An attempted robber ended up with his head inside a shop and his torso on the street after being trapped under roller shutters.
Malcolm Trimble walked into a store in Durham City with a kitchen knife concealed in his sleeve. The 30-year-old picked up a four-pack of lager before threatening the shopkeeper.
However the brave shopkeeper fought him off by trapping him under the store’s roller shutters. The owner raced from behind the counter, fled the premises and held the door closed to keep him inside.
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They then activated the system to lower the shop’s metal roller shutters from outside. Trimble, realising he was about to be trapped, tried to force open the door.
He forced the shopkeeper to release his grip on the handle and attempted an Indiana Jones-style slide to escape the descending shutters. However he ended up pinned to the floor with his head inside the shop and his torso in the street.
While the shopkeeper was calling police, Trimble consoled himself by reaching for one last can of lager to drink during his final moments of freedom.
Officers arrived within three minutes of the 999 call on May 12 and found Trimble lying in the street with his head inside the shop. They released the shutters and arrested him.
Trimble, of Hilda Close, Durham, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possession of a knife. He was jailed for three years and four months at Durham Crown Court on Monday.
Detective sergeant Paul Mawson, of Durham Constabulary, said: "It wasn’t the most difficult arrest we have ever made. To be honest, it was an open and shut case."
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