Jailed: Shropshire robbers frogmarched terrified student to cashpoint

The victim was watching a video on his mobile phone as he walked from a friend's house when the pair struck at 8.50pm.

The court heard that one of the men was already on bail for another robbery in Telford when the pair travelled from Shropshire to Wolverhampton to carry out the crime.

James Oakes tapped the victim on the shoulder and when he turned around he pulled out a kitchen knife and warned: "Give me everything or I will stab you. I am not messing about."

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the student handed over his mobile, wallet and earphones out of his pockets during the confrontation in the city on July 22 last year.

Mr Justin Jarmola, prosecuting, said 39-year-old Oakes, who had 18 previous convictions involving 50 separate offences, took a bank card out of the wallet and alerted Shaun Watson, who was standing nearby while the initial attack occurred on the student.

The two men then marched the victim at knifepoint to the cashpoint in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, where they kept watch as the victim withdrew £150 from his account under instructions and gave them the money.

He was then ordered to walk the short distance to Lord Street, where his wallet and bank card were returned and he was warned not to tell anybody.

"He had been held for around 20 minutes," said Mr Jarmola.

Watson, 26, who had 10 previous convictions for 20 offences, was on bail after being convicted of another robbery in which a young man had a mobile phone stolen at knifepoint outside a Tesco store in Madeley, Telford, on August 17, 2013.

Mr Danny Smith, who was representing Oakes, of no fixed address, said: "He was not thinking straight because drugs were clouding his mind."

Miss Hannah Wood, representing Watson, from Glebelands, Donnington, Telford, added: "He was not aware of the robbery or the fact his co-accused had a knife until the man called him over."

Oakes, who admitted robbery and possession of a knife, was jailed for four years.

Watson received a total of eight years for the Wolverhampton robbery, which he admitted, and the Telford robbery, which had been denied.