Finsbury Park teen admits robbing younger boy of £105, saying: I was vulnerable after my father left
A file image of Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA Archive - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images
A 16-year-old boy who robbed his younger friend of £105 blamed his father’s departure for having given him a “freedom pass”.
The child from Finsbury Park, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty today at Highbury Youth Court, and apologised to his mother and victim.
His mother told the judge her son had been “traumatised” when her husband left.
“I had to work many hours and he got into bad habits and I didn’t notice,” she said.
“He’s not a bad kid, though. He hasn’t done anything bad since and I don’t think he will. Before he used to have money and buy flash shoes – now his shoes have holes in them because he had no money.”
You may also want to watch:
The boy said: “My mum didn’t learn about my friends or if I wouldn’t go to school in the morning. I was vulnerable and saw a lifestyle I wasn’t used to, but I liked it in a way.”
The judge told him he could have gone into custody but instead referred him to the Youth Offending Service and gave him a curfew and restraining order.
Most Read
- 1 Jailed: 'Dangerous' Hackney predator found with 1,600 indecent child images
- 2 Hackney road closures 'will cost lives', says volunteer ambulance service
- 3 Joint Covid patrols launched to ensure lockdown rules are followed
- 4 Police appeal for help to trace wanted Dalston man
- 5 'Common sense' prevails as Stamford Hill testing centre moved out of estate
- 6 Stoke Newington School looks to raise £60K for student laptops
- 7 Covid-safe shared workspaces in Hackney on flexibility without formalities
- 8 Homerton High Street attack: Man in his 50s stabbed in the back
- 9 Police divers search for man who fell from boat into freezing River Lea
- 10 Lockdown: Thirteen card players busted by police in Hackney social club
