A man who carried out an armed robbery at a Best-one store in Accrington, Lancashire, has been jailed for more than five years. Lee Willson, 30, of Gratton Road, Bradford, appeared for sentencing at Preston Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to robbery, possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and theft from a shop.
Robbery at Blackburn Road store
Willson pulled on a skull mask before entering the Best-one shop on Blackburn Road and pointed a fake firearm with a silencer at the lone cashier. He made several demands for the victim to open the till and give him money.
Willson then said “I’ll shoot you” while appearing to cock the pistol. When he failed in his attempt to have the till opened, he said “I shoot you” and “open now” while still pointing the weapon towards the victim. He then grabbed a handful of cigarette packets from a drawer underneath the till before fleeing the store.
CCTV evidence and sentence
CCTV showed Willson outside the store for about 10 minutes while waiting for a customer to leave before committing the robbery. Earlier the same evening, Willson and another man were seen on CCTV stealing two bottles of alcohol from Tesco on Eagle Street.
Willson was jailed for five years and two months.
Police response
Detective constable Shaun Whittaker of Blackburn CID said: “By choosing to use a highly realistic imitation firearm during a robbery at a shop, Lee Willson committed a dangerous and premeditated crime.
“His actions left a lone member of staff clearly in distress and fearful that he would be killed.
“I welcome the court’s decision to hand down a prison sentence, reflecting the incredibly serious nature of crimes involving firearms or replica weapons.”
