A KNIFE-WIELDING would-be robber who attacked a young man during a terrifying four-man attack at night was caught after his victim’s blood was found on his training shoe. 

Luca Hastie, 21, who was the only one of the four armed and mask-wearing attackers to be caught and brought to justice, injured his victim’s wrist as the man raised his hands to protect his face and suffered a deep cut to his wrist, Carlisle Crown Court heard.  

The defendant admitted attempted robbery.

Gerard Rogerson, prosecuting, said the victim and a small group of his friends had spent the evening at student accommodation, a converted chapel in Rydal Road, Ambleside, during the evening of August 22, 2020. They were watching a televised boxing match which finished in the early hours of August 23.  

Shortly before 3am, witnesses heard shouting and a neighbour who went outside to investigate saw two young men in balaclavas and armed with metal bars. Noticing the witness, one of the men told him: “Get back in your flat before you get hurt.” 

After he had done as the asked, the metal bar came through a glass panel in his front door. The victim of the attempted robbery later told police he had been in the living room of a flat with his friends, the boxing match having finished at around 1am. 

A man in a balaclava then burst into the room, followed by two other men in balaclavas, one carrying a metal bar and one with both a metal bar and a knife.  

Also, there was Hastie, wearing a hockey-mask and armed with a small kitchen knife. One of the men was demanding goods or money, said Mr Rogerson. Witnesses also heard the victims being told they would be stabbed. 

About six inches long, it was said to have a “heavy blade.” 

There was a chaotic scene in the flat, said Mr Rogerson, and during this people were running around and the man who was to be injured by Hastie ran into the kitchen, where the defendant cornered him. 

The victim was asking what was going on and saying that he and his friends had done nothing. Hastie advanced towards him and told him: “Give me your money; give me everything you have.” 

“Mr Hastie then lunged towards [the victim], holding the knife in his right hand,” said Mr Rogerson. As the victim raised his hands to protect his face, the knife struck his wrist with “some force”, causing a cut that was 4cm long by 2cm deep. 

The wound bled heavily.  

Hastie was caught as he tried to flee from the scene. An analysis of the training shoes worn by Mr Hastie that night showed traces of blood which proved to be a DNA match with the victim, said Mr Rogerson. 

When he was interviewed by the police, Hastie, of Church Road, Windermere, claimed not to have been involved but then added that somebody had to take the blame and it might as well be him. None of the other three robbers were caught. 

“Mr Hastie is the only man who has come before the court , largely due to the DNA evidence,” said Mr Rogerson. The prosecutor added that in March of this year Hastie was given a suspended jail sentence for drugs offences. 

These were possessing the Class C drug Xanax with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis. 

Mr Rogerson outlined the impact of the attempted robbery on the victim. He was left feeling jittery and had trouble sleeping, suffering from nightmares. He also lost half a stone in weight because he lost his appetite. 

Jimmy Vakail, defending, said the explanation for the defendant’s behaviour were two-fold. Firstly, he had developed an addiction to Xanax and had begun selling that drug in order to fund his own use of it. 

Secondly, in July, just a month before the attempted robbery, he had supported a close family member who had been a victim of a serious offence and had to give evidence during the resulting crown court trial. 

“His addiction was at its worst in August 2020, when this offence was committed,” said the barrister. “He didn’t shake it off straight afterwards; it takes time and it is not easy to rid yourself of addiction on your own, but he did that.” 

Before the attempted robbery, the defendant had no involvement in violence. Offering support to his relative during a difficult prosecution had turned out to be too much for him, added Mr Vakail. 

 Judge Ian Unsworth QC told the defendant that the offence, committed two this week, was serious. Of the victim, the judge said: “You and your compatriots were armed with bars and other weapons; and you in particular were brandishing a knife. 

“You verbally abused [your victim], threatened him and then lunged towards him with a kitchen knife.” He jailed Hastie for three years and nine months. 

The judge added: “Knives can cause very serious injury indeed and even death. What you did on that occasion risked very serious injury or worse being inflicted on [the victim” This was aggravated by it being at night, by the concealment of identities and by the fact that it was a group activity, added the judge.