Armed robber jailed

Kieran Rhys Griffiths

An armed robber who lost his shoe and his gun when he was hit by a car as he fled from the scene of a robbery has been jailed.

Kieran Rhys Griffiths, 17, of Prince Street, Rochdale, had earlier pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a firearm at Manchester Crown Court. He was today sentenced to three years, four months in a Young Offenders Institution.

At about 9.30am on Friday 1 July 2011, Griffiths and an accomplice went into Hulme Post Office on Stretford Road, Hulme, one of them immediately pointed the gun at the woman working on the till in the shop area and demanded cash.

The robber holding the gun went behind the counter, put the gun to the woman's head and told her to open the till.

One of the staff managed to activate the panic alarm and on hearing it sound, the robber grabbed cigarettes and both men ran out of the shop.

The man with the gun, Griffiths, ran into the road, was hit by a passing car and lost his shoe and his gun.

He picked himself up and ran off, leaving the trainer and the gun behind.

Both items were forensically recovered and Griffiths’ DNA was found on both.

Detective Constable Heidi Cullum, of Longsight CID, said: "Griffiths cannot for one minute complain about his misfortune.

“He carried out a violent hold-up of a post office and ran out into traffic hoping to get away.

“The collision meant he lost his trainer and the weapon he had used to frighten the shopkeeper and customers.

"It’s extremely unusual to have a double forensic opportunity like this and we didn’t pass up the chance to put a violent criminal away.

“The message here is clear - if you carry out a violent offence and leave any trace behind, we will catch up with you.”

A 17-year-old, from North Wales, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with robbery and is due to appear before Manchester Magistrates on 17 February.