Boots-robbing brothers jailed
A PHARMACIST was pushed backwards into shelving and another member of staff shoulder-barged during a robbery at Boots in January.
The Royal Court was told how brothers Kyle Henderson, 32, and Darren Henderson, 37, had committed the offence in order to steal three to four packets of the sleeping tablet Nitrazepam.
Both had their faces covered so only their eyes could be seen and after running from the shop, they were arrested in Upland Road about 35 minutes later.
The robbery occurred at about 10.45am on a Thursday.
Crown Advocate Chris Dunford said a member of staff had drawn the pharmacist’s attention to Kyle Henderson who was standing on the wrong side of the counter and holding the tablets. When she told him to leave and to put the tablets back Kyle replied: ‘I don’t think so love,’ and pushed her backwards.
Kyle shoulder-barged another member of staff as they left the store, things were knocked over, and customers were shouting.
The pharmacist said later she had never experienced anything like it and was shocked and upset at what had happened.
The defendants admitted later that they had carried out the robbery to feed their drug addictions.
Advocate Chris Dunford told the court that much of the evidence was circumstantial but when put together it was strong enough to convict both men.
Though they could not be identified in the High Street shop, statements from people who were there and CCTV footage from other parts of Town pointed the investigation towards them.
Kyle was seen in the store with another family member, who was also initially arrested, at about 10.20am the same day.
He was also seen in the Sure shop in the High Street where he took his mobile phone for charging. Clothes in a rucksack that Darren was carrying at the time of his arrest matched the description of what one of the robbers was said to be wearing in Boots and police believed he had changed.
Darren was also seen in Stonelake’s Chemist at about 9.50am where a staff member identified him as customer. He was wearing the clothes then that were found later in his ruck sack.
The men were seen walking up the High Street towards Boots just before the burglary and running down it and in to the Commercial Arcade just after it. The Joint Emergency Services Control Centre put out a message giving a description of the offenders and both were arrested in Upland Road as they walked towards Monument Road.
The drugs were found on them.
Darren was uncooperative and gave no comment responses in interview and Kyle did likewise apart from saying that the CCTV showed nothing and could not prove he had been with his brother.
The brothers admitted the joint robbery charge and Kyle also admitted possessing 0.61grams of the class B substance cannabis resin which was found on him at the time of his arrest.
Both had extensive criminal records. Kyle’s convictions included theft, burglary, supplying and possessing controlled drugs, and violence. Darren had matters of assault, burglary and drug possession that covered a period of more than 20 years and both had served numerous custodial sentences.
For Kyle, Advocate Samuel Steel said the tablets had a total value of about £5. No threats had been made towards anyone, no weapons used or injuries caused. His client accepted knocking two shop assistants out of the way but in terms of a robbery the violence was at the lower end of the scale. He had been released from prison shortly before the incident and not for the first time had resorted to drug use. He could have put the prosecution to proof by entering a not guilty plea.
For Darren, Advocate Liam Roffey said his client had put his hands up from the start. He made no excuses and wished to apologise. He had been using and selling drugs since the age of eight. He had a substantial and entrenched drug dependency. He had wasted much of his life which had impacted negatively on far too many people and his efforts to overcome his problem had been unsuccessful though he was still determined to succeed.
Judge Russell Finch said the evidence as a whole was convincing. The social enquiry reports for both defendants made depressing reading and both were considered to be at a high risk of re-offending.
‘This is the last sort of thing that people working in large retail establishments in Guernsey should expect to happen,’ he said.
Robberies had a variety of circumstances and the court had to accept that in the absence of weapons or threats this was not the most serious form. The goods were low value but were also prescription medication and there had been a degree of planning.
The brothers were both sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Kyle received a further seven days, concurrent, for the cannabis offence and forfeiture and destruction of the drugs were ordered.
