Vodka thief stabbed man who tried to stop him
20-YEAR-OLD ARMED HIMSELF BEFORE STEALING TRIPS TO SUPERMARKET
A man has been jailed for five and a half years after he stabbed a member of the public who attempted to stop him following a robbery at a supermarket in West Drayton.
Barry Whittle, 20, of Peplow Close, Hillingdon was jailed for five years and six months at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, July 7 for GBH, multiple counts of robbery and possession of a knife.
Whittle was arrested at an address in West Drayton on October 17, 2019, following an incident at a Tesco in Chantry Close, West Drayton. This was the culmination of a two-week spree where Whittle had targeted the same shop to steal alcohol.
On that day had entered the shop in possession of knife and proceeded to steal nine bottles of vodka. When shop security staff challenged him, he threatened them with the knife before attempting to leave.
Whittle was grabbed by a man who was in the shop, who attempted to detain him.
During the ensuing struggle, Whittle stabbed the man in the shoulder and also assaulted the man’s teenage daughter who came to assist, before fleeing.
It was established that Whittle had entered the same supermarket on four other occasions to steal items. On each occasion he armed himself with a knife or screwdriver and brazenly brandished it at anyone who attempted to challenge him.
Whittle was also convicted of breaking into a car that was parked in Frays Avenue, West Drayton on October 6 and using a card he had stolen to buy items from a newsagent.
Detective Sergeant Reda Imane from West Area CID said: “A dangerous man will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars. Whittle armed himself with a knife and had no qualms in threatening members of staff, or using it against a member of the public who attempted to stop him.
“He plagued staff at the supermarket he targeted, no doubt putting them in genuine fear with his actions. I hope his prison sentence offers them, and those who stood up to him, some reassurance.”