A man who robbed a Morrisons store with his face painted as The Joker has been jailed for 40 months. Peter Braithwaite, 31, threatened staff with a knife at the supermarket in Jarrow, Tyneside, after trying to leave with a trolley without paying.
The robbery took place on the afternoon of July 8, when Braithwaite entered the supermarket inside The Viking Centre, Newcastle Crown Court heard. CCTV footage shows him pushing a trolley filled with food while holding what appears to be a knife as he passed other shoppers.
Threats with a six-inch blade
When Braithwaite tried to exit the shop, female staff spoke to him. He responded with a wink and said 'speak to your manager' before the encounter escalated as a male security guard approached and the team held the trolley, the court heard.
The would-be Joker then produced a knife and 'threatened staff with the six-inch blade,' prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said. He made comments like 'do you want to get stabbed' and 'do you want to die' while pointing the knife as staff backed away, the prosecutor said.
Arrest and impact on staff
Police caught Braithwaite from his home nearby with the knife and stolen shopping. A neighbour who confronted him said he did not speak but 'stared wide-eyed.'
Staff said they were left traumatised by the ordeal, with one female worker saying she now suffers from anxiety and stress as a result. In her victim impact statement, she said she keeps reliving the moment she approached Braithwaite. 'He looked so frightening, his eyes were bulging. I believed I was going to be stabbed,' she said. She was concerned for children in the shop, saying 'I felt threatened and I'm sure they did too.'
Sentence
Braithwaite suffers from schizophrenia, which is linked to the offending, his defence team insisted. He was said to have been in a 'bad place at the time,' but is now remorseful and understands the impact of his actions.
Recorder Jamie Hill KC acknowledged Braithwaite's mental health issues but added that on the day he was 'acting to a large extent while high on drink and drugs.' Braithwaite pleaded guilty to robbery and was handed a 40-month prison sentence.
