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An 18-year-old has been sentenced to 3 years and 8 months at a youth offenders institution for an attempted armed robbery in Barnstaple.
Benjamin Barton pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court to the attempted armed robbery and possession and an imitation firearm at Coopers Jewellery in Barnstaple Thursday, May 28.
Barton wore a latex mask and armed himself with a blank firing gun, the robbery was unsuccessful after the store’s owner, David Bruce, chased the armed robber off with a baseball bat and the police were called in.
During the attempted robbery nothing was stolen from the shop and no employees were injured.
A dog unit and armed officers undertook a search of the area immediately after the incident, which happened at 3:30pm, but the suspect was not located.
Detectives then issued a CCTV image of a man, holding a distinctive carrier bag, who they wanted to speak to in connection with the incident. As a result of the public appeal, Barton presented himself to police and was subsequently arrested.
The carrier bag shown with Baronin the CCTV image was recovered from the scene. According to reports, Barton blamed the pressure of his A-level exams for the attempted robbery.
Detective Simon Butler, deputy SIO, said: “I welcome the sentence imposed today, for what was a very traumatic experience for the victim, who bravely confronted the offender.
“I hope today’s hearing will in some way bring closure to the victim and his family. The incident was also very frightening for witnesses who saw the offender running through the streets of Barnstaple armed with a firearm.”
Speaking to the BBC after the incident, Bruce, who hit Barton multiple times with a baseball bat before chasing him out of the store, said “I come from a school of hard knocks. I wasn’t scared,” adding that the robber had “picked the wrong guy”.
