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14
Nov
Robber who threatened to stab Asda security guard in Harrogate jailed
A knife-carrying robber who threatened to stab a shop security guard in Harrogate has been jailed for two years.
Ryan Lee Preston, 26, stole three bottles of spirits worth £120 from Asda on Bower Road and then issued the dire threat to the security officer as he followed him out of the store, York Crown Court heard.
When the security guard asked Preston to hand back the stolen alcohol bottles, the brazen robber, secreting a six-inch kitchen knife in his waistband, replied:
Not tonight mate.
Prosecutor Brooke Morrison said:
When [the security guard] asked again, the defendant lifted his shirt to reveal a six-inch kitchen knife tucked into his waistband.
Preston, who was intoxicated, told the security officer:
Do you want to get stabbed?
He then placed his hand on the knife handle and walked out of the supermarket “while maintaining eye contact with [the security guard]”.
Despite the threats, the brave security officer continued to follow Preston out onto the street, at which point the robber looked back towards him and said:
Stop or I will stab you tonight.
Ms Morrison said the security officer “believed the threat” but continued to follow Preston a little further down the street, albeit at a distance.
Police were called and quickly identified Preston from CCTV footage of the incident which occurred at about 10pm on May 14. Preston handed himself in at a police station about three weeks later.
He was arrested and charged with robbery and carrying a bladed article. He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence via video link today (November 14) after being remanded in custody.
'Riddled with addiction'
Ms Morrison said that Preston, from Harrogate but of no fixed address, was under the influence of drink and “substances” at the time of the robbery.
She outlined his criminal record comprising seven previous convictions for 14 offences including low-level violence, public disorder and breaching court orders.
At the time of the robbery, he was on a community order which included an alcohol-treatment programme.
Defence barrister Susanah Proctor said that Preston’s life had been “riddled with addiction to drugs and alcohol”. She added:
This offence is a direct result of his dependency on drugs and alcohol.
She said that Preston was homeless at the time and relying on the goodwill of friends.
He had endured a “very difficult” upbringing which had led to “general criminality and a chaotic lifestyle”.
Ms Proctor said although Preston had his hand on the knife handle, he never drew the blade from his waistband.
Preston, a father-of-two, had told a probation officer that he was a “victim of the system”.
He was now receiving help from Shelter and the Harrogate Homeless Project to find him accommodation upon his eventual release from prison.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Dave Hunton praised the security guard for his bravery. He said:
My thanks go to the security guard who bravely challenged Preston, not once, but three times, despite the presence of a knife and the threats made to him.
This was an audacious crime and a frightening situation for the victim who went above and beyond to do his job.
The defendant knew he would be caught on CCTV so attempted to change his appearance by shaving his head in a bid to evade identification. It didn’t work and he was arrested a short time after the investigation began.
The security guard was extremely brave and thanks to him, a dangerous man who thought nothing of making serious violent threats to a person doing their job, is now behind bars. Violence towards our retail workers is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Recorder Patrick Palmer told Preston that although he had not removed the blade from his waistband, “it seems to me that in effect you did produce a knife”.
He said although Preston had got himself clean of drugs while on remand in prison, his pre-sentence report made for “worrying reading” and the offences were too serious to consider anything other than an immediate jail sentence.
Preston was told he would serve half of the two-year sentence behind bars, less the time he had spent on remand, before being released on prison licence.
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