Armed robber who tried to raid two shops in Sutton Coldfield on the same day is jailed

An armed robber who tried to raid two shops on the same day has been jailed.

John Williams tried to rob two shops in Whitehouse Common Road, Sutton Coldfield, on 12 October last year.

In the first shop, he threatened a worker with a knife and demanded they open the till. He approached the tills, telling the shopworker “don’t be a hero buddy. Open the till.”

The shop worker refused to do so and pressed the panic button, so Williams fled empty-handed. Minutes later, a woman at another shop on the same road was threatened for the contents of the till.

This time, Williams said: “I’m sorry to have to do this. It’s not your money, don’t be a hero,” before emptying the till of cash and making off.

Williams, 30, was tracked down by officers who used CCTV to follow his path from the scenes to his address and saw him arriving and leaving the scene on an electric scooter. He was found to have used a route that would avoid approaching police cars and allow him to get home unseen. When officers arrived at his home, they found the scooter used in the offence.

Williams, of Hermitage Drive, Sutton Coldfield, tried to convince officers that an unidentified third person had borrowed his gloves and the scooter on the promise they would be returned, claiming it wasn’t him who was at the scene.

Officers then showed him CCTV footage clearly showing him going to and from the scene of the attempted thefts. Williams was jailed for 12 years at Birmingham Crown Court on 14 August for robbery and attempted robbery.

What has West Midlands Police said about the case?

Detective Sergeant Curt Wilkins, said: “This was an excellent piece of work by the officers involved and an even better result. Williams was a desperate individual fuelling his drug addiction through serious offending with weapons.

“These crimes took place within a few minutes of each other and will have been extremely distressing for the staff of the two shops.”