A PAIR of have-a-go heroes fought off a would-be robber armed with a pair of tweezers and a piece of wood before using one of the weapons to force him from the shop.
Nathan Parkinson wrapped a scarf around his face before he targeted Gray's News and tried to steal money from the till while threatening staff with a large piece of wood and a pair of tweezers.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 29-year-old had only been released from prison less than a week before attempting to rob the shop, pictured below, on Elm Street, South Bank, near Middlesbrough, in August this year.
Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said the shop's owner, who has run the business for more than 19 years, made a victim impact statement saying her early morning staff now 'feel nervous when people come into the shop' and 'they shouldn't have to feel like that'."
The court heard that the defendant tried to grab money out of the till as he was being served but one customer grabbed him in a headlock while a woman hit him on the back with his own piece of wood before he broke free and ran off.
She said: "He didn't manage to get any money and nor was anybody in the shop injured."
Parkinson, who was living in a bail hostel in South Bank at the time, had earlier pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon – the tweezers.
Michele Turner, mitigating, said the father-of-one had made an attempt on his own life the day before he targeted the shop with the 'sole purpose of returning to custody' as he was struggling to deal with life on the outside.
She said: "He did not mean to frighten or threaten them but he accepts that is what he did. He attempted to rob the shop but it was with the sole purpose of returning to custody."
Judge Deborah Sherwin sentenced the defendant to two years and eight months for the attempted robbery and imposed no separate sentence for possession of an offensive weapon.
She said: "You had a black scarf over your face; you had some tweezers in one hand and a piece of wood in the other. You dithered for a bit before making your mind up to attempt the robbery.
"It's quite clear that people who work in small shops are particularly vulnerable to some like you who wants to rob them. The psychological impact on them cannot be underestimated."
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