A TEENAGER has been jailed for more than three years for a series of knife threats and muggings on York youngsters.

Heather Humpage, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that in separate incidents, Lee Peter Burns, 18, held a blade across the throat of a 16-year-old, threatened to stab two people during a gang burglary on a 17-year-old youth's flat, and forced a 17-year-old off his £300 mountain bike with a slashing threat. All the offences occurred within a month.

The Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman told Burns said: "It does very much seem as if wielding a knife was part of your way of life during this period of offending".

He jailed the teenager for three years and seven months. Burns, formerly of York, whose family home is now in Blackpool, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob, carrying a knife in public, burglary, witness intimidation and breaching a conditional discharge imposed for being involved in car snatching and asked for a robbery to be taken into consideration. He was 17 at the time of all the offences.

His barrister, David Cadman, said Burns was an impressionable young man who had mixed with the wrong crowd at a time when he was living on his own for the first time.

Miss Humpage said the violence began at 11.10pm, on March 12, as the 17-year-old cyclist was travelling home along Bootham. Burns confronted him, said "that's my bike," and "do you want me to slash you up?" As he was holding his hand in his pocket at the time, the cyclist was so scared he got off his bike and handed it over.

At 10.45pm, on April 8, Burns confronted a 16-year-old, who was walking along the River Ouse towards Millennium Bridge with two 15-year-olds. Burns demanded the 16-year-old hand over any valuables he had and when the victim denied having any, held a knife first over his stomach and then against his throat.

"Don't lie, you know what will happen," he told the 16-year-old.

The boy managed to grab Burns's knife hand, but as the pair struggled, a friend of Burns joined in and the victim was punched, kicked and finally knocked unconscious by being thrown against a car.

Burns was on bail at the time for raiding a flat with others on April 1, a burglary which the group started by kicking in a door. During the raid, Burns made stabbing threats.

A few days later, Burns was part of a group of 15 or 20 youths who shouted threats at the flat's occupant in the street in an attempt to get him to withdraw his evidence against them.

Mr Cadman said that all the offences were committed when Burns was with other people, and he named two juveniles in particular. He said that Burns had opted to stay in York when his parents moved to Blackpool, although he was too immature to live on his own.

Updated: 10:42 Thursday, September 02, 2004