A "desperate" drug addict walked into his local corner shop and robbed the terrified teenager working behind the counter, then ran off and hid in a wardrobe, a court has heard.
Anthony Bentley was tracked down and arrested 45 minutes after committing the robbery, but had already spent much of the cash he'd stolen on heroin. The court heard 49-year-old Bentley had a formidable history of offending including inflicting grievous bodily harm, violent disorder, affray, two dozen burglaries, and two robberies - one of which saw him using a two-foot-long machete to rob a woman.
Ian Wright, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that on the afternoon of April 1 this year Bentley walked into Spencers newsagents in Bush Street, Pembroke Dock - he said the defendant was a regular customer at the store and had actually visited twice that day already, once to buy a bottle of vodka and once to try to use the cashback facility on a bank card.
On Bentley's third visit he had his hood up as walked straight behind the counter of the shop where he "aggressively" confronted the lone female member of staff. The court heard he snatched a mobile phone from the teenager's hand and warned her that he "wasn't afraid to hurt her". The frightened shop worker opened the till and Bentley took a handful of £20 notes. Mr Wright said the teenager "bravely" grabbed the defendant's arm but the robber ran out of the shop with the cash, only to return moments later to put his victim's mobile phone on the counter before fleeing again. In total, Bentley got away with £280.
Read more: Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter
The police were notified, and the defendant was located hiding in a wardrobe in a nearby property where he was arrested some 45 minutes after the robbery. Officers found £60 in cash in the room, and after being arrested, Bentley pointed to a wrap of brown powder on a table. The prosecutor said Bentley had either spent or concealed the bulk of the stolen money, and it seemed some of it had been used to buy heroin. Attempts were subsequently made to interview the defendant but he was "uncooperative, obstructive, and aggressive" to the female officer who tried to question him.
Anthony Bentley, of Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to robbery when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He had also previously pleaded guilty to an unrelated theft committed on January 27 this year - this offence had seem him steal £259-worth of household items including bedding, a microwave oven, and a George Forman grill from the B&M store in Pembroke Dock.
The court heard Bentley had an extensive antecedent record including six offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful wounding, affray, violent disorder, and 25 burglaries. He has also committed two previous robberies - one had seen him snatching a woman's purse in the street, and the other had seem him using a two-foot-long machete to violently take £600 from a female collection agent for a loan company in Tenby.
James Hartson, for Bentley, said that at the age of 49 the defendant was "deeply ashamed" not only of his conduct on the day in question but of his record in general. He said at the time of the robbery Bentley had relapsed into uncontrolled heroin addiction after a number of years of abstinence, and that as a result he had accrued debts. The barrister said it was a sign of the defendant's "desperation" that he had robbed his local shop in the community where he lived and where he was known.
Judge Huw Rees said Bentley had confronted the young female shop worker and "persistently manhandled" her in his pursuit of money. He said courts recognised they had a duty to protect vulnerable shop staff. The judge told the defendant that as he approached the age of 50 he should reflect on his life.
With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea Bentley was sentenced to 59 months in prison comprising 59 months for the robbery and six months for the shoplifting to run concurrently. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
Dyfed-Powys Police are unable to provide a custody photography of the defendant
READ NEXT:
Man who preyed on children on Instagram 'cannot stop' sexual interest in girls
Former Foreign Legion soldier launched 'cowardly' attack in busy shopping street
Driver's 'momentary lapse of concentration' at roundabout caused death of much-loved biker
Asylum seeker threatened to burn himself alive in his Swansea bedsit
You can sign up to our regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here while this interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area:
