Armed moped thief behind bars
Serial offender jailed after arranging ambush of bike seller
‘These were terrifying robberies’
DET CONSTABLE BENJAMIN JOHN
The orchestrator of an armed moped robbery in Manchester has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and one of dangerous driving. Aaron McKenna, 19, of Ridgeway Street, Manchester arranged to meet his victim – who had advertised a moped for sale on Facebook Marketplace – at a property in the Miles Platting area in May 2020.
The victim was then ambushed and threatened by a large group of armed assailants who stole the moped. The victim fled the scene but recorded the details that McKenna had used to arrange the meeting. This information would later prove that McKenna was the instigator of the robbery.
Around one year later, McKenna was involved in a second crime where a car owner was punched and kicked to the ground when returning to their parked vehicle, which was then stolen. He and a teenager (who cannot be named for legal reasons) also drove the stolen car at passers-by who had stopped to help. McKenna initially fled to Dubai but was arrested and charged when he returned a few days later.
As well as six years for the car robbery, McKenna was sentenced to five years and two months for stealing the moped and six months for dangerous driving to run concurrently. He was disqualified from driving for 63 months.
“These were violent and terrifying robberies for both the victims and will no doubt have had a lasting impact on their lives,” said Detective Constable Benjamin John of GMP’s Operation Valiant Team. “I am glad we have been able to secure a conviction for McKenna today and I hope this will provide those victims with a sense of justice.
“We are committed to ensuring the streets of Greater Manchester are kept safe and no one should go about their dayto-day life feeling fearful or like they may be at risk of criminal behaviour.”