A teenager who committed a knife-point aggravated burglary at a convenience store in Crawley has been jailed for five years.
Police were called to the incident at Casbah in Horsham Road about 11.25pm on 16 December.
A member of staff was preparing to close for the evening when two masked men – both armed with knives – entered the shop and immediately walked behind the counter.
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They started taking bottles of alcohol from the shelf and cash from the till, and the worker sustained a small cut to the head as he attempted to intervene.
A few days later, 18-year-old Thomas Penny, of Brighton Road, Redhill, Surrey, was arrested for an unrelated matter in Dorking, Surrey.
Following investigation into this matter, police were able to link him to the aggravated burglary in Crawley; further examination also revealed he had carried out an internet search with the words ‘Crawley knife point robbery’.
He was subsequently charged with aggravated burglary. He pleaded guilty to the offence, and at Lewes Crown Court on 10 June, he was sentenced to five years in a young offender institution.
The second suspect was not traced and remains outstanding.