Women jailed after knife raid on Milford Haven shop

Two masked and hooded women who raided a corner shop with a knife have been jailed after the lone shopkeeper fought them off with a plastic milk crate.

Jessie Thompson, 31, and Bethan John, 25, entered Pil Corner Stores in Milford Haven shortly before noon on Friday, July 11, with their faces covered by bandanas and their hoods up.

The shopkeeper didn’t know their names but recognised them from previous visits and, based on their demeanour and appearance, concluded they were “up to no good”.

Thompson produced a large knife from under her coat and pointed it at the shop worker, with both women demanding he hand over all the money. The brave shopkeeper pushed the knife away, grabbed a plastic milk crate and began swinging it at the intruders to defend himself.

The would-be robbers fled empty-handed, discarding their coats in a nearby alley and the knife in a hedge. Thompson was identified by a tattoo on her hand after the incident was publicised on social media.

The pair were arrested the following day at a house in Hawthorne Close, Milford Haven. They told officers they had intended to hand themselves in on Monday as they didn’t want to be arrested over the weekend.

In a victim statement read to Swansea Crown Court, the shopkeeper said it was difficult to put into words the level of fear and anxiety the incident had caused. He said he had been left feeling scared whenever people entered the shop but had to keep on working.

Thompson, of Plas Peregrine, Steynton, Milford Haven, and John, of Howarth Close, Milford Haven, both pleaded guilty to attempted robbery. Thompson also admitted possession of a bladed article.

The court heard Thompson has six previous convictions including theft from someone she was looking after as a carer, and being concerned in the supply of cocaine. She was released on licence in May after receiving a suspended sentence which was activated in-part in January.

John has no previous convictions. The court heard both defendants’ offending was driven by drug addiction.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said the defendants had committed a very serious offence and that courts would always protect vulnerable shopkeepers.

With one-quarter discounts for their guilty pleas, Thompson was sentenced to 40 months in prison and John to 36 months. They will each serve up to half their sentences in custody before being released on licence.

Speaking after sentencing, Dyfed-Powys Police detective constable Dean Chilcott said: “This shop has persistently been targeted by criminals, while the owners and workers are just trying to do their jobs in providing a service for the local community. They should never be made to feel fearful for their safety while at work, or be in a position of having to defend themselves from violence. I hope this sentence serves as a message that we have taken – and will continue to take – robust action against those responsible for appalling incidents of this kind.”