A "lovely" teenager is "traumatised" after he was held at knifepoint by thugs on motorbikes.
The incident took place at the junction of P ark Road North and Laird Street, in Birkenhead, at around 7.50pm on Tuesday (August 23). Amanda Mole said her son, Jacob, 17, was riding home from Caldy Rugby Club on his moped when he was approached by four men on bikes after coming to a stop at traffic lights.
One of the men reached for Jacob's keys and, when the 17-year-old grabbed them first, the man pulled out a knife and threatened to stab him. Amanda, from Wallasey, told the ECHO : "He went past Birkenhead Rugby club and down towards the traffic lights.
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"It was on red so he obviously stopped and then two motorbikes, with two people on each, pulled up alongside him. At first he thought it was the police, but one of them jumped off and said: ‘What’s your name?’
"Immediately, alarm bells started ringing so he didn’t tell them. The man then went to grab his keys but Jacob grabbed them first.
"The man pulled a knife out and said to him: 'If you don’t let go of the keys, I’m going to stab you up.' Jacob let go of the keys and was told to get off the bike and they just rode away.
"They were on proper motorbikes but Jacob has only got a 50cc moped. One of the other lads even said: ‘Just leave it, it’s not even worth it,’ but the guy didn’t listen and took it anyway.”
A couple in the car behind Jacob witnessed the incident, and stayed with him while he contacted his parents, before driving him home. Amanda said Jacob "wouldn't hurt a fly" and is hoping to go to university to become a barrister after "smashing" his GCSEs.
She said: “He’s devastated. He’s not bothered about the bike and neither are we. We’re more bothered about the fact somebody has pulled a knife on him and thought that was completely acceptable. That’s what's shaken him up as much as it has.
"We said we’d buy him a new bike but he said to me: 'Mum, I don’t even want one. I never want to get on a moped again'. Jacob’s such a quiet, sensitive boy who keeps himself to himself.
"He’s so lovely natured and would do anything for anybody. He’s so kind and wouldn’t harm a fly. These are the sort of people that they target and it’s so unfair.”
Police are now appealing for information following the incident. It was reported one of the male suspects drove away on Jacob's moped in the direction of Conway Street.
Detective Inspector Emma Kerrigan said: “We simply will not stand by and allow people to carry knives and threaten the safety of themselves and others. We rely on members of the public coming forward with information about such incidents to keep our streets safer.
“If you were in the Birkenhead area on Tuesday evening and saw this incident or anyone suspicious then please come forward. Similarly, if you were driving on the A553 and have dashcam footage then please review it and if you see anything, including a black moped being driven in the area, please let us know.
“Tell us what you know about this incident and we’ll take positive action to remove those who use weapons to cause fear and harm in our communities from our streets. "
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101 with reference 22000003723. You can also call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111, or their online form.
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