Two Braintree brothers were left terrified after they were trapped on a train and robbed.
A teenager could be locked up after being found guilty for his part in the robbery and false imprisonment, after stopping the young pair from getting off in their home town.
Five youths had confronted the brothers aged 14 and 17 shortly after they got on the train at Braintree Freeport on October 20 last year.
By the time they reached London, the youths had stolen a mobile phone, a gold chain, a sovereign ring and a small amount of cash from the brothers, a court heard.
The Chelmsford Crown Court trial heard how the brothers from Braintree had got on the train at Chelmsford at about 5pm and when it stopped at Braintree Freeport, the five youths got on and became loud and aggressive towards the brothers.
The group prevented the brothers from getting off at Braintree and after the train set off back to London, one of the bigger youths in the group started picking on the older brother and commenting on a gold chain he had.
"I went to get off the train and they got more aggressive," the older brother said.
They were taking the mickey out of me saying give me the chain or I will hit you.
"I handed the chain over because I was scared they might do something to me or my brother," the teenager said.
And he added: "Their manner was very aggressive towards us. I felt we were being bullied. At each station I asked to get off but they said no, we were staying on the train. They said it in an aggressive way and they also said sit down or we will stab you although I did not see a knife.
"The whole thing lasted about an hour," the teenager said.
A 17-year-old youth from Kennington, South London, denied being part of the group and claimed he knew nothing about the robbery.
He cannot be named for legal reasons and denied charges of robbery and false imprisonment but was convicted after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Sentence was adjourned for reports but Recorder Rodger Hayward-Smith QC told the youth a custodial sentence was possible.
The older victim said the 17-year-old was not the ringleader and did not play an active role.
But he added: "He laughed at me and joined in with the abuse. His behaviour made me feel small and humiliated."
Published Tuesday October 22, 2002
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