An 18-year-old has walked free from crown court after he admitted a robbery which saw a woman threatened with a screwdriver.

James Culpeck, of no fixed abode, appeared at St Albans Crown Court yesterday (August 14) for sentencing over the incident in Station Road, Watford, on June 16.

Hertfordshire Police said a woman in her 20s was riding her e-scooter at around 4am when two men ran after her and forced her to stop.

They demanded the victim in her 20s hand over the scooter and threatened her with what she believed to be a screwdriver, before making off with the scooter.

Culpeck was one of two suspects who were identified following CCTV enquiries, while another man in his 20s was arrested and released on conditional bail while enquiries continued.

In court yesterday, the 18-year-old was handed two years of detention in a young offenders institution which was suspended for 24 months, as well as a six-month curfew with an electronic tag.

The result means he will not be detained over the crime unless he reoffends or breaks the court-ordered overnight curfew.

Speaking after Culpeck was charged in July, Detective Constable Ben Chandler said: “There is no place for this type of behaviour in Watford and I hope these arrests provide reassurance to the local community.”