Gang of violent drunken robbers jailed

Date published: 26/11/2009

Four drunken robbers who assaulted a shopkeeper in Rochdale - just to steal cigarettes and alcohol - have been jailed.

Jason Charnley, 21, of Roch Mills Crescent, Marland, Michael Dowd, 23, of Newchurch Street, Castleton, Daniel McMahon, 21, of Colne Street, Castleton and Liam O'Connor, 24, of Dilworth Close, Heywood, pleaded guilty to robbery at an earlier hearing.

Today (Thursday 26 November), McMahon was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Bolton Crown Court. The three others were jailed for three years and four months each.

At 7pm on 31 August the gang went into Ali's News and Booze store on Manchester Road. The shop was empty apart from the shopkeeper.

McMahon attacked the shopkeeper, punching him to the head and pulling his top over his face. The other three men joined in the assault, attacking the shopkeeper while stealing cigarettes and whisky bottles worth about £100.

The gang then fled but the drunken men made no effort to mask their identity and were quickly identified and caught by police.

Detective Constable Ben Harris, from Rochdale CID, said: "These four men were fuelled by alcohol and carried out a frightening attack on the victim who was left very shaken and upset.

"He is now understandably anxious when he is working in the shop, and no-one should be made to feel that way in their place of work. It is something most people will never have to go through.

"I would like to praise him for his bravery and I hope seeing these men behind bars gives him some comfort.

"These daft robbers were so drunk that they made no effort to wear gloves or masks and were quickly caught and apprehended. We are working very closely with shops, pubs and clubs in our town and CCTV cameras are increasingly common, so there is nowhere for these sorts of robbers to hide.

"Tackling burglars and robbers - who bring real misery to people - is one of the top priorities for Greater Manchester Police and this case shows what positive results we are achieving. If anyone thinking of committing this sort of opportunistic crime is reading this, I hope it makes them think twice because we will be coming for you.

"I also hope it provides peace of mind and reassurance to businesses in our community that we will do whatever we can to bring these criminals to justice."