A 16-year-old boy was brutally attacked by a masked gang of 14 in Newcastle city centre after they spotted his designer coat. The teen was on his way to McDonald's with a friend on January 14, 2023, when the group commented on his £250 Trapstar jacket. Despite ignoring them, the gang followed and surrounded him, pinning him against a fence and repeatedly punching him in the face, leaving him with a split lip. They threatened to stab him and stole his coat, £600 iPhone, and £50 bag.
In a victim impact statement, the teen said: 'I want it to be known I'm a 16-year-old kid who was having a good night with my friend. I was attacked and made to feel my life was threatened by a much larger group of people. I've been injured physically and emotionally.'
Police were called and minutes later, Mohammed Moufareh, 19, of Gateshead, was seen wearing the stolen coat. The phone was later found hidden under a rock near the civic centre with Moufareh's fingerprints on it. On November 23, plain clothes officers saw Moufareh leaving Haymarket Metro Station and handing something to a man. Suspecting a drug deal, they arrested him after he tried to run. He was found with a bottle of Fruit Shoot containing ammonia, crack cocaine worth £100, and bulk messages advertising drugs on his phone.
Moufareh pleaded guilty to robbery, possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply, and possessing an offensive weapon. He also admitted handling stolen goods related to a robbery of a 16-year-old in June 2022. Kalalu Berhane, 20, of Byker, was convicted of handling stolen goods after a trial. Moufareh was jailed for four years and eight months, while Berhane received a 12-month community order.
