A 12-year-old has been found guilty of threatening another teenager with a Stanley knife in a skate park and trying to rob a bicycle.

The boy, from Epsom, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty by magistrates at Staines Youth Court yesterday, having denied the charges.

From yesterday: Epsom brothers, aged 10 and 12, "threatened to spill blood" during alleged skate park robbery attempt

He had been charged with threatening another teenager, aged 16, with the knife in a skate park in Long Grove Road, Epsom.

He was also found guilty of the attempted robbery of a bicycle from another boy, 16, in the same place, during the school holidays in April.

The court heard how there were a string of confrontations between the 12-year-old and various groups of other boy skaters that day.

Magistrates heard how he threatened the 16-year-old: "Stop laughing or I will spill your blood.  It will be all over the floor.  Do you think I’m joking?"

Giving evidence from behind a screen at yesterday’s trial, the victim said: "I was really shocked, quite scared and quite nervous. 

"I didn’t realise that he was someone who would be carrying round a knife at his age."

The court heard how, after this exchange, the 12-year-old then approached another boy, 16, in the park.

He asked him if he could take his bicycle, which he then rode off on.

The 12-year-old’s younger brother, aged 10, was also charged with the attempted robbery of the bike, but the case against him was dismissed.

The children sat together in the dock during yesterday’s trial, with their father sitting nearby.

Neither of them had previous convictions.