Pair jailed after attacking Cleethorpes shop worker during robbery

• Video courtesy of Humberside Police

Police have released footage of the "terrifying" moment masked robbers attacked a shop worker while threatening her with an axe.

The CCTV shows three men walking into the store in Brereton Avenue, Cleethorpes, near Grimsby, and ransacking the premises while one holds the woman in a headlock.

His two accomplices stole cigarettes and tried to smash open the till before all three left.

Humberside Police said the assistant "fought bravely" to protect herself and the shop's contents during the 90-second ordeal. She was not seriously hurt but the force said the trauma of the experience has remained with her.Benjamin Allen, 20, of Columbia Road, and Cameron Fitzgerald, 19, of Thackray Court, both from Grimsby, were arrested following the incident on 21 April 2021.

They pleaded guilty to armed robbery and were jailed for three years each. The third person involved was not charged.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Con Nigel Morgan said: “I feel sure that Ben Allen and Cameron Fitzgerald thought that they disguised themselves well enough not be identified.

"They were wrong - the investigative enquiries we conducted meant that we have been able to unmask them and bring them to justice."Det Con Morgan praised the victim for her actions during the "terrifying" incident, saying he hoped the sentences would "bring her some comfort".

"The CCTV footage shows the level of aggression used just to get a few packet of cigarettes, having viewed the CCTV carefully I have to say that this is one of the most violent offences of its type that I have seen," he said.

"Their sentences will give them time to reflect on their actions and I hope that they will consider their life choices once they are released.”

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