Stranded robbers had to be rescued (From Gazette Series)

Stranded robbers had to be rescued

2:31pm Wednesday 7th November 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

Two robbers faced an embarrassing wait to be rescued after they leapt 20ft down an embankment in a bid to avoid arrest - only to find themselves stranded on a riverbank.

Lewis Morgan, 18, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were being tracked by Pc Kieron Davies and his German Shepherd sidekick Tito following reports they had snatched a laptop and a phone from a woman at Duddeston train station in Birmingham.

In a desperate bid to escape, the pair jumped down a grass bank behind an industrial estate near Duddeston Mill Road.

But they were left red faced when they realised they were stranded.

The pair had to wait half an hour until West Midlands Fire Service arrived with a hydraulic lift to winch them out. Once lifted to safety they were arrested.

They admitted robbery at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, West Midlands Police said.

Morgan, of Crompton Road, Nechells, was ordered to spend 16 months in a youth offenders institute, while the 17-year-old was handed a youth rehabilitation order, a force spokesman said.

Speaking after the sentencing, Pc Davies, from West Midlands Police, said: "The victim pointed us to an industrial unit where the offenders were last seen scaling a spiked fence.

"Tito followed a scent until we spotted two men matching the victim's description walking by rail lines - I warned them the dog would be deployed if they didn't comply but they jumped down the embankment.

"It didn't do them much good though: they soon discovered they had nowhere to run and had to wait about 30 minutes until fire brigade equipment arrived to rescue them. Once lifted to safety they were arrested."