SKETTY: Claw hammer robber told terrified Co-op worker he had ‘respect’ for shopworkers

A robber who threatened to smash a Swansea shopworker’s head in with a claw hammer told his victim, as he fled with cash and gin, that he had “respect” for people who work in shops.

Christopher Barnett, 46, of Birchtree Close, Sketty Park, has been jailed for 38 months at Swansea Crown Court for the robbery at the Co-op on Gower Road in Sketty.

Prosecutor Abul Hussain told the court Barnett walked into the store on the evening of 21 July, loud and boisterous and talking about vapes, worrying the member of staff on duty enough that he moved back behind the counter.

Barnett followed him, and pulled a claw hammer from his shopping bag.

He advanced on the worker threatening to “smash his head in”, the court heard, while the man backed away with his empty hands raised to show he wanted no confrontation.

Barnett told his victim he did not want to hurt him but was going to rob him, demanding cash from the till and bottles of gin from the shelves.

He left with £276 and the alcohol, telling the worker again that he did not want to hurt him and that he “has respect for shopworkers”.

Arrested after being identified by police, Barnett told officers he was on the dole, struggling financially and had “given up on life”, asking to be jailed for as long as possible.

In a statement read to the court, the shopworker described the huge impact the robbery has had on his life and his job.

Barnett admitted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, and a separate theft, having shoplifted food from the Sainsbury’s in Uplands the day before.

He has 38 previous convictions for 89 offences, including 29 thefts and similar matters.

His barrister Andrew Evans said Barnett had misused controlled substances for most of his adult life, was on a “drugs binge” at the time, and understood the impact his lifestyle was having on those close to him.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said he had read “articulate and insightful” letters from Barnett and his partner, telling him he was lucky to have a supportive family and a stable relationship, albeit one he seemed “determined to strain to the maximum”.

The judge told him his future was in his own hands, and that without taking the help he needed he would one day look back on his life and wonder what he had done with it.

Sentenced over videolink from prison with a third off for his guilty pleas, Barnett apologised to his victim and said he would like to write him a letter.