A TEENAGER who threatened to stab a 16-year-old when he robbed him in the street has been given a chance to reform rather than be jailed.

Samuel Johnston, of Cheney Manor Road, told the youngster ‘I’ve got a shank’, which is slang for a knife, when he rifled his pockets in the late night attack.

But after being told the 18-year-old, who has a previous conviction for robbery, came from a good home a judge decided to put off passing sentence on him.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the offence took place shortly before midnight on August 16.

She said the young victim saw Johnston and a 17-year-old, both of whom he knew, walking along Faringdon Road.

The defendant grabbed him and tried to drag him into an alleyway before taking hold of his clothing in the chest area and pushing him against a wall.

After telling him to hand over what he had in his pockets by the two teenagers Johnston said ‘I’ve got a shank in my pocket; I’m going to stab you’.

Miss Marlow said the victim knew he often carried a knife with him as he had seen them before and though he didn’t see one he believed he was armed.

Both robbers went through his pockets, she said, taking his iPod Touch, about £5 in change and his house key.

She said Johnston handed back his mobile phone, saying: “You’re lucky I’m not taking your phone.”

When he was arrested the defendant told the police that the victim had threatened to stab him and he confronted him while the other youth went through his pockets.

Johnston pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery.

The court was told he had 26 previous convictions including a robbery in 2008 which was dealt with in the youth court.

Rob Ross, defending, said: “Sam Johnston is a young man from a pretty good home. It is clear that the root of his problematical lifestyle is, as with so many people of his age, is with an early introduction, in his case 12 or 13, to skunk cannabis.”

He said he had been in custody on remand for almost six months and now saw the world through clear eyes as he had not been able to get drugs while inside.

Mr Ross said he could now either carry on as he had done or change his ways when he gets out and had written a letter for the judge saying that.

He urged the court to consider deferring sentence to allow him to prove that he stay out of trouble, get work and stay off drugs.

Recorder Ian Lawrie agreed to put off passing sentence pointing out that he had already served the equivalent of a one-year sentence.

He told him: “I should be sending you to prison; that is where you deserve to go but I have taken into account a couple of features of your life.

“One: you are only 18. Two: you have spent a not inconsiderable amount of time in prison awaiting resolution of this indictment.

“I accept, though I don’t accept the full contents of your letter, that you want to change.”

He said he would defer sentence to August on condition he stays out of trouble, has stable accommodation, engage with drug treatment and testing, and try to get work.