Two robbers were released from prison after apologising in court for punching a teenage girl and stealing her bike.Christopher Parris, 27, and Julian Washington, 22, had served seven months in jail after being arrested in May, pleading guilty to robbery in August.At their sentencing on Tuesday, Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo gave each a 15-month sentence, but released them saying the remaining eight months would be suspended for 18 months.As part of their conditions they must undergo an anger management course, said Mr Tokunbo.At a previous court hearing, the magistrate was told Parris and Washington accosted 18-year-old Sharifa Crockwell as she sat on her bike on the Glebe Road, Pembroke.Parris ordered the victim to get off her bike before both men pulled her away from it. As Washington tried to ride away on it, Ms Crockwell ran towards him swinging her helmet.Parris then grabbed her shirt, warning her, “I would hit a girl tonight,” before punching her in the face and stomach, with Washington punching her in the body. Washington then rode off on the bike.The victim needed hospital treatment for bruising to her face and abdominal wall.Both offenders told the court they were sorry for the incident, which Parris’ lawyer Charles Richardson described as road rage.Parris, who has a young daughter, said: “I did try immediately to contact her to apologise. I want to apologise to the victim again. She’s not here but I wrote her a letter. I apologise to the court, my family and to the community.”Washington told the magistrate: “My life is in your hands. I have apologised to Ms Crockwell and I have shown remorse. I apologise to my family, the court and the community.”Mr Tokunbo told the pair their lives were in their own hands rather than his.He dismissed the road rage argument as rubbish, saying: “I don’t buy that. Even if that happened, it’s not acceptable. It was callous, it was cold, it was ruthless.”Prosecutor Larissa Burgess had asked Mr Tokunbo to mete out a prison sentence of 18 to 24 months.But Mr Richardson argued the incident was “robbery with a small R” and Parris had been immediately struck by the stupidity of his actions. He and Washington’s lawyer Larry Mussenden both said their clients have been very apologetic.