Village in shock after hooded robber marches into newsagent, holds knife to worker’s throat, and then steals takings

Darren Lucas owns Marshland News, in Marshland Street, Terrington St Clement. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Archant © 2013)

A village is in shock after a hooded robber marched into a newsagents and held a 12-inch knife to a shop worker’s throat.

The callous raider then proceeded to take between £600 and £700 out of the till at Marshland News, in Terrington St Clement, before placing the cash in an orange Sainsbury’s plastic carrier bag, leaving the store and vanishing without a trace.

The female assistant, who is too frightened to speak about the incident, pressed the panic alarm in the store at about 6.15pm as the man cornered her behind the counter.

Owner Darren Lucas rushed to the premises in Marshland Street on Wednesday evening, arriving a few minutes later to find the culprit had escaped and his member of staff uninjured but severely shaken.

“He cornered her behind the till and held the knife right to her neck,” he said. “She was terrified and we may possibly lose that member of staff.”

Police attended the scene immediately and conducted an extensive search of the area but are still appealing for witnesses.

Mr Lucas, who took over the store three years ago, added that other workers now also felt vulnerable to attack.

He added that some customers may be put off entering the store. The community, he said, is in shock.

“Everyone is quite startled to think that this could happen,” he said.

“No-one was expecting it to happen in their own village. It has shocked the community. We have a lot of elderly customers - it might make them a bit more wary and affect local trade.

“Why someone would want to hold up a shop for just £600 or £700 I don’t know.”

Mr Lucas said the financial side of things was “irrelevant”, as the cash lost can be claimed back - but that the effect on his member of staff was his main concern.

In future, he said the store would keep less money in the till and that advertisements would be moved out of the shop’s main window to allow for a better view both inside and outside.

He has echoed Norfolk Police’s appeal for witnesses who may have been nearby at the time to get in touch with any information they have which might bring the person responsible to justice.

The incident on Wednesday was caught on CCTV but only showed part of the man’s face, as he was wearing his hood at the time.

The offender is described as white, in his late 20s to early 30s and of slim build.

He was approximately 5ft 8ins tall and had light coloured facial hair around his chin. At the time of the incident he was wearing a deep blue, almost navy-coloured hooded-top, dark trousers and grey shoes which were possibly trainers.

Anyone with information should contact DC Chris Parnham at King’s Lynn CID on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.