A masked robber told a Morrisons worker that he would 'smash their head in' if they did not hand over 10 boxes of Benson and Hedges cigarettes.
Amir Master made the threats to a female member of staff at the Brownlow Fold store in Bolton, a crown court heard. The 27-year-old had gone into the supermarket armed with a wrench and with a ski mask covering his face, prosecution barrister Alexandra Sutton said.
While holding the wrench above his head, Master told the terrified employee: "I want 10 boxes of Benson and Hedges sky blue". After she placed them on counter, Master smashed the wrench on the screen, before fleeing the store with the cigarettes. Ms Sutton told the court that the robbery was also witnessed by a 14-year-old customer.
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Despite his disguise, the member of staff recognised him as a regular customer and after being alerted to the robbery by a panic button, police were able to track Master to his home using CCTV. Officers found the boxes of cigarettes in a safe and a number of wrenches underneath his bath following the raid on June 18 last year.
In a victim personal statement, the member of staff said that her "heart was racing" during the robbery and it was the second time that something of that nature has happened to her at work. She added that it has had a "lasting, damaging effect" and that she feels "paranoid and unsafe".
Master, of Brownlow Way, Bolton, pleaded guilty to robbery. Bolton Crown Court heard that he has two previous convictions, including possession of a bladed article in 2014.
Defending, Mark Fireman told the court that Master has schizophrenia, which played a "significant role in the commission of the offence". He added that at the time of the offence, he had been off his medication for a week, due to a delivery issue at his pharmacist.
Passing sentence, Recorder Nicholas Clarke said that Master's culpability was "diminished" due to his schizophrenia and he sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
He ordered Master to complete a 12-month mental health treatment requirement and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He also made Master subject to a three-month electronically monitored curfew and ordered that the cigarettes be returned to Morrisons.
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