They mad demands for cash and one pulled out a knife
Two menacing young robbers wearing balaclavas as a disguise were so desperate for some quick money to buy drugs that they targeted a “wholly innocent” teenage boy and his sister who were just standing at a bus stop at about 10pm. The determined robbers stopped their car nearby, approached the teenagers, made demands for cash and one of them pulled out a “fearsome” knife.
The brother believed that a gun was also used – although this was denied – and the robbery had a very serious impact on the two victims, Hull Crown Court heard. Dawson Phillips-Burns, 22, formerly of Alden Close, Immingham, but recently of West Acridge, Barton-upon-Humber, and Ben Sharp, 20, formerly of Pelham Road, Immingham, but later of Doncaster Road, in the Doncaster area, admitted robbery on August 18, 2022.
Amber Hobson, prosecuting, said that at about 10pm, the 17-year-old boy and his sister, aged 16, left their home and walked to a bus stop in Tilbury Road, off Hessle Road, west Hull, to catch a bus to their aunt’s home. While they were waiting there, the girl saw a car pull up to the kerb nearby.
Three people in balaclavas were inside. The car moved slowly towards them and they were suspicious about how it was being driven. “The car stopped a short distance in front of them at the bus stop,” said Miss Hobson.
The front seat passenger got out of the car and told the boy: “Give me your s**t now” before grabbing his coat and bag and pushing him during a struggle. The rear seat passenger shouted: “Hurry the f*** up.” The driver got out and ran towards the boy, waving what was believed to be a knife.
The driver snatched the brother’s bag and tried to take his bracelets but he could not undo the clasp. He grabbed the teenager’s mobile phone.
The front seat passenger headed towards the girl, who, in fear, kicked out at him. “He turned around and both he and the driver ran back towards the car,” said Miss Hobson.
The girl dialled 999, reported that they had been robbed and gave the car’s registration number. An armed response team arrived and searched the area.
“Officers located the car a short distance away,” said Miss Hobson. “While officers waited at the car, three males approached it. All three were arrested and taken into custody.”
At the time of the arrests, Phillips-Burns had Sharp’s car keys and the boy’s bank card with him. Other items were found and the girl’s property was found in the car. The knife was found under the driver’s seat and a bag of ball bearings was in a rear passenger seat pocket, consistent with a BB gun.
Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Phillips-Burns had a history of drug use, although not recently, but he had not taken any drugs in the three years since the offence. He made a “chain of terrible, regrettable and poor decisions” that day.
“He has never been able to hold down any paid employment,” said Mr Shipley. “He had never been in any trouble and, out of the blue, there is this offence.
“He can’t undo what happened. He is not somebody who is routinely in and out of trouble. There have been no further offences.”
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Connor Stuart, representing Sharp, said that the defendant was the driver. “On any view, it was disgusting behaviour,” said Mr Stuart. “There was a degree of influence and peer pressure.”
Sharp had been “extremely stupid” but, like Phillips-Burns, he had no previous convictions and he was capable of living an offence-free life. “He is now of the view that he deserves what is coming to him,” said Mr Stuart.
“A degree of remorse was expressed to the victims. He has spent the last three years living an offence-free existence.” He had previously worked for a supermarket and the family business.
Judge Mark Bury said that the two, along with a third person, who had not been prosecuted, drove from Immingham to Hull. “The purpose of the trip to Hull was to obtain money for more drugs and that involved robbing somebody,” said Judge Bury.
They thought that the girl and her brother, standing at a bus stop, were drug dealers – and they were going to “tax them” for money. “It turned out that they weren’t,” said Judge Bury. “You thought that she was a drug dealer.”
The demand for money was reinforced with a knife and the brother thought that there was also a gun. “You say there wasn’t,” said Judge Bury. “The knife was a fearsome weapon.
“There was a tussle. The knife was produced. Not much was stolen in terms of things that could be used to buy drugs. There were two wholly innocent victims here. They had nothing worth nicking.”
The brother’s life had been “blighted” and he did not go out much. He was constantly on edge, he suffered flashbacks and he could not sleep. “They are huge effects for a young man,” said Judge Bury.
The girl had been outgoing but she was a different person now and she dropped out of college and had counselling. “The motivation for this offending was drugs,” said Judge Bury.
“The nature of the offending is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. This was a planned robbery where you were using disguises and a weapon. There were two victims.”
Phillips-Burns was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Sharp was sent to a young offenders’ institution for two years and four months. Both had been on bail previously. They were each given a five-year restraining order.