Doncaster armed robber jailed after threatening shopkeeper with metal bat and BB gun
Armed with a metal bar and a BB gun, he smashed a glass counter and demanded the shopkeeper empty the till.
A Doncaster man has been jailed for six years and eight months in prison following a violent armed robbery on a newsagent.
46-year-old Alan Carter-Ashton, of Lodge Road, Carcroft, was arrested shortly after his attack on the store in the Skellow area before 8am on January 8.
Armed with a metal bar and a BB gun, Carter-Ashton smashed a glass counter and demanded the shopkeeper empty the till.
During the raid, Carter-Ashton stole £8.97 worth of vape liquids and caused £380 worth of damage to the shop.
He admitted to robbery, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing an imitation firearm at Sheffield Crown Court.
Detective Constable Joseph Albutt of South Yorkshire Police said:
"This was a horrific armed robbery which could have resulted in serious injury to an innocent shopkeeper, who showed immense bravery and quick-thinking in defending the store and apprehending Carter-Ashton.
"The ordeal he went through, however, is simply unacceptable. No retail worker deserves to be threatened, harassed, abused or assaulted in the workplace and I can't imagine the fear he must have felt when faced with Carter-Ashton's violent behaviour."
"Carter-Ashton was identified by officers and nearby shopkeepers as a known and prolific shoplifter in the local area.
"We are grateful to the victim in for dialling 999 and reporting this incident to us, and I hope this case goes to show the importance of making those reports, regardless of the value of what is stolen and the nature of the incident.
"We will investigate every single shoplifting offence reported to us. The sooner we know about an incident of shoplifting, the sooner we can act, and we do see a correlation between early reporting and a higher prosecution rate."