(posted 7881 days ago)Scotsman
Fri 27 Sep 2002
12:59pm (UK)
Teenager Sentenced for Robbing Aitken's Daughter
By Sherna Noah, PA NewsA teenager who robbed the daughter of disgraced former Tory minister Jonathan Aitken was was today ordered to serve a 10-month detention and training order.
The 17- year-old, who cannot be named, was one of four boys who attacked Alexandra Aitken near her London home in broad daylight.
The 17- year-old – who was subject to a community rehabilitation and punishment order for an offence of false imprisonment at the time of the robbery – had written a letter to his victim, apologising, Balham Youth Court was told.
Twenty two-year-old Miss Aitken became another high profile victim of street crime as she made her way to a newspaper interview on July 26 this year.
At 2.10pm she was walking near her home in Kennington, south London, when she was surrounded by the gang.
Maryan Erfan, prosecuting, said the 17-year-old, who was accompanied by his parents when he appeared in court today, was caught by onlookers after a lengthy chase.
Miss Aitken was walking along, carrying a handbag and mobile telephone in her hands.
“She was suddenly surrounded by a group of four males. One, not the defendant, tried to grab her handbag but was unable to do so. The defendant then snatched the mobile telephone from the hands of the victim, Miss Erfan said.
“He was followed by a witness who had seen the whole incident. The defendant ran through the street where a member of the public, who had heard the victim screaming, saw him running through gardens. He attempted to hide under a car parked in the driveway of one of the houses.
The witnesses spotted him hiding underneath the car. He tried to run away but was apprehended by members of the public chasing him.”
Miss Aitken’s mobile phone was found shortly afterwards, in one of the gardens.
The court was told at an earlier hearing that after the robbery Miss Aitken made a statement to police in which she said “that day she suddenly became quite frightened and broke down in tears”.
Stephen Sweeney, defending, told the court that the youth “seeks to apologise to the victim for whom this was obviously a traumatic matter ... He has written a letter to the victim conveying his apology.”
He said the 17-year-old, who had the verbal skills of an eight-year-old, had not intended to gain any profit from taking the phone but had expected to hand it over to his peers.
Mr Sweeney added that the teenager had suffered stress and anxiety from racist bullying at school, from which his mother had remove him, and that he was a “suggestible young man”, who offended because of the influence of the other youths.
District Judge John Perkins said he took into account the teenager’s guilty plea and the fact that he had “shown some degree of remorse” but added: “I also have to take into account the affect of these kinds of offences on victims.”