A YOUNG robber who rode a motorcycle at his victim before demanding he hand over his belongings has been jailed.

Leo Sharkey targeted the man as he made his way to work at around 6am, Teesside Crown Court heard.

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The 19-year-old knocked the victim to the ground before punching and kicking him while he was prone on the floor.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said Starkey was wearing a black balaclava when he robbed the victim on October 8 this year.

She said that two other youths were with Sharkey, who appeared to be under the influence of some substance, and one of them joined in the attack by grabbing the bag.

She added: “The defendant came flying at him on the motorbike.

“He was wearing a balaclava, then drove straight towards the victim.

“He has caused him to fall backwards and then demanded he hand over his bag and belongings.”

The court heard that the victim managed to grab the bag back for the defendant.

Sharkey, of Salisbury Terrace, South Bank, was arrested at the scene by police.

The man attended court and he read out a victim impact statement saying that he was still scared and worried about a repeat attack when he was in the street or answering the door at his home.

Sharkey pleaded guilty to robbery and to a breach of a suspended 12 months jail sentence.

John Nixon, in mitigation, said that Sharkey had responded well to an earlier court order to perform unpaid work, but he had fallen under the bad influence of associates in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough.

Judge Timothy Stead sent Starkey to a young offenders’ institute for three years and seven months.

In June, Starkey was given a suspended sentence and told to turn his life around or face custody.

The teenager was charged with carrying a machete and knuckle-duster after he became embroiled in a violent dispute in January this year.

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