Man jailed for threatening cashier with a carving knife at Brackley Co-op store

Royston Woodford, aged 42, of West Street, Buckingham, admitted entering the Co-op store on the High Street on April 4 and using a knife to threaten the cashier, stealing around £265.

During the robbery, he used a coat to cover his head and face and pulled out a carving knife from his waistband at the tills to demand money from the staff.

Following his identification by Northamptonshire Police, Woodford entered a guilty plea at a court appearance on June 5.

He was then sentenced to 44 months imprisonment for one count of robbery and ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge at Northampton Crown Court on Friday August 4.

Investigating officer Detective Constable John Cordner, of the force’s CID West, said: "This was clearly a premeditated offence, in which Royston Woodford decided his own desire for money was more important than the safety of other people.

"Prior to the robbery, CCTV showed him walking from Brackley town park and sitting opposite the store, all with his coat over his head, before he went in and used a knife to threaten the staff.

"Tackling serious violence, including robbery, is a matter of priority for our force, and I am glad this investigation has resulted in a decent custodial sentence. I hope this acts as a warning to anyone who may be tempted to use or threaten force to take what isn’t theirs that both the police and the courts take this type of offending very seriously."