.

The man refused at which point the boy grabbed the baseball cap off his head, before the man was able to get away.

The boy was arrested and charged in connection with the incident and appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (April 27) where he pleaded guilty to the offence.

He was remanded into the care of the local authority outside Northamptonshire until sentencing on Tuesday, May 4.

Detective Inspector Dave Harley, said: “People may think it unusual or wrong for us to seek a remand on a child but I want to make it absolutely clear that anyone who commits this sort of violent crime on our patch will feel the full force of the law.

“At the end of the day, our number one priority is to protect the public, and when we have evidence to show an offender, whatever their age, is a serious risk to others, we will take whatever steps are necessary to minimise that risk. And in this case, those necessary steps have been to apply for a remand into custody.

“It is really sad to see people this young being involved in this type of crime and I would implore parents and guardians who are worried about their children being on the periphery of this lifestyle to contact us before it’s too late.”

"Some people feel they’re in too deep to reach out but CIRV is a specialist programme designed to work with individuals to help them choose a better path than the one they are currently on."

The CIRV 24/7 self-referral number is 07539 183975 or visit this website. Adults who are worried about their children can also use the service.