Man faces jail for armed raid terror
A20-YEAR-OLD man who carried out a terrifying armed robbery at a designer clothes shop in Southport faces a custodial sentence.
Tadiwa Chihota, a former semi-professional footballer, claimed he was the victim of mistaken identity, but a jury took just two and a half hours to unanimously find him guilty of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery.
The jurors had heard how he threatened staff at Flannels, in Tulketh Street, with what appeared to be a Colt revolver but which was later found to be a ball bearing pistol.
He tried to steal three bags of clothing worth £4,100 but only escaped with a bag containing £1,000 worth of trainers.
He then fled the shop, which was busy with parents and their children, in a Ford Fiesta, bearing false registration plates.
It was followed by armed police along the Formby By-pass that afternoon, May 29 this year, heading towards Liverpool.
It reached 90mph, then turned off into a side road driving at 60mph before crashing into a garden wall in Ince Blundell, said Gerald Baxter, prosecuting.
It ended up on its roof but Chihota clambered out of the wreckage and over a garden fence before being caught by police and arrested. The gun was found on the ground near the car and the trainers were recovered.
Chihota, of Clovelly Road, Walton, admitted dangerous driving, handling stolen registration plates and fraudulently using the stolen plates.
But he claimed that he had driven a drug dealer to the shop and that the man committed the robbery.
After he was convicted he was further remanded in custody to await sentence on November 28.
Chihota, who defended himself, admitted he had received 40 months being bars when he was 15 for robbing a bank armed with an imitation gun.
He claimed he had changed since then but when cross-examined he admitted he had been buying drugs and minding some for the man he claimed was the robber.