A robber armed with a claw hammer who caused fear and distress in a shopping centre has been jailed.
Anthony Potts smashed a stallholder's till with the weapon, stole cash, demanded car keys from a shopper and struggled with a taxi driver during the early morning crime spree at The Galleries, in Washington.
A court heard one victim was working at a mobile phone stall around 9.30am on March 9 this year when he was suddenly aware of Potts. Neil Pallister, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court : "The defendant swung a hammer onto the till, putting a hole in the top of it and smashing it onto the ground.
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"The victim jumped back in shock. The defendant then shouted 'give me the money' and the man picked up notes which had fallen to the ground and handed them over to the defendant.
"He said the defendant was holding a hammer in a threatening manner, making him think he was going to be hit with it."
Potts, 34, of Wellcroft Court, Leam Lane, Gateshead, walked off with the money then approached a woman five minutes later asking if she had any car keys. A few minutes later he went up to a couple as they entered the shopping centre and asked the man for car keys.
He became agitated and moved the hammer to his right hand but was told to "jog on" by the man. He then left the centre and got in the driver's seat of a taxi as the driver helped an elderly customer. He threw the cash he had stolen in the air and refused to get out.
The cabbie eventually succeeded in pulling him out, although Potts snapped his car key fob in the struggle. He was then detained by the driver, members of the public and security staff until police arrived.
The stall worker said in a victim impact statement: "This has left me feeling petrified this could happen again. I usually feel safe at work. I feel he was fully prepared to strike me with the hammer if I refused to give him the money. I'm not the owner but it's a small business and this is going to affect the business."
Potts, who has ten previous convictions, pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and possessing an offensive weapon and was jailed for 45 months. Recorder Anthony Dunne told him: "These were extremely frightening incidents for everybody who witnessed your behaviour and was approached or threatened by you."
Fiona Lamb, defending, said Potts has been diagnosed with psychosis and PTSD and consumed a large amount of cocaine a few days before the offences. She added: "This is out of character for him.
"He doesn't know why he did it. He had £500 in his account and had enough money to buy cocaine so it was not for the money. He says he doesn't know what's the matter with him or why he did it."
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