Man with machete raided four shops in 20 minutes

One victim said he was scared that Tattersall would kill him

A man brandishing a machete stole £100 from the till of one shop after trying to rob three others, police have said.

Joshua Tattersall, 25, raided four shops in Preston in the space of 20 minutes on the evening of 14 April 2024, Lancashire Police said.

Tattersall, of Ambleside Road in Ribbleton, Preston, was jailed for nine years and six months after a jury at Burnley Crown Court convicted him of possession of an offensive weapon, robbery and three counts of attempted robbery.

Det Con Ben Clegg, of Preston CID, said: "No-one should go to work, or pop to the shops and end up being threatened. Tattersall made a choice that day to go out for his own selfish gain and scare people."

He added: ""I welcome the significant custodial sentence brought against him and I hope the knowledge that he has been brought to justice will allow them some comfort and to begin to move forward with their lives."

'Weapon was so big'

In a victim impact statement one person said: "I remember the offender walking in and thinking, is this really happening?

"But when I saw the weapon I recognised that it was really happening.

"I felt scared. He was so close to me and the weapon was so big. I knew he could have easily reached me and seriously hurt me."

Police said Tattersall's terror spree began at 18:39 BST when he entered the first shop wearing a balaclava and carrying a machete.

He demanded the shop assistant open the till but he fled when the shopkeeper raised the alarm.

Four minutes later he tried to rob a second shop but he fled again when the victim "bravely shouted for help", police said.

At about 18:51 BST he attempted to rob a third shop but had to abandon this attempt when the shop owner shouted for someone to call the police.

Finally he entered his fourth shop five minutes later where he threatened the victim and made off with £100 cash.

He was convicted in July but was sentenced on Thursday.