TWO men have been jailed after they knifed a stranger in the back during a violent attempted robbery.

Kyle Mayes and Damien Johnson waited until after dark before approaching Iain Sach as he walked along Chaseside in Bournemouth on June 15 this year.

But after grabbing at his backpack, their “plucky” victim put up a struggle, and was stabbed in the shoulder by one of the thugs.

David Richards, prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, said: “As the victim was walking along, his rucksack was grabbed from behind and he was pulled around.

“He stepped back and saw a male in front of him holding a knife.”

The six-inch tapered blade was used on the victim after he kicked one of the men hard on the leg in an attempt to get away.

Fortunately, he was not seriously injured.

Johnson, of Ashley Road, Bournemouth, admitted attempted robbery and possession of a bladed article.

Mayes, 19, also pleaded guilty to the same offences, as well as a second robbery at a flat in Stourvale Road.

During the incident, he conspired with a young female friend to rob Jake Sweatman of his Blackberry Curve mobile phone.

Mr Richards said the defendant, of Ashley Road in Bournemouth, told his victim he’d “knock him out” if the phone wasn’t handed over.

Mitigating for Mayes, Brian Sharman said his client had behaved in a way “best described as ‘utterly moronic’.”

“I asked him, ‘What on earth is the point of it? You didn’t even know what was in his rucksack. It could’ve been some sandwiches’,” he said.

“I can’t offer explanation when I’m not given one in any coherent way.”

However, he said the teenager, who previously attended Portchester School and Kingston Maurward, is not a “hardened criminal”.

Nick Robinson, who represented Johnson, 23, read aloud passages from a letter penned by the defendant.

“[He writes] ‘With all the sorrow in my heart, I regret what I have done’,” the barrister read, adding that the defendant had called his actions “gutless, unnecessary and unforgiveable”.

“My client said, ‘I’m ashamed of myself and my children will grow up and hear of this and they will be ashamed of me too’.”

Sentencing both men to a total of five years behind bars – Johnson in prison and Mayes in a young offenders’ institution - Judge Peter Johnson said: “I have taken the view that this is a serious matter not least because of the injury caused to the victim, who is a plucky man.”

Detective Constable Ben Morgan, of Bournemouth and Poole CID, said: “I welcome this sentence and hope it shows other would be offenders that this criminality will not be tolerated.

“It was fortunate that there were no serious injuries.

“I praise the good work of all involved in bringing these offenders to justice.”