A shopkeeper in Gateshead was threatened with an iron bar by a masked robber demanding money from the till.
George Eastland went to a Premier shop on Prince Consort Road, Gateshead, around 9:40 AM on November 6 of last year. He was already banned from the shop and wore a hood and mask to hide his face.
He wedged the door open with a bread container, knowing the shopkeeper could lock the door from behind the counter. Despite the owner stating he was banned, Eastland ignored him.
Prosecutor Neil Pallister described how Eastland stood at the counter, pulled out an iron bar, and demanded, “Open the till!”. He raised the bar high, leading the shopkeeper to fear he would be hit.
The shopkeeper refused to open the till, instead pressing the alarm and running from the area. He saw Eastland reach over the counter and steal vodka before running away.
About half an hour later, Eastland stole sixty pounds worth of meat from Aldi. Police arrested him at Aldi after he had a fit, and they took him to the hospital briefly. He later committed more crimes at the Co-op at Beacon Lough, where he assaulted two staff members.
Since workers knew him from previous thefts, he wore a mask and filled a basket with laundry items. When challenged, he claimed he had a knife. He shook a bottle of fabric conditioner and threw it at a female worker, hitting her hair, arm, and leg. Some of the liquid also hit a shopper when he threw the bottle in her direction before disappearing.
The workers were scared, and the woman worried about the liquid’s impact, particularly on her eyes. Eastland stole flowers and detergent later that day at the same Co-op.
He admitted to other crimes, including stealing laundry items on June 1 and possessing a blade on June 10. Eastland, twenty-nine years old and living on Hewitson Terrace in Felling, Gateshead, has thirteen past convictions.
The court sentenced him to thirty-two months. His lawyer, Ian Hudson, explained that Eastland owed drug money to “bad people” who intimidated him, leading to his job loss and downfall.
He feels genuine remorse for his actions. The conditions in male prisons are very bad.