Knife thug terrorises petrol station – lands hefty jail term
Robber caught after terrifying staff with knife
Scott Appleby, 29, from Shakespeare Road, Burton-upon-Trent, was slammed with a seven-year, eight-month sentence at Stafford Crown Court on Friday (18 March). He admitted to robbery and carrying an offensive weapon in public.
On New Year’s Day 2022, Appleby stormed a petrol station on Derby Road. He pressed a knife to an employee’s neck before grabbing a bag of loose change worth around £25 and a £2 scratch card.
The terrified staff member suffered minor injuries but was left shaken by the ordeal.
Drugs and weapons haul lands Appleby even more time
During the sentencing, Appleby also pleaded guilty to earlier crimes involving possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs, plus possession of a bladed article in public.
Back in December 2019, a stop-and-search uncovered 116g of cannabis, 6.33g of Class A drugs, £780 cash, scales, and a knife in his possession. The street value of the Class A drugs was estimated at a hefty £2,360.
Judge hands down combined sentence
Appleby was ordered to serve 64 months for the robbery-related charges, 20 months concurrently for drug and weapon offences, and an extra 30 months consecutively for the Class A drug charge.
PC Daniel Douglas, lead officer on the case, said: “Appleby caused significant distress to the victim who was subject to a frightening robbery. Police have consolidated efforts across both cases to bring justice to the victim and apprehend another offender intent on using violence for criminal gain. I am pleased with the sentencing and hope it serves as a reminder that police proactively target offenders linked to drugs criminality.”
