TWO Polish brothers robbed a sobbing 17-year-old youth on a railway station platform and then offered him sweets.

The culprits were homeless, poverty-stricken and living in a tent, when they started hatching a plan to get back to Poland, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday.

However, their actions were branded as “an appalling crime” by Sheriff Linda Smith who jailed them both for nine months.

Bartosz Andrzejewski (19) and Dariusz Andrzejewski (32), of Preston, admitted that on 25th July, at Lochgelly Railway Station, while acting together, they assaulted Rhuraidh Donnachie, repeatedly punched him on the head and robbed him of a mobile phone and money.

The Court was told that after living in Preston for two years the brothers moved to Edinburgh to look for work unsuccessfully and ended up living in a tent.

Depute fiscal, Louise Ward, said the incident occurred at around 8.40pm. The victim was approached by the two men who demanded money and his phone. The youth replied, “I don’t have any money and my phone’s a piece of crap”.

However, the terrified teenager, who was “extremely upset” and in tears, handed over a £10 note and his phone. Dariusz Andrezejewski took the money and put it in his wallet, Bartosz took the phone, looked at it then handed it back.

The fiscal continued, “Dariusz then went in his bag and handed the complainer two items of confectionery.” When the train pulled into the station, the victim went on the train and by this time he was “sobbing uncontrollably” and was able to tell someone what had happened to him.

James Moncrieff, solicitor for Bartosz, said, “They were both homeless, living in a tent, getting income from begging and keen to return home where their father’s been unwell, and they made a foolish decision.

The solicitor added that his client “accepted that this could only be dealt with by a custodial sentence”. He added that his client had been told he would be deported.

Sheriff Linda Smith said, “This was an appalling crime carried out on a young man and caused him considerable distress.” She added that it was clear, from reports, that “something of this nature had been in your minds for some time”.

She jailed both for nine months backdated to 28th July, when they were taken into custody.