Man jailed for over 7 years for two robberies at knifepoint in the same shop in Sefton

A man has been jailed for two robberies which took place at the same shop in Bootle earlier this year.

Peter Bennett, aged 44, of Selina Road, Liverpool was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this week, Tuesday 2 August.

At around 10pm on Wednesday 11 May, Bennett walked into a convenience store on Aintree Road and threatened a shop worker at knifepoint behind the till demanding cash from the man. He then stole a quantity of cash from the shop and made off.

At around 9.30pm on Sunday 15 May, Bennett returned to the same store and demanded cash from the shop worker and again made off with a quantity of cash from the shop.

Following extensive forensic evidence and CCTV footage found in the area, Bennett was arrested on 20 May charged and remanded into custody.

Detective Inspector Jay Halpin: “To steal from and threaten someone at knife point who was simply doing their job is despicable and we welcome that Bennett is now behind bars.

“Robberies of businesses are far from victimless crimes – they have a terrifying impact on people living and working in Merseyside, who provide a vital service to our communities.”

“We will take robust action against anyone found to have committed a business robbery and will not stand by and allow people to carry knives and threaten the safety of themselves and others.”

“Our message to offenders involved in this type of criminality is clear – there is no hiding place. We will use all evidence available to us to track you down and put you before the courts.”

Anyone with any information on retail crime is asked to contact our social media desk Merseyside Police Contact Centre or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.