Man Sentenced for Electric Bike Robbery Involving Stab Threat

A man has received a custodial sentence after robbing a 16-year-old boy of his £4,500 electric bike, an act that included a threat to stab him. Levi Martin, 19, of Newark Road, Lincoln, seized the bicycle from the young victim on 13 July at the railway crossing on Lincoln High Street. He had warned the boy: “Run me that bike or I’ll stab you.” Martin admitted robbery at Lincoln Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution. Martin was among a group of youths who approached the victim and his friend at about 18:45 BST. Prosecutor Noel Philo stated that Martin, who asked the boy for drugs, grabbed the ignition keys and instructed him to dismount the bike. Mr Philo further noted that while the victim did not observe a knife, he believed one was present and experienced fear. The barrister informed the court that several of the victim’s friends photographed the robber and attempted to follow him, but they were cautioned with the words: “If you keep following me, I’ll stab you – you don’t know what I’ll do or what I’m on.” A statement from the victim, read aloud in court, detailed his current fear of leaving his home due to the possibility of another robbery. He added: “It has made me feel very depressed mentally and physically as I can no longer go to the gym.” During mitigation, Tom Heath stated that his client had experienced a difficult childhood but acknowledged the severe nature of the offense. Heath remarked: “No knife was actually produced by him and the incident was fairly short lived.” The court was informed that Martin’s offense was aggravated by his prior convictions for robbery, affray, and inflicting grievous bodily harm.