A TEENAGE menace pretended his mobile phone was a gun during a failed robbery and kicked the wing mirrors off two cars during a 'bizarre' episode in Worcester.

Kyle Cannaway carried out the offences, which included threats to shoot and stab his victim, in Worcester after a drink and cocaine binge, pretending to faint when police arrived to arrest him.

Lugging a black holdall ready for jail, the 18-year of Ashford Road, Worcester was handed a suspended sentence at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, walking free with his mum who came to support him.

He had previously admitted attempted robbery and two counts of criminal damage after lashing out at two Vauxhall Corsas, both owned by the same victim. All offences took place on New Year's Eve 2020 when Cannaway was still a youth.

His advocate, Leanne Ballato, who cited a doctor's report explained that her client has suicidal tendencies, a history of self-harm, autism, ADHD and a neurological disorder.

John Brotherton, prosecuting, said Cannaway was on Lambert Road, St John's, Worcester at around 9pm on December 31.

CCTV showed him stumbling and holding his head and at one stage he was observed lying down in the street.

"He appears to be intoxicated" said Mr Brotherton.

Cannaway, who has since been made subject to a criminal behaviour order, is seen standing alongside the cars when he 'kicks out at the wing mirrors, snapping off each of them'.

The estimated cost of replacing each wing mirror was £250. The attempted robbery happened 20 minutes later in Henwick Road when a different victim was approached by Cannaway who emerged from a nearby alleyway.

"The defendant shouted for him to stop and approached with his hooded top up. He is holding a silver object outstretched before him in the manner of holding a firearm and says 'give me your phone or I will shoot you!'"

The victim initially put his hands up. "He was in fact holding a mobile phone and not a handgun" said Mr Brotherton.

When the victim realised the item was not a gun, he 'refused to hand over his phone'.

Cannaway, who was standing about 6ft away, then said: "I've got a knife. I will cut you."

By now the victim did not believe him and challenged him as Cannaway 'continued to threaten to stab him'. Cannaway then said he would let the man go if he told him his name. When a driver intervened, Cannaway said: "Go away or I will shoot the car!"

The driver left the area and Cannaway said to the victim: "Let's go into town."

When the victim refused, the defendant began to talk about his depression and of 'wanting to jump off the river bridge, taking the complainant with him'.

Mr Brotherton added: "At that point the complainant walked away. The defendant told him he would stab his mother and threw a rock at him. That missed and the defendant ran away, down the nearby alleyway."

In a victim personal statement, the complainant, who had lived in the city for four years, said he had left the area because of what happened and had found a job elsewhere.

"He became afraid to be in Worcester, not wanting to come across the defendant again. He could no longer face walking down that road as the memories still haunt him" said the prosecutor.

Police arrested Cannaway at Goldsmith Road in Worcester. "He appeared to feign losing consciousness and told officers he had smoked 5g of crack cocaine" said Mr Brotherton.

Judge James Burbidge QC accepted that the custody threshold was crossed for what he called 'bizarre' behaviour. However, he said Cannaway had 'a really troubled past', that he had a neurological development disability, that he had self-harmed in the past and had 'ended up in hospital because of your suicidal tendencies',

He said: "Ordinarily somebody who commits the crime of attempted robbery would go to custody."

The judge also bore in mind that Cannaway was 17 at the time of the offences.

He sentenced him to 18 months in prison suspended for 12 months for the attempted robbery. Concurrent one month prison sentences, each suspended for a year, were imposed for the the criminal damage matters.

Cannaway must also complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. No order was made for costs. A statutory victim surcharge, calculated administratively, will apply.