Teenager convicted of manslaughter gets extra two years in prison for knifepoint robbery in Milton Keynes

Robert Williams was locked up for manslaughter last year after he and his friend were convicted of killing 29-year-old Ronnie Wrighting in an MK street in August 2018.

Mr Wrighting was stabbed and attacked with a baseball bat as he waited for a taxi to take him home,

Williams had been jailed for six years for manslaughter and his friend, Zachary Lemonnier was sentenced to life.

The pair had denied the Browns Wood murder, claiming they acted in self-defence against the victim, who they did not know.

Today (Thursday) 19-year-old Williams was brought back before the court and given an additional jail term for earlier offences.

Prosecutors told how Williams had been arrested just months previously for a violent robbery he carried out on April 2 2018, where he cut a man's hand with a large kitchen knife.

Then aged 17 years, he was released on police bail following the robbery and shortly afterwards - on May 31 2018 - he approached the victim and threatened him, saying he would "find him and f*** him up."

Jacinta Stringer, prosecuting at Aylesbury Crown Court the victim went out on his bike at 4pm to ride around the Old Farm Park estate of Milton Keynes. It was an Apollo mountain bike which his mother had purchased for him.

She said: "He went under a bridge which connects two estates and saw two males. One of the males, Mr Williams, said to him: 'Give me your money or I'll poke you'. Mr Williams pulled out a large kitchen knife and, as he lunged towards the victim, he cut his left hand.

"Both of the males were appearing to be as though they were on drugs. Their behaviour was manic, as the victim described," said the prosecutor.

The victim, who suffered punches to his face during the attack, managed to flag down passing cars and he was assisted by members of the public who called the police. This led to Williams and the other teenager being arrested, the court heard.

They were both freed on bail but when they saw the victim again, Williams shouted out to him: "I want to have a chat with you. We are going to find you and f*** you up again."

Williams had admitted robbery and witness intimidation but his prosecution was delayed when he and Lemonnier went on trial for murdering Mr Wrighting, which they denied. They also denied an alternative charge of manslaughter/

Defending Williams, who was jailed for six years on February 26 last year, Laban Leake said the teenager was a changed man.

Mr Leake said: "He made some bad choices and he accepts that and that he simply went in the wrong direction by the time that he was 17. He is very much thinking towards the future. He is planning to start an apprenticeship in carpentry.

"He grew up very much, although emotionally immature, as the man of the house and did on occasions repeatedly intervene to attempt to protect his mother and the result of that was that he was beaten by his father on numerous occasions.

"This preceded this young man's downward turn into criminal behaviour and violence perpetrated by himself. It is in many ways a different young man who stands before you today. He is emotionally more mature."

Judge Thomas Rochford, who heard Williams had been completing courses at Feltham Young Offender's Institute, told the court the victim had moved away from the area over fears that he would be targeted by Williams and his associates.

The judge said: "You were at that time a man of good character. You have since committed an offence of manslaughter and you have also been involved in an affray.

"You are somebody now with a serious record for violence and if you come back before the court you will be dealt with by the court as somebody who has a bad record for violence.

"You have a release date. It would not be sensible for your rehabilitation to put that release date back so that you lost any hope."

Williams, of Tallis Lane, Browns Wood, was jailed for an additional two years, to run consecutively to the sentence he is already serving.