Appeal for information following knifepoint robbery in West Derby

We are appealing for information after a knifepoint robbery in West Derby on Sunday 3 January.

At about 6.05pm, it was reported a teenage boy was out on his pedal bike, cycling along Meadow Lane, when he was approached by a man on a bike and two women who attempted to engage him in conversation.

The man then produced a hunting knife, took the boy’s bike and iPhone 12 and made off in the direction of Muirhead Avenue. 

The victim’s phone was later recovered using the ‘find my phone’ app at the junction of Old Lodge Close and Meadow Lane.

The stolen bike, a gun grey Kona, is believed to be worth around £2,500. 

The suspect is described as a white man, 5ft 11in, of slim build who was wearing a black Mountaine coat when the incident took place. He left his own pedal bike, a grey Trek Marli 4, behind at the scene.

CCTV and forensic enquiries are ongoing. 

Detective Inspector Sean Kelly-Martland said: “Thankfully the victim in this incident was not physically hurt, but was left extremely shaken by the ordeal he was put through.

“We would like to appeal to anyone in the vicinity of Meadow Lane on Sunday night who saw anything or anyone suspicious to contact us.

“We continue to work proactively to educate people of all ages, make arrests and seize weapons to prevent others from being put through ordeals such as this involving the use of knives.

“You can help us by telling us where knives are stored and who is carrying them. We will take all reports seriously and take action to make our streets safer.”

Anyone with information on this robbery or knife crime is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 21000006394, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.