Thug watched as pal hacked at young teen

MACHETE ATTACKER AT LARGE AFTER ABSCONDING

- By ADAM EVERETT

A TEENAGER Googled "how many years in jail for attempted murder?" after his friend viciously hacked at a 14-year-old boy with a machete.

Declan Pendlebury and Robin Singh played video games and ate a takeaway together before donning balaclavas and heading out in an Uber.

They were then said to have hunted for potential targets from a "rival area" in a park before attacking their entirely innocent victim, who had been playing football with his brother and friends.

While the knife-wielding thug has since absconded and remains at large, his accomplice was yesterday locked up for nearly two decades after being found guilty of attempted murder.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Pendlebury took a taxi to Singh's home on Fairclough Street in Burtonwood, Warrington, at around 6pm on September 2 last year in order to apparently eat a takeaway and play video games.

But the two teenagers then left again in another Uber shortly before 10pm wearing balaclavas and a change of clothing.

William Beardmore, prosecuting, described how they were then dropped off in the area of Gaskell Park in St Helens, encountering the 14-year-old complainant, his older brother and a group of their friends on Pennine Drive. At this stage, Singh, whose whereabouts are currently unknown and was not before the court, shouted "are you from the 9s?" in an apparent reference to the WA9 postcode area.

The then 17-year-old, now aged 19, thereafter brandished a large machete and ran at the group, causing them to flee in terror. But the victim fell as he did so, with the armed youth thrusting the weapon towards his chest as he attempted to regain his feet.