Girl, 17, robbed by knife gang for Playstation

Teenager tells of terrifying car park ordeal

A 17-year-old girl has told how she was robbed by a hooded gang at knifepoint after meeting someone interested in buying her Playstation. Keira Deverson, of Island Road in Sturry, has been unable to sleep since the terrifying incident, in which she was threatened with a blade and had her car tyre slashed, while her younger brother was chased and attacked with a brick.

The Herne Bay High School pupil says she had advertised her PS4 for sale on social media app Snapchat.

She was soon texted by a boy who was interested in buying the games console for £100. At about 8.30pm on Monday, she and her 15-year-old brother Lewis drove to Market Street car park in Herne Bay to meet the potential buyer.

But things took a shocking turn when the young man pulled out a large knife. “We were waiting about five minutes, then he came into the car park with three other boys,” she explained.

Seeing the group approaching with their hoods up, Keira began to feel uneasy.

“I was standing outside, and asked Lewis to get out the car too because they looked a bit sketchy,” she said.

“They came over and I showed the boy what he was buying. “He opened the box and he was aggressively rummaging around, and at that point I was a bit scared. He looked to his friends and asked if they wanted it, and they all mumbled. “That’s when he pulled the knife on me.”

“It was quite a big kitchen knife,” she added, breaking into tears.

“I just completely froze up - I didn’t know what to do at all. The others were just standing there, hovering around me and Lewis.

“He was pointing the knife right at my chest. I think at one point it was touching me. “Then he started threatening me, telling me to get in the car and drive away.

“He was waving the knife around me.”

One of the boys then chased after Lewis, picking up a brick from the ground and throwing it at him, hitting his foot.

“I was trying to get in my car,” said Keira. “But he started to slash my tyres.

“I managed to get in and turn on the ignition. I was just shaking, I was just so scared, mainly for Lewis. I didn’t care about anything else.”

As she drove towards her brother the boys ran away, taking the Playstation with them. “I drove right to the edge of the car park so we were hidden away, and called my mum,” she said.

“Lewis was on the phone to the police. I was just in tears - I couldn’t really think.” Keira says they were on the phone to police for about 20 minutes, but officers failed to attend the scene.

Her dad, Pete, rushed to meet them. He picked Keira and Lewis up in his car before driving around to see if he could spot the boys, who were nowhere to be seen, and heading to the police station.

Keira has not been back to school since the ordeal. “I couldn’t really sleep at all after,” she said. “I was scared to turn the light off in my bedroom when I went to bed.” Keira has also been left too scared to drive her Renault Clio. “I don’t want to look at it,” she said. “You just don’t ever think something like that will happen to you. And it’s scary.”

She says police believe they have found the PS4, but she is uninterested in seeing it returned.

“I want them to find all the boys, have them all arrested, and I just hope it all goes through court,” she explained. “Because it’s just not right. “He’s not scared to get a knife out, and he’s still out there.” Mum Natalie, 36, says the incident has left her angry. “Why are they carrying a knife?” she said. “They must be thinking in their head they will be using it. Everyone in the family and friends are supporting Keira and Lewis, and their schools have been amazing. “It’s not the kind of thing we’ve ever come across, and they are both good children - they’re quiet, they don’t mix with anyone like that. They’re not used to things like that.” Keira has since passed names of suspects to police, but no arrests have yet been made. Police say they are investigating.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to call 01843 2 2 2 2 8 9 , quoti ng r e f e r e nce 46/230659/19.

‘He was pointing the knife right at my chest. I think at one point it was touching me’

Keira Deverson, 17, with her mum, Natalie