Teenager groomed by African Apex gang leader robbed jewellery stores while high on ice so he could fund his 18th birthday 'in hotel rooms with girls'

Maker Mayoum, 18, was one of three balaclava-clad jewellery store burglars
Trio raided a Melbourne watch store and a Coburg jewellery store on July 7, 2016
The court heard Mayoum, a Sudanese-born refugee, was high on the drug ice
Mayoum told youth justice workers he was 'friendly with a few' Apex members

An Apex-affiliated teen robbed two jewellery stores to fund hotel rooms for spending his 18th birthday with girls, a court has heard.

Maker Mayoum, 18, was one of three balaclava-clad burglars who raided a Melbourne CBD watch store before striking a Coburg jewellery store on July 7 last year.

The court heard Mayoum was high on the drug ice when he helped steal $200,000 worth of jewellery. He claimed to be using half a gram daily at the time.

The Sudanese-born refugee faced sentencing for the robberies in the County Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty in February, according to Herald Sun.

One of three balaclava-clad burglars who raided two Melbourne jewellery stores on July 7 last year

Mayoum, his co-offender Akon Mawie, 18, and a 17-year-old boy were groomed to carry out the raids by a gang leader, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The gang leader, 19, promised to gift Mayoum and Mawie cash, hotel rooms and girls in exchange for the $200,000 in stolen jewellery, reports ABC.

'You may have ceased using ice in jail but you have demonstrated no insight into your serious offending behaviour, nor taken the many opportunities offered to you for reform under the youth justice system,' Judge Liz Gaynor noted.

The teenagers smashed display cabinets with hammers and stuffed a stockpile of watches in bags before fleeing the watch repair store in a getaway car.

After launching the smash-and-grab raid on the jewellery store, on Coburg's Sydney Road, the thieves were detained by brave citizens when they tried to flee the scene.

Judge Gaynor said Mayoum had had told youth justice workers he was 'friendly with a few' members of the notorious Apex gang but was not a member himself, Herald Sun reported.

The trio of young men are believed to have been groomed to carry out the raids of the Coburg jewellery store by a gang leader

After launching the smash-and-grab raid on the jewellery store on Coburg's Sydney Road, the thieves were detained by brave citizens when they tried to flee the scene

The court heard Mayoum had had told youth justice workers he was 'friendly with a few' members of the notorious Apex gang but was not a member himself (stock image of Apex members)

One of the three young men was sentenced to minimum of two years behind bars for the jewellery store robberies in the County Court on Wednesday

Judge Gaynor sentenced Mayoum to four years behind bars, with a non-parole period of two years.

Judge Gaynor deferred sentencing of Mawien for 12 months, offering him a spot on the Community Corrections Order if he stayed out of trouble.

The court heard he had smoked the drug for the second time ever on the day of the raids and had strong references from respected members of the community.

The 17-year-old co-offender walked free last month and was placed on a 12-month Youth Attendance Order.