A twenty-four-year-old man was stabbed in his buttock after he refused to give his iPod to robbers this week. The robbery happened in Basildon, in Chesterfield Gardens.

The man and a seventeen-year-old friend were walking through the gardens when they found themselves the victim of a robbery.

Three men pulled up alongside them in a car, and jumped out. One of the men pulled a knife and instructed the frightened seventeen-year-old to give up his mobile phone, which he did. Then they tried to steal the iPod from the man. He refused to hand it over, when they stabbed him in the buttock.

The men then took his iPod and drove away.

Inspector Steve Ditchburn stated:

This was a shocking and violent incident in which a youngster was actually stabbed for his iPod.

Thankfully this boy was not seriously injured, but the outcome could have been very different.

We have good descriptions of the robbers, so if you recognise them, do the right thing and turn them in.

Essex Police will not tolerate knife crime of any sort and we want to take the people who commit these crimes off the streets.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crime to contact Pisea CID.