Jail for armed robber, AWOL from army
A man who robbed a Dereham Road newsagent at gun point wearing a scream mask, has appeared in court.
The court heard how the 21 year old was AWOL from the army and was looking for a way out.
21 year old Joshua Ellis from Strouden Road, Bounemouth pleaded guilty to two charges at Norwich Crown Court: robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. Police arrested him shortly after he robbed Kim’s Food and News on Dereham Road on Easter Sunday. He was carrying an imitation firearm – a CO2, which was not loaded at the time – and wearing a scream mask.
CCTV footage showed how he gave the 18 year old shop worker 20 seconds to empty the till, counting down, before leaving with a bag of cash and scratchcards. A glove he dropped at the scene led the police to his address on Neville Street. The court heard how the incident had led to the shop worker not being able to sleep alone at night.
In explanation, his defence said Mr Ellis had fallen in love with a girl from Norwich and was looking for a way out of the army. He was due to be posted to Afghanistan and had “always intended to get caught.”
In sentencing Joshua Ellis to 2 and a half years for robbery, with one year for possession of an imitation firearm, to run consecutively, Judge Darroch said: “This was an extraordinary way to try to get out of the army[...]. It is absolutely no excuse for terrifying a young woman on her own in a shop.”
One Comment to “Jail for armed robber, AWOL from army”
Comment
interesting how girl is so terrified to sleep at night but still can work in the shop. Bs