A MAN who pulled a knife on a schoolboy and robbed him while he was selling homemade tablet from a stall has been jailed for 16 months.

Mark Harkness threatened the terrified boy with the blade and said he would “shoot” him as the youngster tried to earn extra pocket money by selling the confectionary outside a shop in Prestonpans.

Harkness, 41, then grabbed a bag belonging to the 14-year-old schoolboy, saying: “I’m taking this, this is mine – you’re taxed.”

The manager of the nearby B&M store managed to get the youngster safely inside the shop before locking all the customers inside until police arrived soon after.

The boy selling the tablet said he had “never been as scared” and had now been forced to give up selling the sweet due to the shocking attack.

Harkness pleaded guilty to assaulting the 14-year-old boy and robbing him of a bag when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and he was back in the dock for sentencing on Friday.

READ MORE: Knife-wielding man robbed schoolboys selling tablet

Solicitor George Henry, representing Harkness, said that his client had been on a downward spiral since losing his job during Covid-19 and had turned to drinking alcohol to excess.

Mr Henry said that Harkness had been living in Prestonpans at the time and his family had been targeted by local youths who he claimed had been throwing fireworks at his home.

Harkness had believed one of the boys outside the store to be “responsible for the attacks” on his family and “rightly or wrongly” had retaliated.

Sheriff Christopher Dickson said: “Taking into account the amendment made to the charges and the content of background report, this was a very serious offence.

“It must have been terrifying for the 14-year-old boy who was selling tablet and then the behaviour in the shop must have been terrifying.

“Given that, and taken with your record, custody is the only appropriate way of dealing with you.”

Harkness, from Leith, was jailed for a total of 16 months.

'I have never been as scared'

Speaking after the verdict, the young victim said: “I sold the tablet outside the shop every week.

“I was great at it and had lots of regular customers. I did it just to make a bit extra money and to keep me [from] hanging out with the wrong people.

“I was standing selling my tablet and my friend was passing and came to chat.

"Shortly after, the man came up to me and demanded all my things, including my bag that I kept the tablet in.

“He had the knife pressed against me and I must admit everything was a blur for a few seconds after that with pure fear.

“After it happened, he also swung the knife and the ladies in the shop were worried about me and told me to come in.

“They closed the shop and anyone who was in there had to stay in and no one was allowed out.

“The knife he had was big and when it was pressed on me I thought I was going to get stabbed – I just wanted to run home and I have never been as scared.

“He was definitely on something, whether that was drink or drugs I don’t know.”

The youngster added: “He scared me to the point I gave up something I loved and was proud of. I had sold the tablet for over four years and he put an end to that.

“I’m glad he won’t be able to do it to anyone else and I hope when he gets out he doesn’t do anything like that again.”

Previously, the court was told that Harkness approached the boy as he was selling the tablet outside the shop at about 4.45pm on November 6, 2021.

Prosecutor Alan Wickham said that following the attack, an “angry” Harkness entered the store and threatened two 16-year-old boys by shouting “he was going to shoot them” and that “they were dead”.

He then called the boys “f***ing wee b******s” and smashed a plastic screen within the shop.

Harkness pleaded guilty to assaulting a 14-year-old boy by brandishing a knife, uttering threats and robbing him of a bag and its contents at High Street, Prestonpans, on November 6, 2021.

He also admitted to acting aggressively towards another boy and uttering threats of violence towards him and to shouting, swearing, acting aggressively and striking a plastic panel at B&M on the same date.