Four years for teenage robber after two attacks

A teenager who committed two robberies in the space of 48 hours - including breaking into the home of an elderly woman - has been jailed.

Blake Lester, 19, threatened the woman with a weapon and stole her valuables after invading her property in Armthorpe, Doncaster, in August before he robbed a nearby shop and stole tobacco, according to police.

He was arrested after CCTV footage and fingerprints were used to locate him and he was found hiding underneath a pile of clothes, officers said.

Lester, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 14 April to four years and two months in a young offender institution.

Lester stole the elderly woman's phone, purse, laptop and handbag after breaking into her home in the early hours of the morning, South Yorkshire Police said.

The items were recovered the same day at another address in Armthorpe along with a black coat which matched what Lester was wearing in CCTV footage captured from the time of the offence, but the next day he went on to rob a shop.

According to police, he went into the store and demanded money from the shopkeeper, who had previously given him cash as he had felt sorry for him and offered him a free drink.

But this time, Lester assaulted him and made off with some tobacco.

Detectives found his fingerprints on a drink can and a packet of sweets and, after trying to evade capture, officers raided an address where they found Lester hiding underneath a pile of clothes.

After sentencing, Det Con Rachael Gilsenan said the robberies carried out by Lester were "a terrifying ordeal" for both victims.

"To be confronted in your own home or while simply trying to do your job is frightening, invasive and something no one should ever have to experience," she said.

Gilsenan praised both victims for "showing courage in reporting the incidents to us promptly, which helped us to piece together what had happened".

"Our detectives and CSI teams moved at pace to gather evidence, identify the offender and build a strong case which has now led to a custodial sentence," she added.

"It's thanks to them and the victims that we've been able to secure this result that prevents further offending, brings safety to the Armthorpe community and, I hope, brings a measure of closure to the two victims in this case."

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