A brave shopkeeper challenged an armed raider who walked into his store with an imitation sawn-off shotgun.
Kuldip Mahal was approached by the hooded gunman at his store in Wollaton, Nottingham at 9.40pm on May 24, Derbyshire Live reports .
Dramatic CCTV shows how the shopkeeper grabbed the weapon and tussled with Ian Watson, who was trying to get behind the counter of the shop to steal from the till.
In the footage you can see Mr Mahal try and prise the weapon from 38-year-old Watson, who then uses it to strike his victim three times over the head.
Mr Mahal, 48, suffered injuries in the tussle with Watson and needed hospital treatment
After fleeing from the shop empty-handed the offender, from Long Eaton, then carried out the exact same crime at Borrowash post office.
He again produced the sawn-off shotgun, pointed it in the face of a terrified cashier and got away with more than £2,000.
Now he has been jailed for seven-and-half-years for carrying out the two raids.
Describing the footage at Derby Crown Court , prosecutor Sarah Slater, said: “At around 9.40pm on May 24 Mr Mahal is working in his shop when he has the bell sound that someone has walked in the front door.
“He walks towards the counter where he sees the defendant holding the gun trying to get behind the counter.
“He says to him ‘what are you doing?’ and sees the defendant has the gun pointed at him.
“He tries to grab it but is pushed away and is then hit over the head with it.
“The defendant misses the first time but manages to strike Mr Mahal three times with the weapon.
“He starts to feel blood pouring down his face and the defendant then runs out of the store.”
The raid took place at the Premier Store, in Trowell Road, Wollaton, Nottingham and just a week later Watson, of Knightsyard Court, enters Borrowash post office, in Nottingham Road.
Dressed in a motorcycle helmet to disguise his identity he shoved the same gun under a hatch at the cashier and shouted “give me the money”
Watson, who carried out the offences as he was in debt to loan sharks, got away with around £2,000 in that robbery.
Jailing Watson, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: “That shopkeeper was minding his own business when you burst in dressed in a balaclava and carrying this gun.
“It must have been an incredibly frightening experience for him.
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“He fought you off, receiving injuries in the process, but you did not stop there.
“Because around a week later you walked into Borrowash Post Office armed with no doubt the same gun and shoved it under the glass at the counter and pointed it at this worker.
“Such was the fear at what you might do he handed over something in the region of £2,000 to you.
“Thankfully I have been told he is stoic and the effect on his was relatively short-lived.”
Watson was snared by evidence including him dumping the motorcycle helmet from the Borrowash robbery nearby which was recovered and contained his DNA.
He pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and two counts of possessing an imitation firearm.
Kevin Waddingham, for Watson, said his client had no drug issues and had been working in the building industry until losing his job in 2017.
He said: “Until 2017 he had a good job, a mortgage, a car and then he lost that job.
“This led to him getting into financial problems and getting money from unregulated means which we all know means loan sharks.
“He got to the point where he did not see what else he could do than to carry out these outrageous offences.
“He is very sorry for the way he acted, he is ashamed of himself.”
Lisa Morris, senior prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Although these incidents were caught on CCTV, the offender could not be identified because his clothing covered his features.
"There was clear evidence that Ian Watson was responsible for one of the robberies.
"The CPS worked closely with the police to identify lines of enquiry to prove that he had carried out both, and that this was therefore a serious pattern of offending.
"While these investigations were under way, the CPS resisted the offer of a guilty plea to one of the robberies, because of the nature of the crimes and the impact on the victims and the community.
"These further lines of enquiry provided evidence that enabled the CPS to put a strong case to the court that clearly identified Watson as the person behind both these robberies.
"He had no option to plead guilty and the court has recognised the seriousness of his crimes and reflected this in the sentence handed down.”
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