CROSSBOW ROBBER JAILED
RAIDER INJURED SHOP WORKER BY FIRING CROSSBOW AT HER STOMACH IN TERRIFYING HOLD-UP
A SHOP assistant was left injured after a robber armed with a “fearsome” crossbow demanded cash and cigarettes then fired the weapon at her stomach.
Annalise Davies still has nightmares after the woman marched into the store with her hood up and scarf over her face, shot the crossbow and ran out with the cigarettes.
In a victim personal statement read out at Cardiff Crown Court, Ms Davies said: “I have trouble sleeping and I don’t like to be on my own.”
The incident happened at Bryncethin Stores on Blackmill Road in Bridgend at around 7pm on Monday, April 27.
David Pinnell, prosecuting, said Christopher Bessant was driving, with Esther Callow as a passenger when they pulled up outside the shop.
The court heard Callow got the crossbow out of the back and walked into the store with gloves on her hands, her hood up and a scarf covering the lower part of her face.
Mr Pinnell said Callow approached Ms Davies, who was working behind the counter, and demanded cash and cigarettes.
He told the court Callow then fired the crossbow, grabbed the cigarettes and rushed back to the car, before Bessant drove off.
Ms Davies was taken to the Princess of Wales Hospital, where she was diagnosed with injuries to her abdomen, including bruised kidneys.
She returned to work after a week, but now feels anxious in the shop, especially.
She said: “I am scared every time the door opens.”
The victim worries about leaving her children when she goes to work, in case something happens.
Police found Callow and Bessant with the car in a lay-by, trying to dispose of the crossbow and clothes they were wearing during the robbery.
Officers found the cigarettes nearby and the crossbow in undergrowth. The pair were arrested.
When interviewed, they both said they could not remember what happened and were shown CCTV footage of the incident.
Callow accepted they had taken heroin and Valium and claimed she shot the crossbow “accidentally”.
She said she was sorry and could not believe what she had done.
Prosecutors said she had 35 previous offences on her record, including minor violence, possessing drugs, dishonesty, shoplifting and breaching court orders.
Callow, 35, from Trem Y Castell in Coity, Bridgend, admitted robbery and possessing an offensive weapon.
Giles Hayes, defending, said Callow had problems with drug abuse and was in a “downward spiral”.
Prosecutors said Bessant had five previous offences on his record, related to drugs and driving.
Bessant, 34, from Ty’n Yr Haul in Bryn Heulog, Bridgend, admitted the same charges as his co-defendant.
Steven Burnell, defending, said
Bessant had little recollection of what happened and asked for credit for his guilty pleas.
He said his client had never been to prison before.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said people who work in convenience stores provide a vital service in the community.
He said: “This is a fearsome weapon which is designed to cause serious injury or death.”
The judge rejected Callow’s assertion the weapon went off by accident and noted: “The effect on Ms Davies has been profound.”
He jailed them each for four years, observing: “This was a joint enterprise if ever there was one.”
An order was made for the car and crossbow to be confiscated.