Gun threat boy spared custody

A teenager who threatened a police officer with a replica handgun has escaped a custodial sentence a judge said he deserved.

The 13-year-old admitted a charge of armed robbery at a charity shop and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to resist arrest, at Exeter Crown Court.

On Thursday Judge John Neligan said the offences merited a custodial sentence but the court's hands were tied because the boy is aged under 15.

Prosecutor Mary McCarthy told the court the boy snatched £140 from the till of a charity shop in Ashburton, Devon, after threatening the lone female assistant with a knife.

Terrifying ordeal

The boy had been in care at the time of the offence and the court was told the police were notified when he failed to return to his care home.

Ms McCarthy said the following day, he was spotted drunk at a railway station in Exeter by PC Michael Laybourne.

The officer approached him and was threatened by what he assumed was a real pistol.

He managed to disarm the boy and it turned out to be a replica Mauser pistol.

'Deeply sorry'

Judge Neligan praised the officer for his courage and told the teenager that his charity shop victim was "terrified by her ordeal, and still suffers nightmares".

"Immediate custody is appropriate in this case but the court is restricted on imposing custodial sentences on people of your age."

Paul Bitmead, defending, said the boy, who was abandoned by his parents, was "deeply sorry for what he did".

The boy was made the subject of a three-year supervision order.