Knife carrying masked raider jailed for store robbery

Knife carrying masked raider jailed for Durham store robbery

5:00pm Friday 23rd November 2012 in News By Bruce Unwin, Chief Reporter (Durham)

A DESPERATE drug addict armed with a knife carried out a robbery as staff were closing a Co-op store late at night.

William Lancaster, 42, put on a balaclava and confronted three members of staff who were locking up and about to leave the premises in Newton Hall, Durham, at 10pm on November 13.

Holding a kitchen knife he led them to an office where he told one of the women to put the contents of a small safe into a carrier bag.

Durham Crown Court was told that he left with 2,097 in the bag, taking off the balaclava as he went out of the door.

David Wilkinson, prosecuting, said by chance the father of one of the staff members was waiting outside the store, in Carrhouse Drive, to pick her up from work and saw Lancaster removing the balaclava.

Police were contacted and, arriving a short time later, were pointed in the direction Lancaster was seen heading.

He was found hiding in a nearby garden, still with the knife, the balaclava, gloves and a small amount of heroin.

A bag containing money was also retrieved from Lancaster, who initially denied the offence.

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Knife carrying masked raider jailed for store robbery