'If you come any closer I’m going to stab you': Robbers with hunting knives threatened to stab Shrewsbury phone shop manager

Dean Fitzpatrick and Gary Taylor had travelled down from their homes in Manchester to steal dummy phones from two shops in Shrewsbury and were carrying a hunting knife.

On May 25, they targeted the EE store and Carphone Warehouse in Pride Hill.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard yesterday the pair did a brief “recce” of both shops before snatching mobile phones that were on display.

When confronted, they threatened shop assistants with the eight-inch hunting knife, taking mobile phones worth with a combined value of about £956.

Prosecuting, Mr Howard Searle told the court that the two offences had happened just moments after each other on the busy shopping street.

The pair first targeted EE, and were seen by staff at about 1.55pm by staff looking around the store before leaving.

Mr Searle said: “It appears that they were doing a recce because they returned to the store a few moments later.”

Then they managed to remove a display mobile phone, which was secured by a wire. Releasing the phone set off an alarm at which point they were approached by the store manager.

One man, believed to be 34-year-old Taylor, then produced the knife and was heard to say “What are you going to do about it,” by an assistant manager.

Because of the fear for their safety, the pair of workers then allowed the men to leave.

The thieves then went into the nearby Carphone Warehouse store, one man went in to look around the store before they both returned, grabbing a mobile phone, severing a security cable and setting off the alarm.

The pair managed to get outside the store before they were approached by a manager.

Mr Searle said: “One of the man, believed to be Mr Taylor because he had the knife previously, opened his jacket to reveal the bladed article and said ‘If you come any closer I’m going to stab you’.”

The pair made away from the scene but were spotted by a witness who was able to give police details of the car the thieves were seen leaving in. They were later arrested some miles away at a service station.

Two knives were recovered from the vehicle, one matching the description of that used in the thefts.

At an earlier hearing, they had admitted a charge of robbery relating to the theft from EE, a charge of theft for the crime at Carphone Warehouse and a charge of carrying a bladed article.

Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Gosling rejected claims by lawyers that the pair had been in Shrewsbury for a day out and had simply seen the opportunity to commit the crimes and said he believed there had been a degree of planning.

The court also heard that the pair had extensive previous records and had both had drug addictions but were using their time in prison to get clean and had both been taking a tiling course in a bid to find work on their release.

He said: “I have heard no legitimate reason as to why you would be in Shrewsbury other than to commit these offences. I have no doubt you are well known in the Manchester area.”

Taylor, of Summerton Avenue, was jailed for three years and 10 months, for his part in the three offences while Fitzpatrick, 33, of Garth Road, will serve two years and 10 months.

Judge Gosling also ordered the destruction of the knife used in the offences.