A teenager has been jailed for nearly three years for robbing two schoolboys in an underpass.

Gerome Ijoyah, 18, of Miller Road, Waddon, punched one boy repeatedly in the face before stealing his friend's mountain bike in Croydon on October 15 last year.

Ijoyah approached the two boys, both aged 15 and riding bikes, in the underpass beneath Roman Way at about 10pm.

He blocked one boy's path and demanded he give him his mountain bike. When the victim moved away, Ijoyah targeted the second boy and punched him several times in the face.

But after failing to prise the bike from the boy's hands, he moved back to the first victim and seized his bike, worth £400.

Ijoyah's and two friends, who picked up his own bike, then fled. 

One of the victims' parents took the boys on drive around the area and spotted Ijoyah entering a house in Southbride Road. They told the police, who confirmed Ijoyah had been there that night.

They arrested him on November 14 and charged him with robbery. The bike was never found. 

Ijoyah was found guilty on Wednesday after a trial at Croydon Crown Court and jailed for 30 months for robbery, plus a further four months for breaching a suspended sentence.

Detective Constable Hayley Rodgers, of Croydon police, said: "This was a violent robbery, where Ijoyah assaulted one of the victims and stole an expensive mountain bike. Ijoyah denied being responsible, but from the evidence we gathered, the jury were convinced that he was behind it.

She added: "The case also shows the importance of reporting robberies to police as soon as possible.

"A lot of robberies that we go on to solve are where we've been called immediately after the offence. We have then been able to quickly locate or identify the suspect, so it's really important people call police as soon as possible in this situation."