Two teens charged over string of offences in Grantham

Two people have been charged and remanded following a series of offences after officers pieced together a number of incidents over the course of six hours.

We first received a report of a robbery which had taken place in Station Road, Grantham, at 5pm on 5 June. The victim alleged being approached by two unknown men as she left the station in the direction of Queen Street, when one of the pair pulled out a knife and demanded she hand over her phone and wallet.

She handed over an iPhone, which also contained her driving licence, and a turquoise wallet containing cash and cards before the offenders ran off in the Queen Street direction. The victim wasn’t injured in the incident, but was left very frightened and shaken up.

Around 20 minutes later, an attempted purchase was made at a shop in Wharf Road using one of the stolen cards, but the card was declined.

A further report came in at 10.39pm that two men had allegedly been disturbed outside a property in Stirling Court in the town before stealing two BMX bikes.

Then, at 11.05pm, we received reports that two men wearing balaclavas and riding BMX bikes were acting suspiciously in the Castlegate area.

Officers were already investigating each incident, and pieced together links to each offence. Officers attended Castlegate and arrested the two individuals who has been reported.

18-year-old Triston Price, of William Street, Grantham, was found in possession with a large kitchen-style knife and a screwdriver. He was charged and remanded for one offence of robbery, one of theft, one of going equipped to steal and possession of a sharply pointed object in public place.

A 17-year-old Grantham resident, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found in possession of a homemade baton and a balaclava. He has also been charged and remanded for robbery, theft and going equipped to steal.

Detective Inspector Andy Wright-Lakin said: “This is a cracking result, and came about because of how well our officers know their patch, and how they approach dealing with incidents.

“Rather than taking each of these incidents in isolation, they knew what other incidents had taken place that night and were able to spot some patterns and similarities to link the offences together. The robbery was a particularly frightening experience for the victim, and I’m pleased we can offer her some comfort and reassurance in how swiftly we have responded.”

Both are due to appear at Lincoln Magistrates Court today (7 June).