Reign of terror ends for tearaway schoolboys

The trio have been caged after robbing a schoolgirl and threatening to kill her and her father.

The boys, two 13-year-olds and one 12-year-old, were sentenced to a total of 32 months in youth custody for the robbery in Hollington.

The children were identified as being in the top 19 most prolific offenders in Hastings, responsible for a range of anti-social behaviour in the town.

They appeared at Hastings Youth Court on Wednesday for sentencing for the street robbery after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

Speaking after the case Detective Sergeant Mark Ling said: "Their activities in recent months have blighted the lives of many members of the community in Hastings. It is very unusual in my experience for three boys so young to be sent to youth custody.

"It goes to show that if you are prepared to commit robbery in the street and steal mobile phones off vulnerable people, you can expect to be punished severely."

The 14-year-old victim was walking home from school along Wishing Tree Road when the trio grabbed hold of her and grabbed her handbag.

The plucky girl gave chase along an alleyway despite one of the group throwing mud at her.

She was unable to continue giving chase because she is asthmatic and needed her inhaler which was in the bag. Crying and distressed she began to make her way home when she was spotted by two Hollington street wardens, Ariana Sutton and Karen Pethurst, from the Safer Hastings Partnership.

Meanwhile her father received a call at work from his daughter's number. The young boys on the line were abusive and said they were going to kill him and his daughter. Very concerned, he rang back and received another torrent of abuse.

At the same time a member of the public contacted police after detaining a youth in connection with another matter in Hollington.

Officers realised the description was similar to one of those involved in the robbery and he was arrested. The other two were arrested early the next morning. All three at first denied the offence but pleaded guilty when the case went to court.

The 13-year-olds each received 12 month detention training orders and the 12-year-old received an eight- month detention training order.

The three boys were Hastings IPPOs (Identified Priority and Prolific Offenders) - a Home Office initiative to reduce crime by targeting those who offend the most or cause the most harm to their community.

The partnership working between the street wardens and the Safer Hastings Partnership's ASBO team and the police on the subsequent investigation has brought this to a successful conclusion."

David Furness, Community Safety Manager with the Safer Hastings Partnership, said: "These three youths were identified as being among the 19 most prolific offenders in Hastings.

"They, and the others, have been targeted by Hastings IPPO, which has resulted in seven of them now being in prison. Our IPPO scheme is nationally recognised as one of the most effective in the country, and we will continue to make sure that those who make so many people's lives a misery will be brought to justice.

"This will have a dramatic effect on long-term crime reduction."