A man faces six years in prison after pleading guilty to several knifepoint robberies that took place in January across Bedford.
Christopher Powell, 32, of no fixed abode, was sentenced on Wednesday (17 March) at Luton Crown Court for three counts of robbery and two counts of possession of a bladed article.
He carried out the robberies between 11 and 24 January, making off with a total of £330.
- On 11 January, Powell entered a shop in Greenhill Street, Bedford, where he threatened staff by telling them he had a knife before making off with tobacco and a bottle of beer.
- On 20 January, Powell entered a shop on Avon Drive, Bedford, and threatened staff with a knife for money. He forced himself behind the counter, where he opened the till and made off with £190 worth of cash.
- On 24 January, he entered a store in Brickhill Drive, Bedford, and headed straight to a till, and opened it whilst staff were elsewhere. When he was challenged, he pushed the staff members out of the way before making off with £140 in cash.
After an unrelated Stop and Search, Powell was identified as the offender when he was recognised from the CCTV footage at the Greenhill Street store.
Detective Constable Karl Heywood, investigating, said: “I am glad Powell will spend a lengthy time behind bars, and I want to thank a number of officers who helped secure extensive CCTV footage which assisted with identifying him.
“This was a traumatic incident for all involved and nobody should be confronted in this way while they are at work.
“I hope the sentence he received sends a clear message that this kind of activity won’t be tolerated and isn’t acceptable, and I hope Powell will use the time in prison to reflect on his actions.”
Powell received four years for one count of robbery, six years for the second count of robbery, three years for the third count of robbery and one year for one count of possession on a bladed article, all to run concurrently.
