Thief jailed for Trowbridge mobile phone theft (From Wiltshire Times)

Thief jailed for Trowbridge mobile phone theft

10:10am Monday 20th August 2012 in Latest News By Staff reporter

A man who robbed a 15-year-old boy of his mobile phone in broad daylight has been jailed for eight months.

Lee Dorman threatened to knock out the youngster during the incident on a weekend afternoon in Trowbridge Park.

And when the police caught up with the 23-year-old he had not tried to sell or use the handset he had taken from the terrified lad.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court on Friday the victim was sitting in the park with two pals, also aged 15, on the afternoon of Saturday June 23.

She said Dorman, who they didn’t know, approached and stated talking to them in a gangster style asking what the time was.

The man asked them ‘Oi blood, have you got the time’ and became more persistent demanding to have a look at the victim’s phone.

She said the teenager told him he wasn’t going to show it to someone he didn’t know but Dorman said he would hit him if he did not.

He again threatened the boy to get him to unlock saying he would ‘knock him out’ of he did not do it.

When the 15-year-old asked for it back the stranger became aggressive and then walked off warning the boys he would hit them if they followed him.

Mrs Hingston said that after he was arrested at his brother’s home the defendant would not co-operate with an identity parade, but was picked out by all three boys.

Dorman, of Tottenham, north London pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery.

Holly Scott-Mason, defending, said in the spectrum of robbery it was a less serious offence as it was one attacker on three and no weapon or violence was actually used.

She urged the court to impose a community order saying the incident was impulsive and he had not ‘fenced’ the phone which was found in his brother’s house,

Miss Scott-Mason said her client had been thrown out of his London home by his dad after standing up for his mum in a case of domestic violence.

She said he was also involved in a bitter custody battle over his 13-month-old daughter who he hadn’t seen for ten months.

Jailing him for eight months Judge Douglas Field said “This is a straight robbery pure and simple.

“You intimidated him, you said ‘if you don’t give me your phone I am going to hit you’, and later ‘if you don’t unlock it I’ll knock you out’, and you made off with the phone.

“In 2004 you were subject to a referral order and you re-offended and you have had a community for taking without consent and that community order was breached.

“I am not prepared to consider that a further community order will have a considerable prospect of success.”