TWO men who robbed a 15-year-old boy and threatened to attack him with a hammer have been given suspended prison sentences.

Preston Crown Court heard how the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was on the phone to his mum when he was approached by 18-year-old Brandon Nicholas Leatherd and 23-year-old Mark Robert Owen.

Prosecuting Carmel Wylde said as he walked down Greenway Street, Darwen, at around 5.40pm on February 9 with his dog the victim began to feel nervous.

As he looked over his shoulder he saw three people, including Leatherd and Owen, and so ended the call with his mother and put his phone in the pocket of his tracksuit bottoms.

Ms Wylde said the victim heard a male voice shout: “Alright mate. Do you have the time? My battery is dead.”

The victim showed the defendants the time on his phone screen and one of them attempted to snatch it.

Ms Wylde said: “He was grabbed on the shoulder.

"One the the men said ‘that’s not your phone. That’s my nephew’s’.

“The victim said ‘no it’s not. It’s mine’. A male then said to him ‘just give me the phone or I’ll put a hammer around your neck’.”

Ms Wylde said one of the defendant’s ‘squared up’ to the victim while the other reached into his pocket and stole his Samsung Galaxy phone.

The court heard when the victim’s dog began to bark one of the defendant’s threatened to ‘boot it in the head’.

Following the incident the police were contacted and the victim identified Leatherd, of Greenway Street, Darwen, and Owen, of Edlestone Street, Oswaldtwistle, in a nearby street.

Ms Wylde said that during police interview both men denied having anything to do with the robbery but said they had heard about it.

Owen, who has three previous convictions for four offences and Leathered, who has three convictions for seven offences, both pleaded guilty to a single count of robbery.

The court heard that both men blamed each other for the robbery during interviews with the probation service.

Defending Owen, Kelly Cyples (CORRECT) said her client’s life had gone ‘down hill’ since the death of his stepfather in 2013 and he had turned to drugs.

Ms Cyples said: “He doesn’t want to continue on this path.

"He said to me he wants to take a detour and go on the right path.”

Defending Leatherd, Joe Boyd said his client had been on remand in an adult prison for four months and had found the experience very difficult.

Mr Boyd said: “As far as my client is concerned he has shown considerable remorse.”

Recorder Michael Blakey said: “This was a terrible offence.

"It was bullying in the extreme.

"The two of you were taking advantage of a young lad.

This was a a serious offence.”

Both men were given 12 month prison sentences, suspended for 12 months, and were told to complete 100 hours unpaid work. They were also made subject of three-month curfews and told to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.