A man from Littleport who robbed his victims at knife point has been sentenced to four years detention in a young offenders’ institute.

Brandon Sharp, 19, of Cottier Drive, Littleport, was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday (March 4) for three counts of robbery, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and obstructing an officer.

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also sentenced to three years detention in a young offenders institute for three counts of robbery and assault by beating in relation to the offences.

Sharp, along with his teenage accomplice, was responsible for three robberies that took place of just three hours in Cambridge on January 12.

DC Kayleigh Fillary said: “These were planned offences, with Sharp and his accomplice specifically travelling to Cambridge in order to commit their crimes.

“They were frightening attacks by two masked, armed assailants, on lone victims who were just going about their business and I have absolutely no doubt that if these offenders hadn’t been caught they would have gone on to commit further offences.

“It was thanks to the ingenuity of one of the victims that we were able to apprehend Sharp and his accomplice as quickly as we did.

“The custodial sentences handed to Sharp and his teenage accomplice show that violent offences such as these involving knives are taken seriously.”

The first victim was approached and threated with a knife at around 10.30pm near to the Salisbury Arms public house in Cambridge.

Sharp and his accomplice took the man’s wallet and phone before leaving the scene.

Fifteen minutes later Sharp and his accomplice robbed a second man. Both threatening their victim with knives before taking items including his wallet, phone, rucksack and headphones.

They threatened the man and told him to sit on the floor. The victim got up and was then punched in the face several times by the accomplice.

During the third robbery, which took place around midnight, Sharp and his accomplice took a wallet and a mobile phone from their victim.

Sharp claimed he was unemployed and has three children while his accomplice said he was a teenager and homeless.

The victim was unharmed and when he returned home was able to contact officers and log into a tracker device on the mobile phone.

He used this to guide officers to Sharp and his accomplice and sound an alarm on his phone when police were nearby.

Sharp and his accomplice were stopped and searched and found to be in possession of all three victims’ mobile phones along with other stolen items.

During interview Sharp’s teenage accomplice expressed remorse for having committed the crimes and said he did so because he was homeless and waiting for help from social services. Sharp refused to comment.