A cowardly mugger who only targeted vulnerable schoolgirls was jailed for four years today.

Ade Afariogun, 25, would ride his bike around schools in Rainham where he would single out young girls walking on their own before attempting to take their mobile phones.

His first victim was walking home from school when she was approached by Afariogun, of Betula Walk, Rainham, who snatched the mobile phone and rode off on November 11, 2013.

He targeted another girl aged 11 six days later before a failed attempt at robbing a third young girl on November 19.

Afariogun had only recently been released on licence from a three year prison sentence after committing an attempted robbery in 2009, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Judge David Radford, sentencing, said: “They all had a similar pattern and you clearly decided to target young people to seek to relieve them of things you successfully did on one victim.

“You plainly attempted to commit robberies of this kind on separate victims but police enquiries were undertaken and you were interviewed.

“You put forward lies and made completely untruthful excuses as to where you were.

“The three young victims had to enter an identity parade and each and every one of them witnesses picked you out.

“These were vulnerable victims and these were of an age where these offences would be distressing for the victims.”

The mugger claimed he was on drugs when he committed the offences and so did not know what he was doing.

Afariogun admitted a single count of robbery and two of attempted robbery.

An amateur footballer has been left needing facial reconstruction surgery after he was kicked and beaten as he lay unconscious following an attack by up to six men in Colchester.

Wivenhoe Town FC goalkeeper Richie Robins is thought to have been set upon after he tried to protect a woman.

The 21-year-old student was attacked outside Subway on Queen Street at about 03:30 GMT on Saturday.

He was out with friends after coming home from university for Christmas.

Essex Police said the former Colchester United youth team player had been punched and knocked out before the attack continued as he lay on the floor.

A spokesman said there had been about six attackers who were described as black and in their late teens and early 20s.

Officers arrested a 19-year-old man from Colchester in connection with the attack, who has since been released on police bail.

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Three men reportedly robbed a 14-year-old boy at gun point Friday night in the Chatham neighborhood, officials said.

The men were riding in a gray 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix around 9:45 p.m. when they saw the boy and stopped him in the 600 block of East 85th Street, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Darius T. Redd, 21, allegedly pointed a .22 caliber revolver at the boy while Cornell J. Bryant, 27, removed a Boos Mobile Kyocera cell phone. The men also took a backpack contain white gym shoes and a state ID, the Tribune reported.

Police pulled over a call later that night and recovered the cell phone as well as the gun, which they found on a floor board on the passenger side.

Redd and Bryant were both charged with armed robbery along with Early Ware, who was identified as the driver of the car.

Redd and Ware were reportedly held on $250,000 bond and Bryant was held at $150,000.