Two men who robbed a teenage boy in the city centre last year were sentenced to terms of imprisonment at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Alan Elder (30) and Paul Stirling (35) were jailed for eight months and twelve months respectively, following the incident, which took place on 11th December 2017.

The 14-year-old victim had been walking alone along Lauriston Place towards South Bridges when the pair engaged him in conversation before stealing his mobile phone, jewellery, jacket and headphones as they reached Niddry Street.

As a result of inquiries conducted by Gayfield CID the men were identified as being responsible and subsequently arrested before being found guilty of robbery on Monday 4th June.

Detective Constable Stevie Herd from Gayfield CID said: “Alan Elder and Paul Stirling deliberately targeted their young victim, believing him to be vulnerable and intimidated him before stealing his property.

“Through our inquiries we were able to establish their involvement and bring them to court, where they have now been given custodial sentences.

“Tackling acquisitive crime is one of our top priorities and all offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly to bring those responsible to justice.”

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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.