Shropshire Star

Gun pointed at terrified shop assistant in Shropshire store robbery, court told

A gun was pointed at the face of a terrified shop assistant by a masked man during an armed robbery at a store in a Shropshire village, a court heard.

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The robber's female accomplice was said to have acted as a getaway driver as the pair escaped from the shop in Morda, near Oswestry, with a till and two charity boxes.

Details of the raid at the Corner House store in November, 2014, were heard by a jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

On trial is Angela Colohan, who is alleged to have instigated the plan to carry out the robbery, and was behind the wheel of her Honda Accord car as she and the masked gunman got away.

Colohan, 31, of Hammonds Place, Gobowen, denies robbery and being in possession of an imitation firearm - a Beretta BB gun - with intent to commit the offence.

The jury was told that the gunman was 29-year-old Jamie Watkiss, who had admitted his part in the raid and was on remand in custody awaiting sentence.

Mr Walter Bealby, prosecuting, said that while Colohan did not enter the shop, it was a joint enterprise and he alleged that she and Watkiss were "in it together" and the raid was carried out with her connivance.

In a statement read to the court, Mandeep Kaur Singh, who was helping out at her parents' store, said a man burst in wearing tights over his head and had pointed a gun at her face and shouted 'Give me the money and I won't shoot you'.

When the robber held the gun towards her in both hands, she raised her arms and believed he was going to shoot her.

The victim had tried to open the till, but her mother appeared and dragged her daughter in the living area at the side of the shop, locked the door and alerted police.

Giving evidence for the prosecution, Watkiss, of Llys Road, Oswestry, said that he was the masked man and claimed that the Beretta hand gun - which was shown to the jury - belonged to the defendant.

He said they were with others at a house and there was some banter about a robbery, but he did not think it was serious.

"It was Angela's idea. She kept saying 'Let's do it' and she said we have 'got to do it now' and I agreed to take part," he said.

Watkiss claimed that Colohan was intent on going out on her own and so he went along and said he would go into the shop.

He said that after the robbery he had returned home and had burned his clothes and was "disgusted" with what he had done.

A piece of plastic door trim which dropped out of the car and was carried into the shop by Watkiss was left in the store and was later matched to Colohan's vehicle.

Colohan's mobile phone was also tracked to a spot where the till - which did not contain any money - had been thrown from the car window minutes after the raid.

The jury heard Colohan's car was seen by witnesses and after her arrest she claimed the door trim had been taken by someone trying to break into the car.

She told officers she had driven from the area when the police were about because her tax disc was out of date. She later gave a 'no comment' interview.

The trial continues.

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