A motorist was savagely attacked by teenage robbers who stole his Mercedes car in a bury city centre. The man said he thought 'it was the end' during the terrifying incident, but brave bystanders intervened.
Aaron McKenna, then 18, sped off in the expensive car after its owner had been punched, repeatedly kicked to the face and threatened that he'd be stabbed. His accomplice was apprehended but brazen McKenna even tried to bargain with them after his friend had been caught, the ManchesterEveningNews reports.
While members of the public detained the teenager, McKenna made a phone call to his pal from the stolen Mercedes. But the phone was handed to police, and the car was later found on false plates and returned to its owner.
Prosecutor Suzanne Hargreaves told Manchester Crown Court: "He said he was with the car on Ancoats Street, if they brought his friend they could have the car back."
The victim stated he feared for his life. He said: "I couldn't be more thankful for the people who helped me. I thought it was the end, I was so terrified. It saddens me that this happens in modern day society."
The driver had parked his car in Manchester city centre in April last year. But when he returned to the vehicle, he was punched and kicked, and his chest and head were stamped on.
"Give me the keys or we will knife you," he was told. McKenna got into the car before he sped off and drove towards bystanders as he escaped. The victim suffered cuts and bruises, and a broken finger.
About a year earlier, McKenna was involved in another robbery, when his victim was surrounded by youths armed with knives. He had agreed to sell a moped which he had renovated via Facebook Marketplace.
Shortly after arriving at the agreed location in May 2020, his victim was cornered by five or six youths carrying knives. He fled, terrified, leaving without the moped.
McKenna was prosecuted under joint enterprise laws after a phone number which the victim had been in contact with prior to the robbery was linked to him.
The moped was later found at the side of a canal, beyond repair, having been pulled from the water.
McKenna, now 19, of Miles Platting, Manchester, was jailed for six years, after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and dangerous driving as well as separate offences of assault by beating, criminal damage and breaching a restraining order.
In his defence, barrister Niamh Ingham, said the teenager had displayed a 'lack of maturity' and had been diagnosed with ADHD.
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