Grieving mum mugged by Wigan teen as she visits her baby's grave

A Wigan teen who carjacked a woman visiting her baby’s grave has been locked up.
Wigan Crematorium and Lower Ince CemeteryWigan Crematorium and Lower Ince Cemetery
Wigan Crematorium and Lower Ince Cemetery

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared before the borough’s Youth Court to admit threatening his 42-year-old victim at knifepoint so that she handed over the keys to her Hyundai 110. He had originally denied the robbery, along with driving the stolen vehicle without insurance or a licence and possession of a bladed article. But on his latest appearance before thebench he changed all of his pleas to guilty.

This terrifying ambush was carried out when the youngster was already the subject of a youth rehabilitation order for another crime spate on March 3 which included threatening a couple, wielding an imitation firearm, smashing a door and CCTV equipment, stealing a cash box from the Galleries shopping centre and burgling a home in Lowton to steal an XBox, Playstation and vehicle keys. In sentencing him to a total of 16 months’ detention, justices expressed concern that the teen’s criminality was getting worse.

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The hearing was told that the victim had parked up her car on Westwood Lane at 1.45pm on August 21 this year to visit the grave of her stillborn child at Lower Ince Cemetery. She had returned to the vehicle as she had forgotten a balloon, only to be confronted by the youth armed with a Stanley knife who said “Give me your keys or I’ll slash you,” making a stabbing motion towards her.

When she handed over the keys he just got in the £6,500 vehicle and drove away. The Hyundai was later found abandoned after appeals for its whereabouts flooded social media. The chair of the bench said: “The offences were so serious that only a sentence of detention can be justified.

“They were committed whilst you were subject to a youth rehabilitation order with and intensive supervision and surveillance programme.

“The order has not prevented you from offending in fact your offending is getting worse. The robbery with a knife caused significant effect on the victim which will affect her for some time.”

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The youth also admitted to a burglary at St Catharine’s CE Primary School in Scholes, on May 19 during which envelopes and keys were stolen.

As well as the detention order, he was also banned from driving for 12 months and he was ordered to pay a £34 victim services surcharge.