A machete-wielding teen who carried out a series of violent bike robberies in Richmond Park, with one of his victims a British professional cyclist, has been convicted following a hearing at Wimbledon Youth Court on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old boy who was just 15 at the time, had admitted to two counts of robbery, an attempted robbery, and possession of criminal property back in March of this year, and was sentenced to 12 months in youth custody yesterday.

Detective Constable Ian Croxford said: "The defendant carried out a number of terrifying offences with no regard for the safety of the victims or the injuries he could cause by ramming them off their bikes and dragging them along the road. It was only by good fortune that none of them were more seriously hurt.

"All of the victims have spoken of the effect these robberies have had on their lives. No-one should have to change the way they behave because of the violent actions of others and we are pleased that this defendant has now been prosecuted."

On Thursday, 7 October 2021, the teenager travelled to Richmond Park on a stolen moped, accompanied by three other males.

Once there, he targeted a man riding a high-value bike, following him at speed and deliberately crashing into his side to knock him off.

The victim, cyclist and Team GB rider Alex Richardson, was dragged across the road at speed as he held onto his bike, worth £15,000.

The father-of-two who lives in south west London, was then threatened with a large machete and handed over his bike, he was left with injuries to his ribs, back, knees, ankles and arms whilst also suffering pain as a result of hitting the road.

Mr Richardson suffered from multiple injuries following the terrifying robbery (Credit: @alexrichitaly)

While police investigations were ongoing, two further offences then took place in Richmond Park on Monday, 11 October 2021.

At around 5pm, a man in his 50s was confronted for his bike on Roehampton Lane but managed to escape after the suspects, including the teenager, failed to drive into him.

Moments later, the defendant rode into a second man on Danebury Avenue threatening him with a machete and stole his bike which was worth more than £5,000.

Royal Parks police stationed officers near Roehampton Gate during the investigations to offer reassurance to cyclists and act as a deterrent (Credit: Richmond Cycling Campaign)

Officers from the Met's Operation Venice team carried out enquiries, including a comprehensive CCTV trawl, which led to the identification of the 15-year-old as their key suspect.

Although identified from CCTV, they did not find him in a series of property raids on October 15.

However when officers went for breakfast in a nearby café following the raids, to discuss next steps, the boy - with a machete tucked down his trousers and a balaclava and £1,500 in cash – walked in and was promptly arrested.

Mr Richardson's £15,000 stolen bike. Police officers discovered a picture of the bike on the defendant's phone which had been taken minutes after the violent robbery (Credit: Metropolitan Police)

The teenager, who lives in Wandsworth, was charged with the offences almost a year and a half after his arrest, and pleaded guilty at the second court hearing.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Richardson said: "This crime made me fear for my life; I thought I could be murdered at that moment and it continues to cause feelings of anxiety, stress, sleepless nights and a fear to my family's safety to the point we have hired overnight security at our property on more than one occasion.

"I have a huge fear of riding my bike now on open roads in the UK as this could happen again at any time. My children have also been affected, they have had disturbed sleep and are traumatised by what they saw in the evening with my physical injuries.

"No one should have to feel this way. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have."

Detective Constable Ian Croxford, added: "I want to sincerely thank the public who responded to our media appeal about this incident and shared videos from their cameras and CCTV.

"We would always ask victims or witnesses to contact us as soon as a robbery occurs – the 'golden hour' is critical to us in gathering crucial evidence and suspect descriptions which helps us to catch the offenders. We know the impact robberies have on each and every victim and we are determined to both reduce the number of offences that take place as well as improving our detection rates."