Man who persistently threatened to 'slice someone' during raid on Dudley convenience store is jailed
A man who threatened to slice a shop assistant during a robbery on a Dudley store left her "traumatised, unable to sleep and completely changed".
Lesley Davies, of no fixed abode, has been jailed for more than four years after carrying out a raid on the Spar Convenience Store, Russells Hall Road on July 6 last year in which he stole £2,824 worth of cigarettes.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard he entered the store on a Saturday afternoon with a jumper over his head to conceal his identity. He then removed a Perspex Covid screen and wielded a machete, telling the shop assistant to empty the immediate area of cigarettes, which she did.
Edward Soulsby, prosecuting, told the court: "He approached and screamed at her, waving the weapon around and threatening to slice someone if she didn't hurry up and load the cigarettes into his bag.
"Then he ordered her to open the till, which she couldn't do, and again he was threatening to slice someone if she didn't hurry up before he finally left and was followed by the manager of the store who had witnessed the incident. He was eventually arrested."
