Oldbury teenager jailed for Cradley Heath drug raid (From Halesowen News)

Oldbury teenager jailed for Cradley Heath drug raid

10:20am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News

A teenager who was masked and armed when he tried to rob a Cradley Heath drug dealer of cash and money has been sent to a Young Offenders Institution for four years.

Judge Michael Dudley told 18-year-old Nyah Watson of Harvington Road, Oldbury it must have been a "terrifying experience" for the victim and his partner.

He said Watson had been to the flat on previous occasions and he had been with another man who was also carrying a weapon when they burst into the property.

Watson had denied attempted robbery but he was found guilty by a jury after they retired to consider the evidence at the end of his four day trial.

Wolverhampton Crown Court had been told Watson was with the second man who was also masked and they were carrying bats when they went to the flat in Cradley Road late at night.

They threatened the occupier and his girlfriend and they were told to hand over their money and mobile telephones but after a scuffle the two attempted robbers fled empty handed.

Mr Neil Williams defending maintained no real effort had been made to use the weapons "save to threaten" adding: "The time he has spent in custody on remand has been a real shock to him.

"Hopefully, when he has completed his sentence, this is the last time the courts will ever see him."

In his defence Watson told the jury he had not been to the flat and it was a case of mistaken identity