Attempted armed robbery at an off licence

Shortly before 9pm on Saturday December 31, a man wearing a balaclava and carrying a seven-inch knife entered Jacks Off Licence on Bickershaw Lane.

He threatened a male member of staff in a stock room near the counter and demanded money.

The staff member was able to fight off the offender using a stool and remove his balaclava.

The offender then fled the shop empty handed while trying to cover his face from the CCTV cameras.

He headed on to Bickershaw Lane and down Rivington Drive.

The offender is described as white, of medium build, with a bald head.

He was wearing white trainers, blue Adidas tracksuit bottoms with white stripes, and a grey Nike top.

Detective Constable Lynsey Watson-Perry, of GMP’s Wigan Borough, said: “If not for the efforts of the staff member, this cowardly armed criminal would have stolen from this small business.

“While the employee deserves great praise for the way he bravely defended the business as the offender tried to attack him, we would always urge victims of crime to put their own safety first.

“I would ask anyone who has information about this robbery to please come forward and speak to us.

"If you suspect you know the culprit, or witnessed him going into or out of the shop, then we need to hear from you.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 and quote incident number 1929 of 31/12/16.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.