A 14-year-old boy had his mobile phone and headphones stolen in a daylight mugging by three other boys in the Brickfields area of Worcester.

The boy was approached shortly before 7pm on Tuesday on Brickfields Road at about 6.45pm by another boy, aged 13 or 14 who said his friend had hurt his arm nearby and they needed help to call an ambulance.

The victim followed the boy across King George Playing Fields to the back of Golden City Chinese takeaway where they were approached by a second boy, aged ten to 12, and a third boy was also present.

The boys threatened to hurt him if he did not hand over his mobile phone, an iPhone 6, which he did. A pair of red Beats Pills headphones were also stolen.

Chief Inspector James Baker said: “It is upsetting to hear that these boys stole from a fellow teenager, who was looking to help after believing that someone had been injured.

“Thankfully the teenager was not hurt in the incident and his phone has since been recovered.

“An investigation is under way to identify those responsible. We are asking for the public’s support by asking anyone who was in the area at the time who may recognise the descriptions of the individuals involved to get in touch by calling us on 101, quoting incident number 641s of September 12.”

One of the boys was described as white, about 13-14 years old, of average height, short brown hair with a curly fringe and very blue eyes. He was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt with stripes across the front, one of which was brown.

Another is white, about 10-12 years old, around 4ft 2in tall with short blond hair. He was wearing a black Adidas hooded top with stripes down the sleeve. There is no description of the third boy.

Mum Sabrina Day said on Facebook: "Alex is okay just shook up. Thanx all."