A jewellery shop robber made off with a £500 Armani watch after threatening the shop assistant with a bloodied syringe.
Michael Davies, 33, had planned his crime and “sized up” the Goldsmith store in Middlesbrough earlier in the day when he walked in and asked to see the most expensive watch they sold.
After viewing the watch, he left the store and said he would return with the money in 15 minutes, according to the Gazette, which followed the case at Teesside Crown Court this week.
He seized his chance to make off with the item when the watch was put on his wrist to see how it fitted.
Davies then raised an uncapped needle that he’d drawn from his pocket towards the shop assistant’s face and said: “What if I show you this?”
The victim saw dried blood on the syringe and stepped back, fearing he would be squirted with the dirty needle, the Gazette reported.
By the time police caught up with him after the theft on December 15 last year, he had sold the watch to an unknown buyer. He told officers: “It ain’t robbery if it’s on the counter. It’ll get dropped to theft.”
Two years ago Davies stole a gold bracelet from another Middlesbrough jewellers after being released from a seven-year jail sentence for kidnapping, robbery and possessing a weapon.
Now he has been recalled to continue his original seven-year sentence.
Judge Stephen Ashurst told Davies: “There is precious little evidence of remorse here. You have however acknowledged the reality that what you did was robbery. The impact on the member of staff will have been serious. I’m satisfied that the only way in which the public could properly be protected in your case is by passing a significant sentence of custody.”
He jailed Davies for five years concurrent to his existing sentence.
