Teenager demanded cash with hammer
ATEENAGER stormed into a convenience shop holding a hammer above his head then threw a bag on the counter and demanded cash from the till.
Keiron Harley, 18, from Bargoed, told police he tried to commit robbery because he could hear voices in his head telling him to do it.
Sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Michael Fitton QC described the offending as “very serious”.
The incident occurred at Top Shop convenience store in Bargoed on December 27 last year at around 6.30pm. John Lloyd, prosecuting, said the defendant marched into the local shop with a scarf over his face holding a hammer over his head. He approached the till where victim Naomi Price was the only member of staff on duty.
The court heard Harley put a bag on the counter and demanded money but Ms Price grabbed the hammer from him.
Mr Lloyd said the defendant “gave up” and escaped but was stopped by police nearby.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Price said she has recurring nightmares.
Judge Fitton noted: “She is not going to get over the impact of that event in a hurry. She is frightened to go out. She is frightened for her personal safety.”
Harley, from Park View, Bargoed, initially denied the offence to police but later admitted attempted robbery.
A judge previously ordered a presentence report focusing on his mental health. Harley accepted he had taken drugs at the time of the incident, alongside anti-depression medication.
The court heard he was experiencing sensations he described to police as voices in his head telling him to do “silly things” like robbery.
A prison doctor advised him that mixing his medication with drugs could give rise to such feelings.
Judge Fitton said: “There are no significant mental health issues to explain your conduct other than your own decision to take drugs.”
Jeffrey Jones, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and argued he had shown remorse through his guilty plea.
He told the court Harley was young and “immature” but handed up positive character references from his family and community.
Mr Jones asked for any prison sentence to be suspended rather than immediate.
Harley was jailed for two years and two months.
The judge imposed a five-year restraining order and made an order for the hammer to be destroyed.