Two Sentenced for Clifton Robbery

A pair of criminals did not count on the bravery and tenacity of shop staff who fought back in two raids on mid-Beds businesses in May.

One woman working at the One Stop Shop/Post Office in Clifton managed to pull the coat off would-be robber Manny Buckland, while minutes later another shop owner dragged him bodily over her counter in an attempt to thwart a robbery at the Clifton Filling Station.

39 year old Buckland, then living at Station Road, Tempsford, and his friend Stuart Battams, 41, of the same address, got a friend to drive them to their target premises on Bank Holiday Monday, May 27.

Buckland pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary at a hearing earlier this year and today (Friday) was sentenced at Luton Crown Court to three years in prison. Battams had also pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary and was jailed for two years today.

Arriving at about 4.55pm at the One Stop Shop in Shefford Road, the men got out and Battams waited outside while Buckland entered the shop with his face covered and tried to take money from the till.

However, a member of staff grabbed his jacket and as she refused to let him go, Buckland had to wriggle out of the jacket and leave it behind, fleeing empty handed from the shop.

A few minutes later the pair turned up at the nearby Filling Station where the two men came to the cash desk. Buckland leaned over the counter and made a grab for the till while Battams went behind the desk to steal some bottles of spirits.

The lone female staff member put up a tremendous struggle in an attempt to stop the robbery and pulled Buckland’s hair, ending up by heaving him bodily over the counter and on to the floor. Rasika Yakanwala was given an award by the Gulf petrol company for her bravery, captured on the shop CCTV. She sustained bruises on her back, legs and hands as she grappled with Buckland over the counter. Buckland gathered up some cash from the floor behind the desk while Battams meanwhile had snatched three bottles of brandy, one of vodka and two of whiskey.

Det Con Surinder Ram, of Greyfriars CID, said: “The staff in these incidents were really brave and tried their hardest to prevent money being stolen. They deserve the greatest of credit for their actions.

“At the filling station, Mrs Yakanwala was temporarily on her own while her husband had gone next door and was absolutely terrified when these two men, both much larger than her, invaded the staff area by the cash desk. She fully believed they were going to hurt her in order to get what they wanted but instinctively fought back to protect herself and her property. Both fully deserve a substantial punishment for their involvement in these frightening offences.”