Jailed: Violent robber who threatened to shoot children if they 'did not hand over their pocket money'

Behind bars: Marvin Melvin-Browne has been jailed over a spree of violent robberies
Met Police
Fiona Simpson9 June 2017
WEST END FINAL

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A violent robber who threatened to shoot and stab children “if they didn’t hand over their pocket money” during a three-month crime spree has been jailed.

Marvin Melvin-Browne, 30, from Hackney, jumped an 11-year-old boy, pretended to have a gun and threatened to shoot him if he did not hand over money.

He also targeted a 17-year-old victim twice on two separate occasions, leaving him “scared to leave the house” in a spate of attacks between November last year and January.

The teenager’s mobile phone was stolen in one attack but he was unable to afford a new one, leaving him and his mother fearing for his safety when he went out, the victim said in an emotional impact statement.

Melvin-Browne, of no fixed abode, admitted to carrying out seven robberies and four attempted robberies between November 14 last year and January 21 on victims aged between 11 and 41 years old across Hackney.

Police said the convict “prowled the streets” under the cover of darkness to carry out his attacks, leaving members of the public fearing for their safety during his “relentless” crime spree.

Officers have released CCTV footage of Melvin-Browne targeting two teenage victims at Rectory Road Overground Station on January 13.

He was jailed for six years at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Paul Ridley said: "It is abundantly clear that the intimidating behaviour of Melvin-Browne significantly escalated as he continued his relentless offending campaign, threatening to shoot several of his victims including an 11-year-old boy.

“To target young teenage boys, on one occasion the same boy twice, as a grown man, with the clear assertion they would be stabbed merely for not wishing to hand over their pocket money, graphically demonstrates his callous nature.

"He often returned to the same venues, predominantly during the hours of darkness, prowling the streets to carefully select his victims.

"I must pay tribute to the courageous males who approached the police and investigation team directly, especially the young vulnerable victims, which helped us to identify and convict this notorious and dangerous defendant."

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