Shop worker feared stabbing in knifepoint robbery

Lee Dodds admitted robbery

A man who jabbed a knife towards a shopkeeper as he stole cash and vapes from a village store has been jailed for four years.

Lee Dodds, 38, repeatedly thrust the 12in (30cm) knife towards a worker at a shop in Ellington, Northumberland, before leaving with £121.16 in cash and £200 worth of vapes, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The victim said he feared he could have been seriously injured "or worse" by Dodds, who had more than 100 offences on his criminal record.

He will have to serve a further two years on extended licence upon his release, after admitting robbery, possessing a knife and criminal damage.

Drug addict Dodds was clearly intoxicated when he entered the shop, at about 20:20 GMT on 22 February, and approached the till, prosecutor Jolyon Perks said.

He asked for cigarettes, then produced a knife from inside his clothing and spoke in single-word demands, with commands including "money", "open" and "till", the court heard.

Dodds, of Jobling Crescent in Morpeth, repeatedly "jabbed" the knife towards the shop worker, before fleeing with cash from the till, and vapes from a display stand, Mr Perks said.

A motorist saw Dodds leaving the shop and drove after him, but Dodds attacked her car with a metal bar, the court heard.

'Clearly terrifying'

In a statement read to the court, the shop worker said he felt "quite lucky" he had not been injured, adding: "I often wonder what may have happened if something went wrong."

The man described Dodds as unsteady and said he "could easily have thrust the knife into me and seriously hurt me, or worse".

The victim said he had been left "shaken" and "on edge", and was now nervous about working in the shop.

The court heard Dodds had had 68 convictions, with 116 offences on his record.

He was jailed for five years and one month in 2017 for attempted robbery after asking a woman to let him into her home for a drink of water, then pulling a knife and demanding she give him money, the court heard.

Recorder Nathan Moxon said the shop robbery was "clearly terrifying" and Dodds had a history of "violent and threatening behaviour".

The judge said Dodds still chose to take drugs, despite knowing the effect they had on him, and he posed a risk of causing "serious physical or psychological harm" to others.