Moment knife thugs threaten terrified shopkeeper with deadly 18-inch blade and hammer
Men brandish huge weapon at cowering worker before stealing cash and cigarettes from shop in Merseyside
THIS CCTV footage shows a terrified shopkeeper cowering in the corner of his shop after three men stormed the store and threatened him an 18-inch MACHETE and a hammer.
Stephen Lewis, 18, Kyle Maddocks, 21, and Dean Gallagher, 22 brandished the deadly blade at staff in Hollys Mini Mart in Liverpool on January 20 before fleeing the scene with cash and cigarettes.
The gang were jailed today for a total of 19 years following a series of robberies in the Newsham Park area of the city at the start of the year.
Callagher and Lewis had also previously used the weapon to stab a taxi driver in the shoulder, slash his arm and smash the car window - showering him with broken glass on January 12.
Just one day earlier Lewis and another male had threatened a pizza delivery driver with the machete and robbed him of nearly £200.
But the group were caught after the incident in Hollys Mini Mart on Lower Breck Road, with officers finding the offending weapon and sealed packets of cigarettes at Lewis's home.
Detective Inspector Ian Warlow of Liverpool Serious and Organised Crime team said: "Robberies against local businesses greatly affect those who work there and their customers who are local people themselves.
"The delivery driver, the taxi driver and the shop staff were simply going about their day-to-day business and should not have to endure this type of criminality.
"Having seen the knife and the CCTV footage of the robbery in the mini mart I can imagine it must have been a terrifying experience for them."
Stephen Lewis, 18, of Newsham Drive, Stoneycroft was sentenced to seven years in custody with an extended sentence of five years.
Kyle Maddocks, 21, of Ashville Road, Wallasey was sentenced to four years and 11 months in custody with an extended sentence of three years.
Dean Callagher, 22, of Denford Road, Dovecot was sentenced to seven years in custody with an extended sentence of five years.
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