Wannabe gangster robbed phone from 'terrified' girl to 'impress drug dealers in Heath Town, Wolverhampton'

“Appalling” Malachi Smith, aged 18, targeted the little girl in Telford, ordering her to give him the passcode to the phone and not to tell anyone what happened, leaving her “extremely distressed”.

Shrewsbury Crown Court was told that Smith’s dad was living in Heath Town, Wolverhampton, and he wanted to impress drug dealers in the area.

However, his barrister said that if Smith tried to rob someone his own size, he “hasn’t got it in him”.

Smith, who was 17 at the time of the offences, targeted the little girl at around 6.30pm on April 22 last year.

The court was told she went to the corner shop on her scooter and that Smith was hanging around outside with two other males.

Smith then followed her on his bike and asked her for the time.

“She sensed he was following and stopped because she didn’t want him to know where she lived,” said Rosemary Proctor, prosecuting.

“She got her phone out and showed him (the time) and she said his eyes went wide.

“He told her to give him the phone and not to tell anyone.” She handed him the £250 iPhone and Smith made off on his bike.

The girl went to a nearby friend’s house and was taken home.

'Scared of strangers'

In a victim impact statement, the girl said the robbery had made her “scared of strangers I don’t know” and “nervous” of going out.