A man with a pair of tights on his head tried to rob a pie shop.
Connor Lunt brandished a knife at bakery staff and demanded that they hand over cash from the till. But he left empty-handed and was rapped after police discovered his fingerprints on the counter.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Monday, that the 26-year-old entered the Waterfields branch on Greenes Road in Prescot at around 11.30am on May 5 this year holding the weapon and "gesturing it" towards workers. Lunt told them "give me the f***ing money and open the f***ing till" and began stabbing through a gap between glass panels.
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Matthew Conway, prosecuting, described how one employee began to open the till before realising the defendant had fled. But his prints were then found on the display case, and he was arrested two days later on May 7 at his home on Dragon Lane in Whiston.
Clothes matching those the raider was seen wearing on CCTV cameras were found underneath the mattress in his bedroom. Lunt told police while in custody he had "made a stupid mistake" and had been due to start a new job the following Monday.
A statement read to the court on behalf of one member of staff described him as a "danger to others", adding: "It was something I've never experienced before and something I hope I never have to see again. The fact he had a knife made me feel like he was willing to use it.
Another said: "I keep thinking about the worst case scenario. I keep thinking what would have happened if he had used the knife."
Lunt has five previous convictions for six offences, mainly for shoplifting. Rebecca Smith, defending, told the court: "Mr Lunt appreciates that the commission of an attempted robbery is a very serious offence.
"He is an individual with complex needs, with a very depressing and tragic background. It is clear that his underlying issues regarding mental health are not helped by substance misuse."
Ms Smith added that her client was "taking steps" to address this issue. Lunt tearfully told the judge before he was sentenced: "I'd just like to say how sorry I am for everything I've done.
"I will never do anything like this again in my life - I really have learned my lesson. I want to get my life back on track your honour."
Lunt admitted robbery and was jailed for 30 months. Sentencing, Recorder Michael Blakey said: "You are sorry for what you did.
"You clearly have complex needs and there is a significant and substantial background as far as you are concerned. It is an epidemic in this country, people picking up knives and wandering the streets with them.
"The message has to go out, and appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody."
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