Prolific masked knifeman who terrified supermarket staff across Staffordshire could get away with Derbyshire crime spree due to justice backlog
A prolific armed robber who terrified staff at Staffordshire supermarkets as he demanded safes to be emptied has yet to be sentenced after being accused of another crime spree.
In March, Patryk Slepowronski, 22, of Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire, admitted seven knifepoint robberies between November 2024 and January 2025 in Staffordshire.
He targeted Co-ops, Tesco Express, Morrisons and One Stop Shops in Stafford, Upper Tean, Uttoxeter and Hixon stealing an estimated £15,000 from the supermarket safes.
The 22-year-old was due to be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court this week but instead was charged with another 15 serious crimes after police linked him to yet more robberies.
Slepowronski stood in the dock on Tuesday as 15 charges were read to him about a crime spree across Derbyshire using the same modus operandi. However, despite facing evidence linking him to the new supermarket robberies the convicted robbery pleaded not guilty to several robberies. Now, the Crown Prosecution Service has to decide whether holding a trial would be in the public interest due to the cost and Slepowronski already facing a lengthy stretch behind bars.
The slender pencil-moustached thief is accused of stealing over £10,000 in cash during robberies between July and December last year. Sometimes on consecutive days. The seven Staffordshire robberies gave him a haul of over £7,000.
Staffordshire Police detectives from its criminal investigations department (CID) had a major breakthrough linking Slepowronski to robberies when a DNA hit came back from a knifepoint robbery in Hixon.
The defendant pleaded guilty to robbing Shop Smart, Derby, on July 27, last year, taking £1350 cash, passports, driving licences and five bank cards. And guilty to possessing a knife in a public place on the same day.
He also admitted robbing Willmorton Stores, Derby, on October 5, of £500 cash and possessing a knife on the same day in public. On December 8 he was again robbing shops in Derbyshire, he pleaded guilty to taking £1560 from Airfield, Ashbourne and possessing a knife in public on the same day.
However, Slepowronski pleaded not guilty to robberies in Derbyshire on October 6, 14 and November 6 and 7 as well as possessing a knife in public on those occasions. He denied stealing £7020 cash from Somerfields Way Co-op on October 14.
Due to the new crimes Slepowronki's sentencing was adjourned. The Crown Prosecution Service will no decide whether a trial should take place concerning the robberies Slepowronki denies.
If found guilty the sentencing judge could only impose a prison term within the sentencing guidelines. For instance, the prison sentence for nine robberies would not be significantly different than 13 robberies. Due to the court system creaking with a giant backlog of cases and unheard trials as well as the money saved by not holding a trial, the CPS might let the further robberies to lay on file.
The public is already protected from him, as the prolific knife crime defendant has been remanded in custody since March this year and appeared at Stafford Crown Court via video link.
Judge Jonathan Gosling KC said: "I am adjourning this case to give the CPS chance to decide what action to follow concerning the robberies the defendant has pleaded not guilty to today.
"There is the issue of totality to consider. I have read the letter from his father and a psychiatric report but am not passing sentencing at this hearing."
The next hearing concerning Slepowronski's sentencing will tomorrow (Friday) at Stafford Crown Court.
