A Fartown man has been sent to a young offender institution for two years four months for threatening a teenager with an axe and robbing him.
The 16-year-old victim had gone out in Deighton in the early hours of December 1 to buy some cigarettes at a late-night garage.
He was with another youth when they saw two other men, one of them being Ryan Coyne.
John Bull prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court Coyne tried to take the phone when he saw the youth with it but he managed to hold on to it and ran off.
However a short time later, as he was making his way to the premises where he was living, Coyne saw him again in a car park near Keldregate.
He told him: “You’ve got nowhere to run now, give me your phone or I’ll stab you.”
The youth was frightened and when he saw Coyne produce a small type of axe he handed over the phone, worth around £170, without anything further being done or said to him. The phone was never recovered.
Ben Thomas representing Coyne said: “While this must have been a frightening and traumatic experience there was no actual physical injuries.”
He said Coyne was remorseful for his actions. He had a personal wake-up call as to the consequences of his actions because his grandmother who had looked after him when he was younger had died while he was in prison and he was not able to attend her funeral.
That had made him determined to spend his time usefully in custody and had already got an enhanced job in the kitchens. He also planned to move from Huddersfield with his partner when released to get away from those who had influenced him.
Coyne, 19 of Woodbine Road, Fartown, Huddersfield admitted robbery and possessing a bladed article.
Sentencing him Judge Neil Clark said having tried to take the phone from the teenager earlier after asking him for the time and failing when he ran off, he approached him again, that indicated a degree of persistence.
He then threatened to stab him and produced some type of axe, while no actual violence was used it was a serious offence.
