Croydon crook jailed for terrifying Redhill robbery stunt
Three years and four months for Evans’ booze bottle banditry
Mark Evans, 38, of Frederick Gardens, Croydon, has been locked up for three years and four months after pleading guilty to robbery charges at Guildford Crown Court. He’ll serve that time behind bars, followed by a three-year extended licence.
Beer bottle threat in Redhill shop
On the evening of Sunday 6 December, police raced to Redhill Food and Wine after a robbery was reported in progress. Evans stormed in, grabbed a glass beer bottle, and demanded the till be emptied, waving the bottle menacingly at the shop worker.
A brave member of the public stood up to him. In retaliation, Evans smashed the bottle on the counter, wielding the jagged glass as a weapon before a short scuffle broke out. The thug fled, and police were soon called.
Caught and charged with a violent repeat offence
Officers tracked down Evans nearby on Tolgate Avenue. He matched the description and had hand injuries consistent with broken glass. Charged with attempted robbery, affray, and possession of an offensive weapon, Evans was quickly remanded back into custody—just three weeks after being released on licence from a near-identical robbery in 2016 on the same road.
Detective thanks victims, slams repeat offender
“The sentence reflects the seriousness of these offences and shows violent, threatening behaviour won’t be tolerated in local communities,” said Detective Constable Steven Cassidy.
“I thank the victims for their bravery in standing up to Evans and alerting police quickly.”
“Evans committed the same crime again so soon after release, causing more trauma. Clearly, he didn’t learn his lesson the first time. This sentence gives him more time to think and learn.”
