Youth jailed over train stabbing

Tony Burthom, 57, was listening to his MP3 player when he was set upon by a group and stabbed in the leg last July, leaving him unable to walk for months.

A judge at the Inner London Crown Court said the attack on a late-night train from London Bridge to Plumstead was "brutal and unforgivable".

The 17-year-old had admitted conspiracy to rob and wounding with intent.

Mr Burthom told the court: "They walked through the carriage a number of times and then pushed me.

"I didn't even realise I had been stabbed"
Tony Burthom

"I thought they were just being stupid."

They then rifled through his bag and demanded that he hand over everything he owned.

"When I said I had nothing else to give them one punched my leg. I didn't even realise I had been stabbed," he said.

He told the court he had only been saved by two girls who got on the train, causing the gang to back away.

In mitigation, Gary Rutter, defending, said his client had expressed genuine remorse.

"Some people follow through with their threats, even though they have already picked their victim clean of valuables"
Det Con Tony Burman

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was told he would spend his sentence in Feltham Young Offenders Institution.

Two other teenagers were jailed for their roles in the robberies.

Crayson Ebanks, 18, from Thamesmead, south-east London, was given three years after admitting robbing Mr Burthom.

Justin Adeyanje, also 18, from Abbey Wood, south-east London, was jailed for four years after he was found guilty of a separate robbery and handling stolen goods.

Following the sentencing, Mr Burthom said: "I think the gang have got off lightly really because I could have been killed."

Hand-held and walk-through metal detectors have been used at stations considered to be "robbery hot spots" across England since February.

Det Con Tony Burman, of British Transport Police, added: "Unfortunately some people follow through with their threats, even though they have already picked their victim clean of valuables."

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