A man and a teenage boy have been jailed after they pinned a man against a train window, threatened him with a knife and robbed him.
Nicholas Connor, 23, of Bennett Road, Lambeth, and an unnamed 17-year-old boy both pleaded guilty to robbery following the incident on a train travelling southbound from St Pancras station.
Police said that on the evening of August 25, 2021, both assailants noticed the victim board the train at the north London station.
They then put on face coverings and walked down the carriage towards the 29-year-old.
After the two defendants pinned the man against the train window, the teenager pulled out a knife and held it against the victim’s stomach.
Connor took the victim’s wallet and began rooting through it, urging the teenager to “just stab him”, police said. The pair then alighted from the train at Blackfriars station.
Later that evening, Connor used the victim’s Oyster card when boarding a bus.
Police were able to identify the defendants through the train’s on-board CCTV cameras.
Connor appeared at Inner London Crown Court on October 19, 2022, where he pleaded guilty to robbery.
He returned to the same court on Friday, April 28 and a judge sentenced him to five years and three months' imprisonment.
The 17-year-old boy was sentenced on the same day to 24-months in a young offender institution. He pleaded pleading guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at an earlier date.
British Transport Police's Detective Constable Daniel Phelan, investigating officer in the case, said: “We know offenders like Connor are targeting people on the railway to take their belongings, and we’re wholeheartedly committed to ensuring they are caught and put behind bars where they belong.
“This premeditated robbery would have been very distressing for the victim, I just hope the prison sentences handed down go some way to providing him with closure.
“Our uniformed and plain-clothes teams deploy on the rail network every day to deter this crime type and ensure passengers’ right to a safe journey is upheld.
“If a robbery has just happened, always dial 999 – our officers will quickly deploy to your location and begin immediate enquiries to trace the culprits.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here