A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the attempted armed robbery of a convenience store in the Waterside area of Derry yesterday afternoon.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with the attempted robbery of the Day-Today store at Sevenoaks and with a possession of a knife.
A PSNI officer told Derry Magistrates Court that following a phone call from the accused, police went to his home where he admitted to them he had tried to rob the store at around 2.00pm earlier that day.
He also showed police a 20 cms kitchen knife he said he used in the incident as well as a gas mask he had worn.
Objecting to bail, a PSNI youth officer said police feared the accused would reoffend and told the court CTV footage obtained from the store showed the robber acting in a “very confident manner” and “aggressively” while brandishing a knife to staff.
The court heard the raider fled the scene after he was recognised by a member of staff who called out his name.
The witness told the court the accused had selected the store as he saw as a “soft target” as it was manned by only female staff.
Applying for bail, defence solicitor Seamus Quigley told the court the knife was one from his own home while the gas mask was part of a costume he had worn last Halloween.
Releasing the teenager on his own bail of £200 and surety of £700 from his mother, Resident Magistrate Barney McElholm ordered him not to go within 100 metres of the store and not to make contact with its staff.
Imposing a home curfew from 7.00pm to 7.00am, Mr McElholm instructed the defendant to “fully engage” with the Youth Justice Agency.
He added if there was any reoffending or breach of any of the bail conditions the accused was “leaving himself open” to being remanded in custody.
The teenager was released on bail to appear at Derry Youth Court on 4 March next.
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