A 19-year-old man will spend just under two years in a young offender institution after admitting to several drug crimes and a robbery.
Ashley Mukabeta, of Churchill Road, Leighton Buzzard, but is originally from Zimbabwe, was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court following an incident that happened in Milton Keynes in February 2022.
At around 2pm on February 22 last year, a man in his teens was approached by Mukabeta and two other men in an underpass near Winterhill.
He was rammed in the back by an e-scooter and was demanded to give the group his designer bag, coat and wallet.
Initially declining, Mukabeta placed his hand towards his pocket indicating to that he had a knife.
The items, which had a value of around £750 each, were handed over to the group, before they walked off back in the direction they had come from.
In a separate incident later on during the year, Mukabeta was approached for a stop and search in the city but fled the police.
He would then discard a mobile phone in some nearby bushes.
Upon his apprehension a short while later, it became evident that he was involved with drugs, in which he pleaded to the possession of a class B drug, namely cannabis.
He was charged on December 28, 2022.
During the sentencing, the court heard how Mukabeta’s family had left Africa for Europe around 11 years ago, with his parents securing respectable jobs in the NHS.
Both his mother and father were present at the court in smartly dressed clothes, with two other members of the family being in attendance.
The court also heard how Mukabeta was a ‘highly academic and athletic’ student, with the 19-year-old having goals of becoming a professional athlete.
However, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome in 2019 and spent a significant period recovering at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The illness, which causes issues with nerves and could be fatal, saw Mukabeta become briefly paralysed where he lost the use of his legs for a short period of time.
He also missed a staggering 18 months worth of education due to his illness.
Mitigation argued that once he recovered from his condition, it led him to ‘follow a path with people his parents disapproved of’, and that ‘he was groomed into dealing drugs’ by those older than him.
However, the judge, whilst sympathetic to Mukabeta’s past, jailed him for one year and 10 months for the two crimes.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Matthew Roberts, based at Aylesbury police station, said: “I am pleased to see a positive result for the victim of this serious crime.
“I hope that this result gives a message to others that the police will look to charge and convict those willing to partake in this level of crime.
“I would like to reassure communities that Thames Valley Police will always look to protect our communities and keep people safe, bringing offenders to justice.”
