Man jailed for carrying out two robberies in one afternoon
Paul Whalley robbed a convenience store, and took jewellery from an elderly woman
A man has been jailed for nine years following two separate robberies carried out during one afternoon in north Liverpool.
Paul Whalley, 32, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday 30 August.
At around 12.30pm on Tuesday 13 June, Whalley entered a convenience store on County Road, in Walton, and threatened a staff member with a knife before stealing two bottles of vodka.
Around an hour later, Whalley was on a bus when he got off near Walton Road and followed an elderly woman.
He then grabbed a gold necklace from around her neck, which had sentimental value to the 85-year-old woman, before fleeing the area on foot.
Officers were called out to the scene and following an investigation, Whalley was arrested six days later.
Detective Constable Joe Butterfield said: “Whalley was behind two nasty robberies that would have caused huge upset and distress to the victims.
“To threaten an innocent staff member with a knife is appalling. No one should be threatened in this way while carrying out their job.
“Whalley then targeted an elderly woman and aggressively took a necklace from her, which had significant sentimental value to her.
“Thankfully we were able to arrest this individual and I hope his sentencing brings some comfort to the victims.
“Our message to offenders involved in robberies is clear - there is no hiding place. We will use all evidence available to us to track you down and put you before the courts." Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.