A 31-year-old man has been jailed for five years following an armed robbery at a business premises in Bury St Edmunds, which occurred earlier this year.

Jordan Carr, of no fixed address, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday 29 September, where he was given a six-year sentence in total, comprised of five years’ imprisonment, with an extended licence period of 12-months.

He had previously pleaded guilty to the offences of robbery and being carried in a conveyance taken without authority. He did not admit to a third charge of possession of a bladed article in a public place and this was left to lie on file.

In addition, he had a further two offences of theft from shop and being in possession of a bladed article in a public place taken into consideration. These related to an incident at Sainsbury’s in Bedingfeld Way, Bury St Edmunds, on 19 February 2020.

At around 5.30am on Monday 23 March, two men forced their way into the rear door of the Tesco Express in Lawson Place, as two female members of staff were opening up.

The victims were threatened with knives and separated, with Carr ushering one of the women to the tills at the front of the store, whilst the other woman was forcibly dragged to an office where a safe was kept by the second offender.

At one point during the robbery, Carr’s accomplice held a knife to the throat of one of the victims and made threats to stab them, saying: “Do what we want or we are ‘gonna’ hurt you.”

The offenders stole over £2,200 in cash and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, with £1,640 taken from the safe and a further £600 from the tills.

They also took the victims’ mobile phones and a set of car keys, using a Suzuki Alto belonging to one of the victims to make their escape.

Jordan Carr was quickly identified as being one of the offenders and was arrested in connection with the incident a week later on Monday 30 March. He was subsequently charged and appeared before magistrates on Wednesday 1 April.

A 37-year-old man from Bury St Edmunds was also arrested in connection with this incident on 30 March and remains under investigation.

PC Carly Laflin, of West CID, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the victims, one of whom described being afraid for the lives of both herself and her colleague.

“The victim who was dragged around by Carr’s accomplice and had a knife held to her throat has spoken of how the experience traumatised her – that she has been left scared to be alone and now feels vulnerable.

“Although Carr is described by the victims as not being as aggressive as his accomplice, that does not diminish his role in this incident. He participated in what would appear to have been a pre-planned robbery, with intent to cause undue distress to the people working in that shop.

“Anyone who believes that the only people who suffer in robberies such as this are businesses or their owners should think again. This incident clearly demonstrates that is not the case. People who work in providing essential amenities – which have become even more vital during the coronavirus pandemic – should not expect to have to suffer at the hands of criminals in this way.

“We treat offences such as this as a priority and as a result made two arrests just one week after the incident. I am pleased with the sentence given to Jordan Carr, but we still have further work to do to ensure his accomplice is also brought to justice.”