Robber who threatened shopworker is sentenced

A Rednal man who threatened a shop worker before stealing the till has been sentenced to more than three years for robbery and theft from a person.

Kyle Pollard, 27, of Hayling Close, Rednal, Birmingham pled guilty at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Friday 25 July to robbery and theft following two incidents on 16 and 17 June.

Pollard was given a 42-month custodial sentence on Monday 11 August for the robbery and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228 and six months custodial for the theft from person, to run concurrently.

His conviction follows an investigation by Hagley and Rubery Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) who arrested him after a robbery from Subway on New Road on Monday 16 June.

Pollard entered the store and demanded money from a staff member, claiming he had a knife before forcibly grabbing the till and fleeing. He returned the next morning and stole the till again targeting the same staff member.

He was pursued by a member of the public, but they were unable to catch him. However, Pollard discarded the till while fleeing.

PC Matt Dunton was first on scene and immediately identified the offender as Pollard. Arrest attempts were carried out and Pollard was spotted and later arrested.

“Being local officers and already having the trust of the staff through our relationships, I was able to gather the evidence quickly and provide one-to-one reassurance to the victim, which helped move the case swiftly through court and resulted in a custodial sentence.

 “We’re pleased with the outcome. As Safer Neighbourhood Officers, our role is to be a visible and trusted presence in the community.

“Working in a dedicated area means we can build relationships and respond quickly when incidents occur. In this case, prior non-offence interactions with Pollard helped us act fast."