Man sentenced to four years for attempted robbery of Jersey shop

A 37-year old man in Jersey has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for an attempted robbery in January this year.George Eduard Gheorghe wore a homemade balaclava over his head when he approached and threatened two female shop assistants with a kitchen knife as they were locking up the Morrisons Daily store on Gloucester Street at 10:05pm on 24 January.The court heard how Mr Gheorghe, who has lived in Jersey for just over four years, was familiar with the locking up procedures at the store, because his wife had once worked there.CCTV footage shown to the court showed Mr Gheorghe forcing the shop assistants back into the shop. He then ordered one of them to open the office door whilst holding a knife in front of her face. Once open, the shop assistants managed to force the door shut and lock themselves in before Mr Gheorghe could enter.He subsequently fled the scene. The incident lasted 40 seconds in total.The prosecution argued that it was a premeditated robbery committed to pay off debts and feed a regular gambling habit.Crown Advocate Baglin also pointed out that the incident had left one of the shop assistants suffering from post-traumatic stress and anxiety. She also suffered an injury to her knee.The Defence disputed the suggestion that it was a premeditated crime and put the incident down to a 'moment of madness' caused by various pressures Gheorghe found himself under.The court heard how Mr Gheorghe had lent his brother-in-law £1,000 in December so he could travel home to Romania with his family. He had also had to pay a deposit on a new flat which the family were about to move into in the New Year.Around the same time, his brother, visiting from Romania, had stolen £1,700 from him. He also owed £300 to a friend, and had recently had news of his father's death and his mother's involvement in a serious car accident.Advocate Dix for the defence told the court that Mr Gheorghe was not a regular gambler, and that it was only in December that he had decided that gambling might provide a way out of his problems. He was described as ‘a loving family man who has always supported others, emotionally and financially.’The prosecution asked for a sentence of four and a half years imprisonment, whilst the defence suggested a sentence of four years would be more appropriate taking into consideration his good character and guilty plea.The presiding judge, Julian Clyde-Smith, in passing sentence accepted in mitigation his guilty plea, together with a letter of remorse where he recognised the effect the robbery had had on the shop assistants, as well as a number of character references which supported the defence's claim that the crime was completely out of character for Mr Gheorghe.The Crown also sought a recommendation for deportation. The application was rejected on the basis that it would have a disproportionate impact on his family in Jersey.The forfeiture and destruction of the knife used in the attack was also ordered.In a statement after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Lynda Mckenna of the States of Jersey Police said: “He subjected the two shop assistants to what can only be described as a terrifying ordeal. Thankfully crimes such as these are very rare in Jersey but the States of Jersey Police will always do everything in their power to bring these offenders to justice and take a robust and zero tolerance stance to crimes of violence.”