Derbyshire shopkeepers fight back after string of knifepoint robberies

Shopkeepers fight back after string of robberies Shop owners are hoping a police appeal can help trace a man suspected of targeting businesses in a string of knifepoint robberies.

Last week Derbyshire Police released CCTV footage after numerous robberies took place in Derby and Ilkeston over five weeks.

One man used a stick to beat away his assailant, while another woman said she and her husband had their passports stolen by a man with a knife.

The force said its investigations were ongoing.

Subash Moorkath was seen on CCTV confronting one intruder with a stick that he uses to open the shutters on his shop in Chaddesden.

"I was standing at the counter, and a guy who was a bit taller than me walked in with all his face covered and an orange hoodie," he said.

"He came [round the counter] to actually get into the till, but by the time I pressed the panic button [he saw] I had a big stick as well.

"I chased him out with the stick - as soon as he realised I was coming behind him, he started running off."

Mr Moorkath said he relied on his instincts to chase away the man, who left empty-handed before he reportedly targeted other premises.

"All this happened in just a few seconds of time - I didn't really get any time to think of it [as] frightening," he said.

"I just reacted in the moment."

Thilaxshana Thiyagarasa said she was checking stock around her shop in Chaddesden one evening when she saw a man wearing a mask and shouting as he entered.

"I thought he [might be] as he was shouting," she said.

"It's so scary, and I couldn't even shout because he had a knife."

Ms Thiyagarasa said the man took money from the till, as well as her purse, which contained her bank cards and both her and her husband's passports.

She said she avoid working at night after the incident.

Kevin Mason's family has been in their Chaddesden shop for 50 years, and he has been at the helm since 1987.

He said one of his employees was on duty when a man came in and threatened her with a knife.

After he tried to get her to open a safe, she did not have keys for, he stole cigarettes and vapes before fleeing.

Mr Mason said he has put on extra staff members as other employees "are frightened stiff", but hopes the local community can rally round.

"This is a close-knit area, [and] I'm hoping our community can find this guy," he said.

"Crimestoppers are now involved; there's £1,000 available for someone who can provide information - I hope our community comes together, lets them know who this man is, and hopefully get him caught and taken off the streets."

Det Sgt Jack Gibbs, from Derbyshire Police, said officers are "working around the clock on this series of robberies", which now numbers eight attacks on off-licences and smaller stores after a further incident in Oakwood on 7 November.

He said information provided by a member of the public had led to one arrest for conspiracy to commit robbery, with the suspect since released on bail, and appealed to the public for their help.

"The offender is [acting] quite callously, targeting the shopkeepers at knifepoint, and is forcing them to exchange cash and any sort of consumable goods that they can get their hands on," he said.

"One of the good things we have is we have some really good quality CCTV, which covers each offence, and through that there are some really key and consistent characteristics about the way this offender goes about his criminality.

"Certain aspects are his gait, his build, how he carries himself, the communication he has with shopkeepers at the offences, and there are certain other lines of inquiry that we're really interested in which are consistent throughout.

"We're really confident that somebody out there in the community has that crucial bit of information that we need."

Additional reporting by Owen Shipton.

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