A BRAIN-injured Bournemouth man was robbed at knifepoint after a teenager conned his way into his home and threatened to kill him.

Details of the terrifying attack at Herbert Road, Westbourne, on April 2 this year, were finally revealed at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Prosecuting, Stuart Ellacott said 50-year-old Patrick Dalton, who suffered a serious brain injury in an accident, had been on the phone to his neurologist when the 17-year-old robber struck.

"There was a knock on the door and when Mr Dalton opened it he found the defendant crying.

"Mr Dalton invited him in to offer him comfort. As he sat down the defendant got hold of Mr Dalton by the neck, forcing him on to the bed," he said.

In a statement, Mr Dalton said: "He got hold of a knife I use to open letters and was squeezing my throat shouting: I'm going to kill you unless you do as I say'."

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, demanded Mr Dalton's bank card number and said: "Don't move or I'll kill you; I'm going to draw everything you have got from this bank. If the details are wrong I will come back and slash you to death."

Mr Ellacott said Mr Dalton had been frozen with fear after his attacker left but decided to call the Herbert day hospital for help.

The teenager used the stolen bank card to withdraw £490 from two Westbourne banks, sharing the money with friends and paying for a haircut.

When he was arrested later that day he denied having any involvement in the robbery.

Defending, Robert Grey said his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and been deeply affected by his disadvantaged upbringing, adding: "He has been in and out of the prison system and has not had it easy."

Sending the teenager to a young offenders' institution for four years, Judge Roger Jarvis told him: "One of the most distressing features of this case is your youth.

"You now come before the court for your sixth robbery; that is deeply worrying. The victim was particularly vulnerable; frail because of an injury he had suffered. It must have been very frightening indeed.

"You present a real risk to members of the public."

7:00pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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