Man jailed for attempted robbery in Penygarn shop (From Free Press Series)

Man jailed for attempted robbery in Penygarn shop

12:08pm Friday 5th March 2010

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A MAN who tried to rob a Pontypool shop to pay for drugs was jailed for two years yesterday.

Jason Atkinson, 24, of The Woodlands, Penygarn, was jailed at Newport Crown Court for attempted robbery at Penygarn Stores, Pontypool, and having a knife.

John Probert, prosecuting, said Atkinson entered the store on January 9 to buy a lottery card at around 8.15pm while Kaleem Muhammad worked there alone.

The court heard he came back ten minutes later wearing a hat and mask, carrying a wooden pole shaped like a baseball bat, saying: “Give me your money or I’m going to kill you.”

Mr Muhammad struggled with him and managed to pull his mask off.

Mr Probert said Atkinson left before coming back to plead with Mr Muhammad, saying it was all for drugs and asking him for the CCTV footage before fleeing.

Mr Muhammad identified Atkinson to the police who was arrested within 30 minutes and found with a kitchen knife.

Suzanne Thomas, defending, said: “Now Mr Atkinson is clear of drugs he doesn’t recognise himself as the person on the CCTV. Before the offence he suffered 18 months of drug addiction and accumulating debts associated with that addiction.”

Judge Paul Thomas said Mr Muhammad was in a vulnerable position and his threats left the shopkeeper "scared for his life."

Atkinson was jailed for two years for attempted robbery, with a nine-month concurrent sentence for having the knife.

He will serve half that sentence, with the remaining 12 months on licence.

Reacting to the sentence, Mr Muhammad said: “It’s not enough for what he did, it was very frightening and it still is. We work hard and people can’t take the money like that - I would do the same again.”

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