This dramatic CCTV footage shows the moment a heroic shopkeeper ran at an armed robber and walloped him as he tried to nick the shop’s till.
Sean Munson, 25, was tackled by the female worker and later a male customer during the corner shop robbery, a court heard.
Munson, who has 26 previous convictions, told her: “It’s all right love, I’ll only be a minute,” before he reached over the counter and began grabbing at the cash till.
The brave shop assistant replied: “Oh no you don’t,” and began throwing cans of lager from the shelves at Munson to disturb him.
The CCTV footage shows the worker charging at Munson before he threatened that he had a knife on him.
The court heard how a male customer inside the store managed to pin the defendant to the ground before Munson managed to break free and ran off.
The shop assistant called the police and noticed a filleting knife with a blade measuring between three and four inches left by the shop door.
Munson smiled as he watched the dramatic CCTV footage of his crimes unfold before him in court.
The defendant, from Grimsby, North East Lincs., was also told how he had shattered his victims’ confidence at work and left them fearing future attacks.
Munson had walked into the Lifestyle Express shop in Cleethorpes, North East Lincs., at just after 3pm on July 8 wearing a black hooded top and a scarf covering his face.
A picture taken of the defendant by a passer-by helped police to identify Munson and he was arrested at 11.30pm the same day in Cleethorpes.
Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, said the defendant told police he would not have committed the crime if magistrates had decided not to grant him bail for an earlier offence.
Mr Evans read a victim impact statement made by the shop assistant of Lifestyle Express, in which she admitted the frightening incident had altered her personality.
He said: “She said she is tired and exhausted and kept picturing the knife on the floor.
“She described herself as bubbly and outgoing but all that has changed now she is fearing something like this could happen again.
“She is less patient and has sleepless nights.”
Munson, wearing a grey jumper, stared straight ahead and showed little emotion as the statement was read out.
Just two days later on July 6, Munson went into Costcutter in Grimsby dressed “like a ninja” in a dark hooded top and scarf carrying a bottle.
CCTV footage played in court showed how the defendant waited outside the shop until a customer had left, before walking in and startling the female shop assistant to such an extent that she dropped her mobile phone.
Holding the bottle by its neck, Munson told her: “Give me the ******* money or I will glass you.”
The shop assistant ran out from behind the counter towards the staff office at the back of the store, the court heard.
Holding the office door shut, she and her colleagues could only watch on in despair as Munson ransacked the counter and took bottles of spirits, scratch cards and loose change away with him.
Mr Evans told the court that the defendant had a long history of offending, including one occasion when he cut his father’s cheek with a knife after accusing him of kissing his then-partner at a family do.
In April 2008, Munson was part of a gang of youths who racially abused people at an Asian centre, Mr Evans added.
In mitigation, Craig Lowe said the defendant had been battling mental health issues and was feeling suicidal when he committed the robbery at Costcutter.
Mr Lowe said: “Your honour has seen the CCTV footage – the less said about that the better.
“He would like to apologise for his actions. He was having difficulties with his mental health.
“His violence seems to be directed towards property and not individuals.
“It is clear he uses his time in custody productively.”
Sentencing him to five-and-a-half years in jail for pleading guilty to two robberies and possession of cannabis, Judge Simon Jack said: “People who run small shops provide a valuable service for the public and they need to be protected.
“People who rob such shops need to be severely punished so the message gets across.”
