Man jailed for six-and-a-half years after robbing Lancashire store at knifepoint

Craig Mellor entered the Spar Shop in Leeds Roads, Nelson, in the Pendle area of east Lancashire on April 21 wearing a balaclava and brandishing a large knife.

Police officers recovered CCTV footage which showed Mellor threaten a male member of staff with the knife to get a quantity of cash from the till.

He then moved to a second till where he shouted at a female member of staff to: “Open the till. Open the till. Open the till.”

The female member of staff managed to open the till slightly and get a quantity of cash out, however Mellor continued to berate her to open the till fully.

Once he realised the till wasn’t going to fully open, he fled the scene.

Following a witness appeal featuring a CCTV still, a number of people came forward to identify Mellor as the culprit. He was charged with robbery and possession of a bladed article.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said after the sentencing: “Mellor’s actions (however pitiful) on April 21 were appalling and left his victims understandably shaken. We will not tolerate the behaviour of anybody who seeks to threaten and rob people who are going about their lawful business of serving the community.

“We will gather the evidence against them and we will put them before the courts. And that is exactly what we've done here!”

The spokesman also praised the brave actions of the shop assistant.