Southend: Man admits robbing teenage boy of bicycle

A man has admitted robbing a teenage boy of his bicycle after he was identified and arrested just 30 minutes after committing the offence.

Daniel Steward, 27, of no fixed address, appeared before Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday 29 May, where he admitted a single charge of robbery.

Officers with Southend’s Community Policing team were swiftly on scene after receiving a call from a woman reporting her son had been robbed in the area of Sutton Road, shortly after 8pm on Sunday 10 March.

It was reported the victim was approached, threatened and robbed of his bicycle.

Our units in the area began an immediate search of the surrounding area for potential suspects, based on descriptions provided by the victim.

Colleagues with Southend City Council assisted by tasking CCTV operators with reviewing footage.

This helped to provide a further detailed description of the suspects, leading officers to an alleyway near Dryden Road.

Two men were stopped and arrested on suspicion of robbery.

Steward attempted to flee but was swiftly detained after a short foot chase and taken into custody.

A 31-year-old man, from Southend, initially arrested on suspicion of robbery, was later released and will face no further action.

The victim’s bicycle was thankfully later recovered.

Steward will be sentenced at the same court on Monday 8 July.

'Victim has shown maturity'

Detective Constable Michelle Rawson, of Southend CID, said:

“We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, robbery is a terrifying and violating crime which has a lasting impact on the victim.
“The victim in this case was a lone 15-year-old boy and the offence has understandably caused him distress.
“However, I must praise the maturity he has shown throughout the investigation, showing an understanding and patience beyond his years as we pursued a charge against Steward.”

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

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