A street robber who preyed on vulnerable schoolchildren while on the run from police has been locked up for three years.

And a judge warned Ashley Haywood he could face an indefinite term behind bars if he does not mend his ways.

Haywood, 21, threatened a 16-year-old boy with a Stanley knife while robbing him of his phone and iPod on Canal Road, Bradford, on March 5.

Bradford Crown Court heard today the brave sixth former, who was with his 12-year-old brother, chased after Haywood who threw the knife at him, wounding him in the back.

Haywood, of no fixed address, was on bail at the time for two robberies on December 29 last year.

In mitigation, Haywood’s barrister, Paul Flemming, said he had made a positive decision to get his life back on track.

But Judge Jonathan Rose told Haywood: “You choose to lead a criminal lifestyle against people more vulnerable than you.”

The judge warned Haywood it could be the last time he escaped a sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection.