The navy hopeful was handed fistfuls of cash as a reward after leaving a teenage boy with a ‘shattered’ kneecap
Riley Maloney, of Roughwood Drive in Kirkby, aged 21(Image: Merseyside Police)
A thug who left a boy with a shattered kneecap celebrated his crimes in the pub and was handed fistfuls of cash as a reward. A masked Riley Maloney sent two teenagers flying from the e-bike which they were riding before taking the stolen vehicle to a social club and selling it.
One of his young victims was left on crutches and off school for months as a result of the “callous” assault. But their assailant was ultimately caught out by his New Balance tracksuit and “distinctive” trainers, leaving his hopes of joining the navy in tatters.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, that two 15-year-old boys boarded a Merseyrail service at Maghull Station shortly after 7pm on November 3 2023, thereafter alighting at Maghull North. There, they were followed off the train and out of the station by Maloney.
Kevin Liston, prosecuting, described how the then 19-year-old defendant, of Roughwood Drive in Kirkby, was in the company of a female and wearing a black New Balance tracksuit at this time. He was thereafter captured on CCTV “lingering around” the area as the two teens rode around on an orange Voodoo electric bike, valued in the region of £3,500.
Having continued onto a path leading to the Poppy Fields estate with one of the boys cycling and the other sitting on the handlebars, they spotted Maloney standing beside a nearby bush. He then lifted his face covering in order to mask his identity as the youngsters approached before “kicking out at the bike with a high degree of force”.
Both of the teenagers were thrown from the bicycle as a result. Its owner landed on his back but was left relatively unscathed before tussling with Maloney, who warned him: “Get off me or I’ll smash your head in.”
The robber subsequently rode off on the e-bike and travelled to Quarry Green Social Club in Kirkby, where footage showed him sporting the same tracksuit and “distinctive” trainers he had earlier been wearing at the station as he entered the pool room and “appeared to celebrate with other patrons, shaking their hands”. One man then handed him a quantity of cash in “what appeared to be the male purchasing the stolen bike from him”.
The pillion passenger meanwhile suffered a displaced fracture to his right kneecap due to the fall, requiring two separate operations which saw pins and screws inserted into the joint. He would spend the following four months on crutches and had to take two months off school due to his injuries.
The rider of the bike said in a statement which was read to the court on his behalf: “I was only 15 years old at the time, and he was a grown man. I’ve tried to put what happened to me behind me.”
Maloney, now aged 21, has one previous conviction for four offences, receiving a suspended prison sentence for matters including dangerous driving. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: “The defendant is lightly convicted. He has previous convictions of a dissimilar nature. He has no convictions for violence, and this is his first time in custody.
“Apart from his plea, the best mitigation is always an apology and remorse. He has expressed in his letter how difficult he is finding his time in prison. It should not be lost on the court that the defendant was 19 when he committed the robbery.
“The defendant is appalled and embarrassed for what he has done to his victims, and also to his family and for the pain and suffering that he has caused them. He appreciates that he has done a lot of harm and just wants to try to work his way through this and be rehabilitated in the long run.
“The defendant’s four weeks training with the navy did not have a happy ending. He was told to reapply in the future. He was disappointed that it did not work out. It was his lifelong dream.
“If I was to say that he went off the rails, became involved in the wrong crowd and drugs and had a degree of helplessness and homelessness, that perhaps summarises where the defendant was at that time. He is off drugs at the moment. The defendant knows that, if he is to be rehabilitated, he has to come out of prison and stay off drugs.
“He has been able to go online for college courses in the past. I know that is something the defendant hopes to return to and to reapply with the navy. He hopes that he is successful next time around. There is no doubt that the defendant feels that he does have some mental health difficulties which he needs help with.”
Maloney admitted robbery, inflicting grievous bodily harm, the theft of a £109 Ralph Lauren t-shirt from Man to Man on Lord Street in Southport on May 27 this year and possession of a small quantity of cannabis which was seized following his arrest in connection with the latter incident. Appearing via video link from prison wearing a grey Under Armour tracksuit, two women in the public gallery were seen in tears as he was jailed for three years and handed a seven-year restraining order.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: “[Victim’s name], a young lad, had an expensive electric motorbike. He and his friend were on the train with the bike when you spotted them. You decided that you were going to follow them. When the opportunity presented itself, you then robbed them of that bike. It was planned.
“The bike was robbed using violence. It caused the other lad to fall heavily, shattering his kneecap. You were traced to a pub, where you celebrated what you had done and received cash. It was callous. It was planned. It was deliberate. It was violent.
“I take into account the fact that you are still very young and that your life is ahead of you. I have read references from your grandparents and your letter, in which you express genuine remorse for what you did. It has put paid, I suspect, to your anticipated career in the armed forces.”
