A carjacker attempted to rob a woman armed with a pair of scissors before entering a shop claiming to be from Trading Standards then brandishing a fake gun.
Matthew Sanderson demanded to see the visas of Polish workers in the store before attacking them and taking cash from the till. Only hours before, he had tried to steal a lone female's car as she filled her tyres with air on a petrol station forecourt while on her way to work.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Thursday, that 58-year-old Pauline Garner was driving to work at around 7am on June 30 this year when she stopped to use the air pump at the BP garage on Priory Road in Anfield. As she did so, she noticed Sanderson sitting nearby wearing a face mask.
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He began following her and asked if she "knew what she was doing" before angrily saying "give me your keys". The 38-year-old was told to "f*** off", but he replied: "I'm not messing, give me the keys."
Sanderson - of Barton Road in Walton - then lunged forward and grabbed the keys out of Ms Garner's hands, jumped into the driver's seat and tried to start the engine. The vehicle briefly lurched forward, but she fought back and tried to pull her assailant out of the car.
It was at this point that she noticed he was holding the scissors and was left "scared she was going to be stabbed". But Ben Jones, prosecuting, described how she "acted with commendable bravery" and pulled the weapon out of his hands and kicked it away.
Sanderson responded by biting her on the right arm and putting her in a headlock after Ms Garner pulled his mask off. He attempted to grab the cars keys again, repeating: "Just five me the keys."
The struggle lasted for around five minutes as bystanders watched on, with one filming on his mobile phone. When onlookers eventually intervened, Sanderson claimed that he had been the victim of the carjacking - saying: "She's robbed my ma's car."
He was then chased away by members of the public. Ms Garner suffered four minor cuts to her right hand from the scissors and bruising as a result of the bite.
A statement which was read out to the court on her behalf described how she often wakes up in the night and "relives the incident over and over in her head". She added: "Before the incident, I was a confident person.
"Since the incident, I would now describe myself as a nervous person - particularly when on my own. I hope the person responsible will take time to reflect how his actions have an impact on others."
At around 4pm, Sanderson entered Tatry on Breck Road and began browsing the premises before approaching two Polish staff members - who have "lived in the country for many years" - at the counter claiming to be a representative of Trading Standards. He asked to see the women's visas while speaking in foreign accent.
When the suspicious employees asked to see his identification, he produced a bank card which remained partially hidden behind his hand. Sanderson then pulled out what appeared to be a black hand gun from his right trouser pocket and pointed at the face of one of the victims.
The court was told that she "thought the gun looked like it was plastic and wasn't real, but didn't want to take any chances". He ordered the pair into the back room, incorrectly believing there to be a safe, before "turning his attentions to the till" and pinching £65 in coins and bank notes.
As he did so, Sanderson told them: "Get away now or I'll shoot you. I'm going to shoot you."
The drug addict then fled through the back door in the direction of the nearby Asda supermarket and changed into a pair of clothes he had brought with him in a bag. But Sanderson left behind his trainers, and was forensically linked to the robbery by DNA.
Both incidents were caught on CCTV, with the footage being played to the court. After his arrest, he claimed he was "out of it on a cocktail of drugs" at the time.
Sanderson has 32 previous convictions for 74 offences, including being jailed for five years for robbery and burglary in 2013. This came after an attempted knifepoint carjacking in which he "blamed the victim when others came to assist".
Brendan Carville, defending, said: "He is still a relatively young man and he does have some mental health issues. Although his recollection of these matters is limited, when he was shown the two videos his reaction was to say how disgusted he was at himself and how ashamed he was."
Appearing via video link to HMP Doncaster, Sanderson admitted robbery, assault with intent to rob, possession of an imitation firearm and making threats with a bladed article this morning. He was jailed for eight years.
Sentencing, Recorder Richard Pratt KC said: "You approached a lone, middle-aged woman at a petrol station when she was putting air into her tyres. Having approached her under the guise of offering assistance, you made a determined, prolonged attempt to steal her car - subjecting her to a physical assault, including threats to her with a pair of scissors.
"This was a very shocking, outrageous incident for her to have suffered."
Of the second incident, the judge added: "Under the pretence that you worked for Trading Standards, you said that you required them to produce their visas. That was plainly a plot to mask your true purpose of robbing the shop.
"This you did do by brandishing an imitation firearm, forcing the females into the back room where you thought there was a safe. They were similarly distressed by the events.
"You have a bad record of offending, and almost all of it appears to be explained by your addiction to illegal drugs. I hope that, by the time you emerge from this sentence, you will reflect on the wasted years you have had and do something with the rest of your life."
Sanderson will serve at least two thirds of his prison term before being released on licence. He was also told to pay a victim surcharge.
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