Hammer-carrying robber jailed for targeting Leeds Tesco and Lidl stores
A masked robber who armed himself with a knife and a hammer got away with cash and cigarettes after a raid on a Tesco store.
Michael Forrest then tried take to hit a Lidl store two months later but was unable to force the till open. The 38-year-old was jailed for three years at Leeds Crown Court this week.
Prosecutor Camille Morland said Forrest walked into the Tesco Express in Rothwell on the evening of November 13 last year, going behind the counter and using a knife to force the till open. He then left with cash and cigarettes.
Victim impact statements were read to the court, with one employee saying it made her “scared to come to work”. But Forrest then hit Lidl on Selby Road, Halton on January 25 this year.
Masked, he pulled out a hammer and tried to get into the till, but was unsuccessful and left the store empty-handed. He later admitted the Lidl attempted robbery, and carrying an offensive weapon, but denied being responsible for the Tesco robbery.
He was found guilty after a trial. Forrest has 28 previous convictions for burglaries, violence and robberies. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds where he has been held on remand for the last six months.
Mitigating, Michael Collins said that Forrest, who is illiterate, had been put into care by his mother when he was nine and was never given an explanation which had a “devastating emotional impact” on him.
He said that Forrest, a father-of-two, had been a crack cocaine addict who was now drug free. Despite being unable to read or write, he has previously taken courses for painting and decorating but was unable to get a job due to his criminal record.
Mr Collins said: “His life is miserable. He does not have a permanent home. In these circumstances, he takes crack cocaine. He is clear of crack cocaine now.
“He is not a bad individual. He is a disadvantaged individual who has clearly done some bad things. He needs help.”
He argued that Forrest could be given a suspended sentence to get the help he needed, but Judge Tahir Khan KC said “only a custodial sentence can be justified”.
He added: “There’s no doubt they were planned offences. It may not have been particularly sophisticated but you went in armed with a weapon.”