TWO teenagers accused of conspiracy to rob after a woman was attacked at knifepoint at a Cumbrian town centre cashpoint have gone on trial.
Paul Stuchfield, 19, and a 14-year-old boy who can’t be identified because of his age, each deny one charge. This alleges conspiracy to rob, on January 16 this year.
A jury at Carlisle Crown Court has heard how, on that date, a woman was robbed at knifepoint in darkness at around 6pm as she tried to withdraw money from an ATM outside Barclays Bank in Penrith town centre.
Today (WED), jurors heard the contents of an emotional 999 call made by the woman – who suffered a number of puncture wounds to her lower body – moments after the incident.
The woman told how the 16-year-old masked attacker, who has since admitted being responsible for the robbery, ran off without cash but took her bag after a desperate struggle. “I am just in shock,” she told the operator.
A small knife with a blade bent almost to 90 degrees was recovered from the scene. The woman’s cashcard and car keys were later found at the 16-year-old’s home.
Stuchfield, of Kirkoswald, near Penrith, and the 14-year-old boy both stand accused of hatching a plan to commit robbery less than two hours before the other male’s cashpoint crime in a McDonald’s in the town.
They deny that allegation, and their trial continues.
