Twins Accused of Robbery Avoid Prison

Case study summary

Our clients were two teenage twins who were accused of forcefully stealing a mobile phone from another young boy. The expert advocacy skills of one of our in-house lawyers persuaded the Court to impose a Youth Referral Order rather than sending the young males to custody.

Case study

Our clients were 16-year-old twins who were charged with robbery. They were accused of approaching another young male in Bolton Town Centre along with a group of their friends and using force to steal his phone. One of our clients was accused of putting the complainant into a head lock whilst the other allegedly shouted at him to input his password into the phone. The incident was captured on CCTV footage.

Our clients admitted the charges and pleaded guilty. Although they had no previous convictions, they had recently been arrested for another robbery in Bolton Town Centre and due to the psychological harm which had been caused to the complainant, there was a real risk of our clients receiving a Youth Detention and Training Order.

We represented our clients at their court hearing. One of our expert defence lawyers explained that our clients were young boys who had recently left secondary school and were struggling to decide what to do with their future. Due to a breakdown in the relationship with their mother, they had began to stay out late each evening and hang around with an older group of males. However, since their arrest, they had engaged well with the Youth Offenders' Team and began to impose plans for their futures.

Our lawyer argued that a Detention and Training Order would have a negative effect on our young client's lives. They would benefit much more from support and supervision within the community to help them achieve their future goals.

The court agreed that a Youth Referral Order was the appropriate outcome in this case. Our clients and their mother were extremely relieved and the twins were able to continue building their futures.