Two men pretended to be from Liverpool as they raided a shop in New Mills. Stephen Bradley, 56, of New Street in New Mills, Derbyshire, and David Oakley, 48, of no fixed abode, burst into Maddy’s Store on November 26 wearing balaclavas and threatened a terrified shopkeeper with a knife and a fake gun.
They demanded cash from the till before making off with £4,000 worth of cigarettes, £200 in cash and nine bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey. But instead of a clean getaway, the masked raiders started bickering over who would carry the loot.
Bickering over the loot
Using the fake name “Charles”, one ordered the other to put the stolen cash in his pocket, only to be met with a flat refusal. They were also heard rowing, in what sounded like a poor attempt at a Liverpool accent, about needing to “hurry up so we can get on the motorway to Liverpool”.
Apology before fleeing
In an extraordinary twist, Oakley paused to apologise to the shopkeeper before fleeing. He told her: “Sorry love, sorry love, we really are. We’ll never come again, we’ll never hurt you. We’re very sorry.”
Arrest and sentence
Despite the apology, the pair, who lived just five minutes from the shop they targeted, were tracked down and arrested within days. Bradley admitted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm, while Oakley pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a knife.
Both men were jailed for four years at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, June 24.
