A TEENAGER whose family moved from London to escape crime was threatened with violence by muggers who marched him to a cashpoint and forced him to hand over his birthday money.

The victim, who lives in Calne, went to Chippenham on Sunday December 3 with a friend to go in-line skating two days after his fourteenth birthday.

As he and his 13-year-old friend were waiting by the Butter Cross in Chippenham town centre to be picked up by the friend's father, they were approached by two men and a woman who asked the time.

As the group was leaving, one of the men tripped over the teenager's bag.

A few moments later the two men returned and the man who had tripped demanded a pound, claiming that he had hurt himself on the bag.

When the boy said he did not have any money, the man rifled through his pockets and found his wallet. He removed a five pound note and handed it to his accomplice who had his face covered with a tissue.

The mugger then found the boy's cash card and demanded to know the PIN, threatening to beat up the boy if he was not told. The two men took the boy, who tried to attract the attention of a man drinking in the window of the nearby Four Seasons pub, to a nearby cashpoint.

"I was trying to tell him I was being robbed, but he didn't understand."

The two thieves withdrew the £20 the boy had in his Britannia Building Society then returned the card and wallet and made off towards the river. The victim contacted the police on his mobile phone.

"I couldn't sleep for a couple of nights after it happened," he said.

The family moved to Calne from Hounslow in west London in July partly to escape a crime."You don't expect this sort of thing," said the boy's mother.

Police have applauded the actions of the teenagers, who were able to give good descriptions of the men.

The muggers are described as black, around six feet tall and athletically built. The man who did the talking was wearing a white hooded top. The victim believes they spoke with London accents.

In a similar incident on November 11, a 15-year-old boy was robbed as he was leaving the Smart Alec sports shop. The boy was approached by a black man 5'11" tall who demanded money. The boy handed over all his money £4.04.

Anyone with information can call police on (01249) 654455.