Armed robber jailed for raiding multiple shops in Aston, Kingstanding & Sutton Coldfield

An armed robber who threatened to stab shop workers and made off with thousands of pounds worth of items from several shops in Birmingham has been jailed.

Kurtis Gordon, 27, of Rawden Grove, Kingstanding targeted shops in Aston, Kingstanding and Sutton Coldfield between June and September last year.

Staff tried to stop him from stealing at Tesco in Aston Lane in June 2022, but Gordon threatened to stab them before making off with bottles of alcohol. He returned to the same shop the next month, where an employee recognised him from the previous robbery and asked him to leave.

Instead of leaving, Gordon pulled a knife from his waist and started making jabbing motions towards the staff member, leaving him with a cut on his finger. The 27-year-old also targeted Mountain Warehouse in Sutton Coldfield and Co-Op in Hawthorn Road, Kingstanding in June, July and September last year, threatening to stab staff who challenged him.

West Midlands Police officers trawled CCTV and made links between the multiple crimes. They took statements from numerous victims across the different shops, helping to strengthen their case against Gordon.

Gordon was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, four robberies and three shoplifting offences on September 9, and remanded into custody.

At Birmingham Crown Court on March 10, he was jailed for seven years and six months, despite pleading not guilty at an earlier hearing. He also received a 6 year restraining order from all the shops involved.

DC Ed Winter, from the High Harm Robbery Team, said: “Gordon is a dangerous man who is now thankfully behind bars. “He affected the lives of many retail workers and security guards in a variety of locations across Birmingham. All victims showed great courage when dealing with him and by attending court to ensure that this outcome was possible.

“We built a strong case of evidence against Gordon and have managed to take a violent and unscrupulous criminal off the streets.”