Two teens sentenced for violent Manchester robbery

Two teens sentenced for violent Manchester robbery

A firearm recovered by detectives from Op Valiant as part of the investigation

Two teenagers have been sentenced to youth rehabilitation orders following a violent robbery in Levenshulme.

It is the latest result to form as part of Operation Valiant – our dedicated response to personal robberies across Greater Manchester aiming to keep the community and their belongings safe.

Samuel Mozimbi (30/05/2003) of Charnwood Road, Manchester, was yesterday (Wednesday 22 September) sentenced to a two-year youth rehabilitation order and 60 hours unpaid work after he pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery.

Derek Dapaah (21/05/2003) of Parkin Street, Longsight, was also sentenced to a two-year youth rehabilitation order and disqualified from driving for two years, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, one count of possession of an imitation firearm and one count of dangerous driving. He also pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in relation to a separate incident on 30 December 2020.

The collision that led armed officers to detaining Mozimbi and Dapaah in Longsight

The court heard how on Saturday 2 May 2020, the victims – two young men aged 17 and 21 – drove to Crowcroft Park in Levenshulme to meet with Mozimbi and Dapaah, who had set up a  meeting under the false pretence that that they were selling a watch they had advertised online.

On arrival the offenders got into the victims’ car to carry out the transaction for the watch, with Dapaah getting into the front passenger seat and Mozimbi getting into the back passenger seat.

Dapaah grabbed the 21-year-old victim – who had been driving the car – by the throat, before pulling what was believed to be a firearm out from his pocket and holding it to the victim’s head, demanding that the victim give him everything he has.

At the same time, Mozimbi pulled out a knife which he held to the 17-year-old victim’s neck and threatened to stab him before demanding he hand over his phone and coat.

The victim’s handed over their property which included their phones and items of clothing before seeing an opportunity to escape and flee from the car.

Dapaah and Mozimbi then drove the car away and were spotted about ten minutes later by firearms officers who were on route to the incident.

Knife
The knife used by Mozimbi during the robbery

When officers tried to stop the car, the men made off at speed which resulted in a pursuit, with the offenders reaching speeds of up to 110mph in residential areas, before losing control of the car and crashing it into another vehicle outside of a library in Longsight. Luckily there was no serious injury caused, although the driver of the other vehicle sustained a minor arm injury.

Firearms officers were able to detain the two offenders as they attempted to make off on foot following the collision.

Whilst on court bail, Dapaah was arrested again following a robbery in December 2020 in the Northmoor Road area of Longsight after he, along with three other males, approached a 19-year-old who was walking by himself.

One of the group punched the victim in the face before he was taken into an alleyway and threatened with being shot if he did not hand over his property and give his bank card pin. He was shown what he believed to be the handle of a gun.

The group took his laptop and phone and held the victim in the alleyway whilst Dapaah took his bank card to a cash machine where he withdrew £500 of the victim’s money.

All four of the group were arrested and charged following a long investigation with the other three males being juveniles.

Detective Constable Leon Cawley-Bowyer, of GMP’s Operation Valiant, said: “This pair had absolutely no regard for the safety of others, they threatened their victims with extreme violence before driving dangerously and at excessive speed through residential areas which could have easily resulted in catastrophic consequences for innocent members of the public.

“Although it was later discovered that the firearm was an imitation firearm, the victims would not have known this at the time. I cannot begin to imagine how terrifying this ordeal must have been for the victims who were subjected to a very real threat of violence.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the firearms officers who expertly pursued the car and arrested the suspects with no injury caused, and would like to reinforce the message that this behaviour is completely unacceptable and that the Operation Valiant team will continue to pursue criminals of this kind and ensure they face the consequences of their actions.”

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