A man who threatened staff with a knife during a robbery at a Spar store in Plymouth has been jailed for five years. John Ralph, 48, of Penrose Street, Plymouth, Devon, pleaded guilty at Plymouth Crown Court to robbing the store and to other charges of burglary and attempted robbery elsewhere.
Robbery details
In the robbery of the Spar on Old Laira Road, Ralph selected some items from the shelves before approaching the checkout. As the products were being scanned, he pulled out a knife and demanded that the female staff member open the till. She did so and when she stepped back, Ralph removed the till drawer containing £260 before leaving the shop with the money.
Staff were able to identify the man and he was arrested on 30 August, a few days after the robbery. The five-year sentence was for the Spar robbery and other offences including a theft from a café and an attempted robbery from a bookmaker, both also in Plymouth.
Police response
Detective sergeant Paula Smith, from the priority crime investigation team, said: “We welcome the sentence and would like to thank all the victims of these crimes for their support throughout this investigation.
“Without their commitment, we would not have seen justice being served as it has been today.
“We hope the result brings the victims some closure from the incidents and helps them to recover from what Ralph put them through.”
