Bolton schoolgirl's phone robbed at knifepoint

Shelby-Leigh McCarthy, aged 10, was playing outside on Sunday, May 8, when she was approached by a youth dressed in black, who took her phone at knifepoint, her family say.

The incident took place in the ginnel outside the back of her house in Tonge Moor, next to Moorgate Primary School.

Speaking to The Bolton News, Shelby’s father Eamon McCarthy, aged 36,  said: “She was just walking down the back ginnel and this lad followed her.

“He pulled out a knife and told her to give him her money. When she said she didn’t have any on her, he took her phone which was in her hand.”

The ginnel by Moorgate Primary School where Shelby was robbed. Photo: Google Maps

In a cruel twist of fate, Shelby had only just got the phone the day before.

Eamon said: “She’d broken her phone a couple of weeks ago and needed a replacement.

“Her nan got an upgrade and gave Shelby her old phone – Shelby was so happy with it.”

He added: “She had only had it for 40 hours when she was robbed.”

Eamon said: “He had the nerve to ring me and say ‘come get your phone you b*****d.’

“I went outside to find Shelby sat on the step by our back gate, crying. I knew immediately what had happened.”

Shelby-Leigh McCarthy

Eamon stressed how unsafe it is to walk around on the streets.

He said:“Kids are walking around with knives like they own the place, you don’t feel safe walking around.”

Eamon would usually have had a camera on outside the back of the house, but unfortunately didn’t this time.

He said: “I usually have a camera recording outside the back of the house, but the hard drive was full.

“You could not write it, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.”

The phone was a Huawei, with a pink fold-over case attached to the phone with glue.

Shelby's cousin, Destiny Carson, had been playing with her at the time of the robbery.

READ: Young girl's bike stolen in Tonge Moor by masked man

Destiny recently had her bike stolen by a masked man in Tonge Moor and had only had the bike for a week, having "waited and waited" for it, according to her mother, Kim.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "No arrests have been made and enquiries are on-going. Anyone with information is asked to report it online or via LiveChat at www.gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."