Reading Crown Court: 'Dying' armed robber threatened to 'cut the face off' Mortimer Co-op manager

AN armed robber who wrongly thought he was dying from cancer threatened to "cut the face off" a terrified store manager.

But things went downhill from there for the knife-wielding raider.

Despite making off with hundreds of pounds, the culprit had really not thought things through, Reading Crown Court heard on Tuesday, February 28.

For, not only was he completely mistaken about his supposedly fatal illness, Robert Hearn was well known to another staff member at the Mortimer store – because she had known him since he was a boy.

And his disguise had fooled no one.

The "pathetic attempt at robbery" was "hardly the work of a master criminal", the judge was told.

Francis Gaskin, prosecuting, said 34-year-old Hearn, of of College Piece, Mortimer, first told the woman, Pippa Hill: "I'm going to rob this shop – give me money from the till."

Ms Hill thought he was joking, the court heard, and Hearn left the store without another word.

But he returned later, said Mr Gaskin, having changed his clothes and having donned a coronavirus mask, which did nothing to hide his identity from Ms Hill.

Things got serious, the court heard, when Hearn aggressively demanded she "put everything in the bag" he was carrying.

Mr Gaskin said: "She realised at this point that he wasn't joking."

But she told him she couldn't open the till without a legitimate purchase first being made.

Hearn then approached another customer and demanded they buy something so he could rob the till.

They refused.

Frustrated, Hearn approached store team leader Chris Banks, pulled out a knife and snarled: "Open the till or I'll cut your face off."

Mr Banks complied and Hearn fled with cash and alcohol, having smashed bottles of wine in the process.

Hearn admitted robbing Mr Banks of nearly £400, possessing a knife, stealing £20 worth of alcohol and damaging £33 bottles of wine last December.

He has previous convictions for 13 offences including burglary, theft, possessing Class A drugs, serious assault and breaking court orders.

Nick Saunders, representing Hearn, said: "This was a pretty pathetic attempt at robbery... hardly the work of a master criminal."

He explained that his client was well known to Ms Hill, who recognised him immediately, despite a clothing change and Covid mask.

In addition, said Mr Saunders, Hearn had been taking drugs and drinking.

He said his client had also acted recklessly because he feared he was dying from cancer.

But after his arrest, a doctor diagnosed the lumps on his body as benign cysts, the court heard.

Judge Emma Nott noted that the robbery was committed while Hearn was on licence, having been released from prison early.

She said: "Pippa Hill was a long-standing friend of your mother; you were under the influence of drink and, probably, drugs.

"This was doomed to fail."

She sentenced Hearn to 30 months imprisonment, half of which he will spend behind bars and the remainder on licence again, in the community.