Two men – Jordan Farran and Glen O’Donnell – have been jailed for robbing a Morrisons petrol station in Bredbury, Stockport, back in September 2021.
Farran and O’Donnell appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court last week and were each sentenced to four years in jail after they pleaded guilty to the robbery at an earlier hearing.
The incident was captured on CCTV and showed two men entering the Morrisons petrol station armed with a golf club. Once inside, the pair intimidated staff into handing over a quantity of cash and cigarettes before they fled.
CCTV footage captured their getaway and on viewing this, investigating officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were able to identify the car they made off in as one that was registered to Farran.
Farran was later arrested on suspicion of robbery. He was taken into police custody and had his mobile phone seized.
Digital evidence showed that on the night of the robbery Farran had travelled to O’Donnell’s house and together the pair had made their way to Stockport. This evidence contradicted Farran’s initial claims that he was at home all evening. When questioned about the phone data, he stated he could not account for the movement of his phone.
Officers then examined CCTV from the surrounding area of the petrol station, which showed two men matching the description of the defendants arriving by car, a short walk from the scene, on the night of the robbery. The pair were then seen getting out of the car and walking in the direction of the petrol station with their hoods up.
Once inside they carried out the armed robbery – threatening store staff with violence and making off with cash and around 200 boxes of cigarettes.
Detective Constable Shakespeare of GMP Serious Crime Division said: “This was a nasty robbery and I commend the bravery of witnesses in making themselves known to police and supporting our investigation. We have spent long hours gathering evidence and reviewing phone data and CCTV to identify and arrest the two defendants and bring them before the courts.
“I hope the work of the investigation team demonstrates that GMP is committed to tackling robbery and that our officers will track down, arrest and hold to account anyone who thinks they can use violence to take that which doesn’t belong to them.”
