Bracknell

An 18-year-old man has been sentenced to two years in a young offenders’ institution in connection with a robbery in Bracknell last summer.

Michael John Jordan, of Albert Street, Maidenhead, pleaded guilty to the Bracknell robbery on 13 December 2006 and was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on 26 January.

The conviction relates to an incident that took place on a footpath off the Bagshot Road, Bracknell, between 11.30pm on 31 July and 12.30am on 1 August 2006.

Earlier that evening a young man, who was 18 at the time, called at a friend’s house in Birch Hill, Bracknell. Jordan was among several people at the address.

The young man showed his new Sony mobile phone to the group, and after staying for around 45 minutes he decided to cycle home.

As he cycled along a footpath nearby, he was hit on the back of the head with an unknown object, causing him to fall from his bike. He looked up to see two people standing above him, who threatened to attack him and demanded his mobile phone.

Before he was able to respond, he was punched in the head and face and held on the ground while his pockets were searched and his phone taken.

The injured man eventually made his way home, where police and an ambulance were called. He was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital and treated for serious facial injuries, including a broken nose and fractured eye socket. He also sustained a significant loss of vision in his left eye, which will not be regained.

Jordan was arrested on 3 August and later admitted carrying out the Bracknell robbery. When he was sentenced on 26 January, the judge recommended that he serve a minimum of 18 months, due to the unprovoked violence used, and the fact that Jordan showed no remorse for his actions.

Det Con John Braddy of the Priority Crime Team, who investigated the robbery, said: “This was a nasty attack on a vulnerable young man, who will probably lose some percentage of his vision permanently. The custodial sentence handed down reflects the seriousness of the offence.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell