Steven Newbury, 18, even warned his victims, aged 14 and 15: "If you turn round, I'll chop you."
The father-of-two, who first became a dad aged just 14, was sent to a young offenders' institution for four years and eight months.
Newbury, of Ashley Street, Ordsall, Salford, admitted a total of 14 robberies, one attempted robbery, possessing an offensive weapon and contempt of court for a brawl with a co-defendant in the dock.
He appeared alongside two 16-year-olds, who took part with Newbury in the mugging of two students near Buile Hill Park in Salford on February 11.
Who else has been locked up in November? Sentences and photo gallery
Both of the younger boys pleaded guilty to two robberies and possession of an offensive weapon.
They attacked two teenage students who were on their way home.
One of the younger muggers, who was then 15, punched one boy in the face while the other, also then 15, threatened the second with a large kitchen knife.
They took an iPod and a mobile phone, leaving one of their victims needing 10 stitches in a face wound.
The two younger thugs - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - were each given an 18-month detention and training order at Minshull Street crown court.
One gave Judge Bernard Lever the 'thumbs-up' as he was led away to begin his sentence.
Judge Lever said: "It's a sad state of affairs that youths are doing cartwheels in the dock after they've been sentenced."
The court heard that Newbury had been among a gang of youths which ordered a group of 14 and 15-year-old boys to hand over cash, iPods and mobile phones in Peel Green, Eccles, one day in January.
Judge Lever
It's a sad state of affairs that youths are doing cartwheels in the dock after they've been sentenced
Newbury then ordered the victims to take down their trousers and took pictures of them using the stolen camera phones.
Judge Lever said the 'humiliation' of victims was an aggravating feature of Newbury's crimes.
Newbury had earlier attacked one of his younger co-defendants in the dock, claiming he had reacted to a sexual slur about a member of his family.
Three dock officers struggled to calm Newbury, who has previous convictions for shoplifting, being carried in a stolen car, possessing cannabis and burglary.
Who else has been locked up in November? Sentences and photo gallery
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (10/11/2009 at 10:56)
Well here is another one Newbury - taking photographs of children with their pants down leaves you wide open to taunts of paedo. I would have had you signing the sex offenders register for the rest of your life!
It is a travesty you have bred - your genes will not really help society advance!
PW, Manchester (10/11/2009 at 11:00)
A Realist, Manchester (10/11/2009 at 11:04)
Black Flag (10/11/2009 at 11:04)
Who are these mythical "do-gooders" who say this is a good thing?
PW, Manchester (10/11/2009 at 11:13)
Marie Lauder (10/11/2009 at 11:25)
Brook Lands (10/11/2009 at 11:31)
That's a big if, how do you prove that? And are you saying we should try or just give up on them?
MCFCANDY, M41 (10/11/2009 at 11:33)
Persepolis Young (10/11/2009 at 11:34)
Angie33 , Manchester (10/11/2009 at 11:36)
Al Jazeera (10/11/2009 at 11:49)
Judge Lever"
Well how about giving them a tougher sentence in the first place? Then they wouldn't be doing cartwheels or giving the Judge the thumbs up. Rehabilitation doesn't work. Prison is a institution of further education for criminals. They go in, they forge new friendships, learn new skills and come out again to wreak more havoc. And all the time that innocent people suffer, some sandal wearing do-gooder continues to waste public money on trying to turn them around. Build a prison ship with a hole in it, force them to clear minefields, get them to clean up the mess at Chernobyl, in fact do anything other than the pointless rehabilitation schemes we have now, because THEY DON'T WORK.................
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (10/11/2009 at 11:51)
theoracle1981, manchester (10/11/2009 at 11:53)
Another low life peanut head taken of the streets for the time being. He should castrated to stop the scum breeding more scum.
CommonTator (10/11/2009 at 11:58)
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside
10/11/2009 at 11:51
But back then we didn't have PC rules and regulations,instead there were proper sentences and punishments with the 'Peelers' being able to police without a hand tied behind their back.
Do Gooder (10/11/2009 at 12:03)
PW, Manchester (10/11/2009 at 12:08)
Angie33 , Manchester (10/11/2009 at 12:27)
Black Flag (10/11/2009 at 12:28)
This idea of the Peelers being given free reign is a myth. The police have far more privileges now than when Peel set them up, when they were essentially members of the public with no real extra powers.
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (10/11/2009 at 12:34)
My suggestion is to open up HMP Sahara desert, HMP Belgian Congo and HMP Chad desert. We ship them out to a tent complex in the middle of nowhere where they are guarded by the locals with guns and fed and accomodated for 10p a day each. The compound can be surrounded by an enclosure of lions fed on lettuce and there is a weeks walk in all directions to civilisation in the baking heat.
We get cheap prison accomodation (well its ok to offshore banking jobs) and the other country gets an industry and an economy ... the pride of earning money rather than relying on foreign aid.
The crims can talk to their families once a week via video conference - they can serve their full sentence and come back drug free....
Everyones a winner..
Of Denton, Tameside (10/11/2009 at 12:43)
Does anybody think we will tackle the issues in this article or are we on a slippery slope to hell?
No if's, and, or Buts , IRLAM (10/11/2009 at 12:48)
PW, Manchester (10/11/2009 at 12:51)
Black Flag (10/11/2009 at 13:05)
Most countries are happy to have banking jobs offshored to them. I don't imagine there would be the same enthusiasm for having foreign prisoners imported.
It always astounds me that the people who are most likely to be up in arms about the idea of foreign criminals being in the UK tend to be the same people who think that foreign countries would welcome British criminals with open arms.
annon (10/11/2009 at 13:56)
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (10/11/2009 at 13:57)
I'm suggesting the foreign countries imprison our criminals at our expense - and the crims come home when they have served their sentence. The Country gets paid for doing this and it generates an economy.
I have no problem with foreign criminals being in our jails - they however should be deported afterwards.
No hypocrisy here - a straight business deal that benefits both countries taxpayers.
You really should stop twisting and manipulating peoples words - else go the whole hog and become a politician !!