Armed Pudsey robber sobbed as he claimed spiralling cocaine addiction ruined his life

Mark Brodie sobbed as he read out a statement to a crown court judge, having turned over two stores in Pudsey, including the same store twice just hours apart. Wearing a mask, he had threatened staff with a knife before grabbing fistfuls of cash from the tills. He was jailed for 40 months after admitting three counts of robbery, and three of possessing a bladed article.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court via video link from HMP Nottingham, he struggled to hold back tears as he took the unusual course of reading out his own mitigation, rather than through his barrister. He said he had been through a separation from his wife, along with two miscarriages with his new partner and lost his job of 25 years from Pudsey Leisure Centre. He then turned to cocaine.

Struggling to compose himself, the 45-year-old said: “I started losing my way when my wife left me and had to walk away from my kids. I had never touched drugs before. I lost my home and had to move back to my mum’s. I turned to drink and drugs. I had no support from family and friends and bottled everything up inside. The only way to cope was to take cocaine. I accept what I have done is wrong and wish I could turn back time.

“Prison has helped me sort my head out and become clean. I want to get back to work and help others in the public. I have never committed crimes like this. This is the first and last big mistake in my life. All I want to do is help others. I’m sorry for what I did, I want the shopkeepers to know how remorseful I am for what I did. I had no intention of hurting anyone. I’m now a better person for coming into prison.”

Prosecutor David McGonigal said that Brodie first entered DD & Son’s convenience store on Littlemoor Road, Pudsey, at 7.40pm on March 7 this year. Wearing a mask, he was holding the kitchen knife with a blade between 5” and 7” in length. Brandishing the weapon to the lone employee, he told him to open the till. He snatched around £150 in cash, and five packets of cigarettes.

The next morning at around 7.30am, he walked into the Mini Market on Kent Road, Pudsey, with a scarf over his mouth, holding the knife and demanding cash. With no notes in the till, he grabbed around £40 worth of coins and fled. Just before 2pm that day, he returned to DD & Son’s and stole another £200 after threatening the lone worker. He was arrested the next day at his home in Camberley Close. He gave a no-comment interview.

Judge Rodney Jameson KC told Brodie: “You acquired a drug habit you could not fund so you resort to this sort of behaviour. You plainly are remorseful for what you did.”