Wigan borough armed robber jailed for 15 years

Zach Porter, 30, of Devonshire Road, Atherton was sentenced to 15 years and three months in prison at Bolton Crown Court after being found guilty of a number of offences including robbery, theft, possession of a knife and threatening with a weapon.

In January 2024, Porter entered a store on Derby Street, Atherton, and selected a quantity of chocolate bars and placed them in his pocket.

When he was challenged about paying for the items, he denied that he had anything on his person and then selected a bottle of wine and walked near the side of the counter towards the security door.

Porter then tried to get behind the counter and demanded that the member of staff open the till before striking the staff member on the head with the bottle of wine while trying to prevent them from pressing the panic alarm.

He then tried to grab some cigarettes before running out of the store.

Porter entered a wine shop in Atherton, carrying what was described as a 5ins flat head screwdriver.

He then approached the staff member and held the screwdriver against their ribs while demanding they open the till.

The staff member opened the till, and Porter snatched cigarettes from the drawer an took bank notes to the value of £215 to £225, before he made off from the store.

Porter was arrested on 4 January 2024 and was later charged with several robbery offences.

Det Sgt Nigel Rigby, from Greater Manchester Police's Wigan district, said: “Robbery can be a traumatic experience for victims, and no one should have to feel threatened in their place of work.

“We want to ensure the people of Wigan are able to go about their day safely and confidently.

"I hope this sentence sends a clear message that we take this type of crime very seriously and will pursue offenders who frighten and intimidate members of the public and take from local businesses.”

If you have any concerns about crime, you can report it by calling 101 or via LiveChat on gmp.police.uk. Always call 999 in an emergency.