A teenager was part of a gang who robbed four boys of their bikes in Bury and tried to rob another boy of a cigarette in Radcliffe in the same day.

The boy from Manchester, who cannot be named for legal reasons, began his three-month crime spree in January 2021 aged 15 and took part in a series of assaults in Rochdale when he was with other youths.

Then on the afternoon of March 21 last year at Radcliffe tram station, he was in a gang in which three of them were wearing masks and a boy was asked for a cigarette.

“The defendant said ‘give it to me or I will take it off you’”, prosecutor Hannah Forsyth told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

The boy said he did not have a cigarette and the group he was with then chased him but he managed to escape.

Shortly afterwards in another area of Bury, a group of four boys were confronted by a gang, including the defendant, before they threatened and robbed them of their mountain bikes and a mobile phone.

Two days later the teenager was arrested and a knife was found.

He was later charged and pleaded guilty to multiple offences including the robberies, attempted robbery, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault and possession of a knife in a public place.

Victim impact statements were heard in court in which those affected by the boy’s offences described the fear and anxiety they still feel following the terrifying incidents.

One victim in Rochdale said she suffered a partial amputation of one of her fingers and cannot perform basic duties following the assault against her.

Defending, Michael Lea said the defendant had a difficult background but accepted he had been involved in “very serious” incidents and it is hoped he has taken time to appreciate the consequences of his actions.

It was also reported that he is a vulnerable person who has ADHD and is susceptible to being influenced by others.

But Judge John Edwards said only a custodial sentence would fit the punishment for the crimes he had committed.

Taking into consideration his age and the dangerousness of the offences, he gave him a seven-year sentence, which includes a five-year detention order and an extra two years on licence.

Addressing the defendant, now aged 16, Judge Edwards added: “You simply ran amok in a short three-month period.”