A cash deliverer thought his “death sentence had been signed” after a robber burst into a shop with what looked like a black pistol demanding he handed over £80,000.
Ashley Hodson, 38, stormed into the Newton Heath store and threatened to shoot the man delivering cash for an ATM. The quick-thinking shopkeeper locked Hodson and the delivery man in the store while armed police were called.
Hodson, who smirked in his police mugshot, has now been jailed for six years. Justin Hayhoe, prosecuting, told the court that Hodson entered the shop shortly after the cash delivery man, just after 4pm on March 23, immediately becoming aggressive saying "open the f***ing box and give me the money".
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"When he (deliverer) said he couldn't get into the box he threatened to shoot him on more than one occasion," Mr Hayhoe added. CCTV of the incident played to the court showed that the Oldham Road shopkeeper then quickly ran outside while this was happening and closed the shutters, locking both Hodson and the cash deliverer inside.
Hodson threatened the man again saying he should make the shopkeeper open it "otherwise he would be shot".
These threats were very much perceived to be real, Mr Hayhoe said, and his "death warrant had been signed by the shopkeeper" by locking him inside with Hodson. Armed police quickly arrived but in the meantime the man had tried to reason with Hodson saying he would be "far more trouble" if police found him with a gun. "He was trying to save himself," Mr Hayhoe said.
But Hodson told him he was his "hostage" before police entered the store and detained him. Hodson had two previous robbery convictions, Mr Hayhoe added.
Brendan O'Leary, defending Hodson, said that the CCTV did not show the full picture and once he had become trapped in the shop he made it clear to the cash delivery man he would not be hurt. Mr O'Leary added that Hodson has been showing "genuine remorse" for what he did and has since been diagnosed with complex PTSD by a psychiatrist.
He said he may have been in a "high state of stress" at this time as the offence came on the anniversary of his brother's murder and this act may have been a "cry for help". However, Judge Nicholas Dean KC said the most likely reason for the offence was he "had drug debt, was given a gun and told to get the money".
Mr O'Leary added that Hodson has a motivation to do well and put offending behind him as he is in a "strong and stable relationship" and has recently had a daughter.
Hodson, of Harold Priestnall Close, Newton Heath, pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. Sentencing him to six years in prison, Judge Dean KC said: "You undertook the robbery of a small shop. You used an imitation gun but he was not to know that.
"You issued realistic threats and managed to get the £80,000, although not for long because the shop keeper shut the shutters trapping you in the store and at that point he (delivery man) thought his life might be ended. You had drug debts which you were under pressure to pay and you were given a firearm and after some though you used it to commit a robbery with a motivation to repay the drug debts.
"You have expressed genuine remorse about your actions in March and you are in the early stages of demonstrating significant and sustained shift in attitude and behaviour. You are 38 now, it is time you stop offending, settle down and live a life you are capable of.
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