An Indian origin man has been jailed for over four years after threatening a shop worker with a knife dressing up in a burqa in the city of Leicester.
The 42-year-old Imtiaz Patel had pleaded guilty to the knife-point robbery and possession of a bladed weapon.
He was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the robbery, concurrent nine-month imprisonment for possession of the weapon, and an additional two months of imprisonment for breaching a community order at Leicester Crown Court on Monday. The total jail time he will be serving is four years and two months.
“It was thanks to the quick-thinking and excellent response of the officers on patrol that Patel was detained so quickly. Their actions of catching Patel as he left the scene of the crime left him with no choice but to admit the offence,” said Detective Constable Anna Thorpe of Leicestershire Police.
The court was told how Patel was wearing a burqa and had a scarf across his face when he had entered the jewellery store in Haymarket area in the heart of Leicester earlier this month. He was looking at a Rolex watch, valued at around 7,000 pounds, when staff became concerned about the way he was acting.
Patel asked to see some other timepiece, leading to the member of staff say she would have to put the first watch back. Patel then produced a knife and made threats to another staff member who was standing near the shop entrance before fleeing with the watch.
A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) and a police constable were in the area on patrol in a car when they saw Patel running down Church Gate in Leicester. Their attention was drawn to Patel and they followed him and saw the watch in his hand before confining the suspect to carry out a search. He was arrested soon after on January 5.
According to Leicestershire Police, the knife, which Patel had dropped as he fled the shop, was picked up by another member of the public and taken to the shop. Further investigative work, including CCTV analysis, led to Patel being charged the same day of the offence.
“I’d like to thank the victims of this offence for being fully co-operative with our investigation following what must have been a terrifying incident. Patel showed no concern for anyone else when he carried out this crime and the consequences of his actions could have been far worse,” added Thorpe.
-Sowmya Sangam
