Bury St Edmunds shop worker who had knife held to her throat in 'terrifying' robbery is 'scared to be alone'
A shop worker who had a knife held to her throat during an armed robbery in Bury St Edmunds was left 'traumatised' and is 'scared to be alone'.
Two women working at Tesco Express, in Lawson Place on the Moreton Hall estate, were threatened with knives and separated during the robbery by two men on March 23.
One of the women had a knife held to her throat in the 'terrifying ordeal'.
After one of the culprits was sentenced in court on Tuesday , a police officer has spoken of the impact on both victims, one of whom described 'being afraid for the lives of both herself and her colleague'.
PC Carly Laflin, of West Suffolk CID, said: "Anyone who believes that the only people who suffer in robberies such as this are businesses or their owners should think again. This incident clearly demonstrates that is not the case.
"People who work in providing essential amenities – which have become even more vital during the coronavirus pandemic – should not expect to have to suffer at the hands of criminals in this way."
Jordan Carr, 31, of no fixed address, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, where he was jailed for five years for the offence of robbery with an extended licence period of 12 months.
He also received three months concurrent for being carried in a motor vehicle taken without consent.
Carr previously pleaded guilty to both offences.
He did not admit to a third charge of possession of a bladed article in a public place, which was left to lie on file.
This was a terrifying ordeal for the victims, one of whom described being afraid for the lives of both herself and her colleague - PC Carly Laflin
A further two offences of theft from a shop and being in possession of a bladed article in a public place were taken into consideration.
These related to an incident at Sainsbury’s, in Bedingfeld Way, Bury St Edmunds, on February 19.
During the incident at Tesco Express, two men forced their way into the back door at about 5.30am as the two female members of staff were opening up.
The victims were threatened with knives and separated, with Carr ushering one of the women to the tills at the front of the store, whilst the other woman was forcibly dragged by his accomplice to an office where a safe was kept.
At one point during the robbery, Carr’s accomplice held a knife to the throat of one of the victims and made threats to stab them.
He said: "Do what we want or we are gonna hurt you.”
They stole more than £2,200 in cash and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, with £1,640 taken from the safe and £600 from the tills.
They also took the victims’ mobile phones and a set of car keys, using a Suzuki Alto belonging to one of the victims to make their escape.
Carr was arrested in connection with the incident a week later on March 30.
A 37-year-old man, from Bury St Edmunds, was also arrested in connection with the incident on March 30 and remains under investigation.
PC Laflin said: "This was a terrifying ordeal for the victims, one of whom described being afraid for the lives of both herself and her colleague.
"The victim who was dragged around by Carr’s accomplice and had a knife held to her throat has spoken of how the experience traumatised her - that she has been left scared to be alone and now feels vulnerable.
"Although Carr is described by the victims as not being as aggressive as his accomplice, that does not diminish his role in this incident.
"He participated in what would appear to have been a pre-planned robbery, with intent to cause undue distress to the people working in that shop.
"We treat offences such as this as a priority and as a result made two arrests just one week after the incident.
"I am pleased with the sentence given to Jordan Carr, but we still have further work to do to ensure his accomplice is also brought to justice."
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