A Carlisle man who brandished a knife during the terrifying robbery of two female assistants at a city off-licence has been jailed for four years.
Jack Connor Little, 28, had his face covered and a hood pulled up as he entered the Bargain Booze on Old Raffles Parade, Wigton Road, on April 26.
CCTV captured Little’s raid as he walked behind the counter towards the till.
He repeatedly thrust a Stanley knife with the blade extended towards one of the shocked workers, aged 60, as her 19-year-old colleague stood behind her.
The 19-year-old had been been checking stock as the robber approached and made his criminal intent known.
Little had demanded “give me the money”, and was handed almost £100 cash.
“I knew he was being serious,” the older shop worker recalled.
Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson said of that employee: “She believed that the thrusting of the knife was a threat that if she did not hand over the money she would be seriously injured.”
She had later broken down in her husband’s arms at home, described the profound effect in the aftermath and, Mr Rogerson stated: “She constantly thinks about being attacked with a knife, and sees the knife even when her eyes are closed.”
Her colleague, meanwhile, had also provided a moving impact statement, speaking of the effect on her and describing being absolutely terrified.
“I believe that if we hadn’t given him the money he would have stabbed one of us,” she said. “This will affect me for the rest of my life, and my working life.”
Little, of Hebden Avenue, Carlisle, was later arrested and admitted robbery having described, to a community psychiatric nurse the day after the offence, splitting from his fiancée and having “feelings of hurting somebody”.
His barrister spoke during mitigation of his mental health difficulties, said the father-to-be had been a regular visitor to the shop and insisted there was genuine remorse, reflection and focus on the impact of his victims.
Jailing Little, Recorder Kate Bex QC observed it was quite clear his crime had devastated the females’ lives.
“You went to the area where they were confined behind the counter and had nowhere to go,” she stated. “You had the knife with you in order to threaten violence.
