Teenage boys texted each other they would "get something nice" as they planned to rob school children in Sefton.
Sonny Collins, now 19, of Maple Close, Bootle and Micky Teany, also now 19, of Hawthorne Drive, Kirkby, sent text messages to each other on February 23, 2022 where they planned to "target vulnerable school children as they were leaving school". In the messages, the pair said they would "get something nice" and "catch a few on their way home".
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday how on March 8 last year, both boys, then 18, caught the train to Formby carrying knives. Prosecuting Louise McCloskey said it was part of a "plan to commit robbery offences".
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Ms McCloskey said the pair were caught on CCTV with their hoods down and faces on show, but by the time they reached Formby, both had attempted to conceal their identities. The court heard how on that afternoon, two schoolboys aged 14 and 15, were hanging out after school, one of whom had a bike.
Ms McCloskey said Collins approached the schoolboys on School Lane and said he was "taking the bike", which was a Christmas present estimated to be worth around £1,500. When the young boy said no, Collins produced a six-inch knife and said he was taking it.
After taking the bike, the shaken schoolboy rang his mum who then called the police and the boy's older brother to check on him. The older brother, then 16, went to Formby to find his sibling before he spotted Collins riding the stolen mountain bike in the churchyard of Our Lady's Church, with Teany on the handlebars.
After shouting "that's my brother's bike", the court heard how Collins, who has previous convictions, attempted to "distract" by acting aggressively. The 16-year-old then suddenly felt a "sharp pain to his back". Despite initially feeling like he had been punched, the boy soon realised he had been stabbed by Teany.
Teany and Collins then made off with the stolen bike. Ms McCloskey told the court there had been a single stab wound of 4cm, puncturing the lung, and the young boy spent three days in the major trauma unit before having his stitches out after 10 days.
Paul Becker, defence counsel for Teany, who was supported at court by his family members, said: "People mature at different stages, some at 15 or 16, others at 19 or 20, it's an imprecise science."
He added that Teany had been a victim of a shooting himself and "suffered PTSD" as well as witnessing domestic violence at home and his dad dying at the age of eight. Teany, who has young children, was said to have "placed his family in great difficulty", and despite being convicted at trial, he has "learnt his lesson".
Defence counsel for Collins, Callum Ross, also said maturity was a mitigating feature, adding: "Males don't tend to reach full maturity until around 25."
Also the father of a young baby, born while he was in custody last year, Collins was said to have had a "very difficult upbringing" as Mr Ross said: "He believes he was a young man easily influenced by those around him."
Appearing before the court together, Collins, who previously pleaded guilty, was also sentenced for another assault in which he had been part of a gang that had repeatedly punched and kicked an innocent victim getting off a bus in December 2021.
The court heard how the assault was "mindless brutality", when the victim suffering "life-changing injuries". Judge Recorder Browne KC said when sentencing, this offence would run consecutively.
Recorder Browne KC said there had been clear pre-planning to the incident in March, adding this "was no opportunistic robbery". He said: "This was a pre-planned street robbery in broad daylight."
He went on to say that he believes Teany has not shown genuine remorse as he "still attempts to downplay" the incident and told Collins: "You also demonstrate you don't accept your wrongdoing."
For the incident in March last year, Collins was given a total custodial sentence of six years, to run consecutively with a two year custodial sentence for the previous section 47 assault. Teany was given a total custodial sentence of nine years.
Recorder Browne KC added: "It's tragic to see young men before this court", however he added that those who carry knives on the street can expect "substantial sentences of detention".
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