Knife-wielding cheese and burger thief jailed

Shane Sparks held a knife above his head and lunged at shop staff when confronted

A thief who threatened shop staff with a kitchen knife and told them he would "cut their insides out" if they tried to stop him, has been jailed.

Shane Sparks, 47, of Myrtle Drive in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, was spotted in the village's Co-op store on 28 January trying to put packets of cheese and burgers down his trousers.

When confronted, he pulled out the knife and lunged towards staff.

Sparks was later arrested by police and, having admitted robbery and possessing a knife in a public place, was jailed for two years and seven months at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday.

PC Ryan Parker, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "Sparks went to the Co-op that day armed with a knife, knowing he was going to steal, and then use the knife to intimidate and scare anyone who stood in his way.

"This happened in a busy store in broad daylight and will have a lasting impact on the victims involved.

"We hope this sentence shows that knife crime and violent, threatening behaviour is not tolerated in Cambridgeshire."