A booze and drug-fuelled man who raided a shop armed with a screwdriver to threaten a terrified woman was caught after he called a taxi to help him escape.
Bungling Robert Forbes also ditched his trousers in a bin during his getaway which were quickly traced back to him as they showed up his tell-tale DNA.
The 40-year-old was later surrounded by police as he sat in his car contemplating his crime, and rammed one patrol car parked behind him.
But Forbes was forced to surrender when an officer trained a stun gun Taser weapon on him.
The robber struck at the convenience store on Old Chester Road in Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, on January 12, armed with the tool.
He repeatedly demanded money from a woman working behind the tills who ran into the store room and pressed a panic alarm.
Forbes then went behind the counter and used his screwdriver to gain access to the drawers inside the two tills.
He took £100 out of one of the drawers and fled the store while carrying the other till drawer, which also contained £100.
After getting the money out of the till drawer, Forbes ditched it nearby.
He also threw away the screwdriver and the trousers he was wearing during the robbery before fleeing the area in a taxi that he had called.
The mobile phone used to call the taxi firm was linked to Forbes, and cell site data subsequently revealed that the phone was in the area at the time of the robbery.
Forbes was identified as the offender by an officer who viewed CCTV footage of the robbery, and following fast-track forensic work his DNA was found on the trousers that he ditched in a bin near to the convenience store.
A police manhunt was launched and an off-duty officer saw Forbes sitting in a car in the Stanney Woods area of Ellesmere Port at around 1.30pm on January 14.
He notified colleagues and several marked police cars subsequently arrived at the scene.
The officer then attempted to open the front driver side door.
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At that point, Forbes attempted to flee, revving the engine and ramming a police car that had parked behind him.
He stopped the engine when another officer in attendance drew his Taser.
Forbes was arrested and it was established that he had been driving the car while banned.
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When interviewed in custody Forbes admitted to being responsible for the robbery.
Forbes claimed that he had committed the offence while on a drugs and alcohol binge and had used the money that he stole to buy cocaine.
He stated that he had little memory of the robbery and expressed remorse for his actions, which he blamed on a growing addiction to the Class A drug.
Forbes was subsequently charged with robbery, dangerous driving and driving without a licence and insurance.
He pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced at Chester Crown Court yesterday.
He was jailed for four years and two months, and his driving ban was extended by two years, to three years.
Judge Simon Berkson told him: "Sadly you have gone back to your old ways."
Detective Constable Chris O'Connor, from Cheshire Police, said: “There were customers in the convenience store when Robert Forbes carried out the robbery whilst armed with a screwdriver.
“He subjected the sales assistant to a frightening ordeal.
“Extensive enquiries led to us establishing that Forbes was the offender and subsequently locating and arresting him in the following days.
“He damaged a police car trying to evade capture, ramming it with a vehicle he was driving whilst banned.
“As a result, the police car used to help serve the public had to be taken off the road.
“With the extent of the evidence that we gathered against Forbes – through CCTV footage, information provided by witnesses and a taxi firm, discarded items found by members of the public and forensic work – we were always confident of him being convicted of the robbery, as well as driving offences.
“He ended up pleading guilty to all of the offences and is now behind bars facing the consequences of his actions.
“With Forbes blaming his offending on an addiction to cocaine, this case highlights the fact that illegal drugs blight our communities, causing untold damage to both those that use them and the wider society who suffer from the resulting crime.
“I hope this case deters others from using illegal drugs and committing similar offences, and I would like to thank all the members of the public who helped us bring Forbes to justice.”
