This is the moment a shop robber dons a Halloween-style horror mask during his terrifying spree across Essex and Suffolk.
Daniele Aldegheri, 49, used knives and a metal baton to petrify Co-op and Morrisons staff just before closing time.
In one desperate call to police, a store worker is heard telling the 999 operator: “We’ve just had someone hold us up with a knife and he’s just nicked loads of money.
“He’s just cleared out my till. He was dropping tenners as he went up the high street.”
Detectives trawled hours of CCTV footage, tracked mobile phones and traced vehicle movements to trace Aldegheri.
He tried to evade arrest and was found hiding under a duvet at his home in Bocking End, Braintree on September 3.
At Basildon Crown Court last month, Aldegheri received eight years in prison for robbery and possession of a knife in a public place.
The court heard he had previously served a sentence in Italy for the same offence.
Aldegheri targeted Co-op stores in the Essex villages of Silver End and Hatfield Peverel between February 14 and August 4 this year and Morrisons Daily branches in Braintree and Witham on July 30 and August 15.
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Braintree CID’s investigation into the four robberies established a clear link to a previous raid at a book shop in Ipswich.
On that occasion, Aldegheri was caught on CCTV without a mask.
Suffolk Police used facial recognition software to produce a 71 per cent match for Aldegheri. A vehicle attributed to him was in Ipswich at the time.
Essex Police Detective Sergeant Dan Smith said it was race against time to find the suspect, adding: “We were all worried, as all it takes is for someone to confront him, to take that step of getting into that confrontation, for that knife to potentially be used and then we’re looking at potentially serious injuries.
“None of my team like to see this happen to shop staff, or to anyone for that matter.
“We see someone being robbed at knifepoint and straight away every single person in our team is motivated to work on their own strands of the investigation to prevent this happening again.”
During Sceptre week, all 43 UK police forces are focusing tackling knifepoint robberies.
Essex has seen a fall in the number of recorded heists over the past five years as a result of securing lengthy prison terms for offenders.
During Aldegheri’s sentencing, his barrister said financial troubles had motivated him in committing crime and that he had never intended to harm his victims.
The court heard he had resorted to seeking help from a loan shark to fund the purchase of morphine for his chronically ill partner.
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston added: “His motivations do nothing to excuse his behaviour. These were terrifying offences which left victims suffering an ongoing psychological impact.”
Lee Hammond, head of security for the East of England Co-op, said: “This outcome reflects our commitment to dealing with crime in our stores and sends a strong message that such actions will not be tolerated.
“Crime of any kind can have a profound impact on those involved, their families and the wider community.”
A Morrisons spokesman added: “The excellent response from Essex Police has resulted in this offender being brought to justice.”
