A shopkeeper who used his walking stick to fight off a knife-wielding man has described how he “thought he was going to die” during the robbery.
Eksteen De Villiers, 27, was jailed for five years after storming into a c-store in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, wearing a balaclava and demanding money at knifepoint.
CCTV footage showed him lunging towards the retailer who used his walking stick in an attempt to fight De Villiers off.
No money was handed over, but De Villiers grabbed two bottles of spirits before fleeing.
Police identified him after reviewing CCTV footage that showed him without the balaclava before he entered the shop. Officers later arrested him and recovered the knife and stolen alcohol.
De Villiers was handed a five-year prison sentence at Gloucester Crown Court on 9 December, as well as a 10-year restraining order banning him from the area.
In a victim personal statement read to the court, the retailer described the lasting psychological impact of the attack.
“When I am in the shop on my own, I suffer quite badly from panic attacks. I can’t have my back to the door in the shop, it makes me feel uneasy. When someone comes into the shop and I don’t know who they are, I get on edge and I don’t like being in this situation.”
The retailer said he did not sleep for three nights after the incident and suffered flashbacks whenever he closed his eyes.
“I was having nightmares for about two weeks after the incident. I see the incident on replay in my nightmares - the knife stands out the most as it was large and it came so close to stabbing me.
“I truly thought I was going to die that day. When I first saw the knife, I saw images of me being stabbed with it. I had no choice but to fight him off; it was really difficult and I fought him with everything I had. I feel that I am lucky to be alive.”
Sergeant Nick Wheeler from the neighbourhood policing team in the Forest of Dean, described the robbery as “nasty” and said it had left both the victim and the local community feeling ”incredibly vulnerable”.
“De Villiers acted in a vicious and frightening manner. This sentence reflects the seriousness with which this attack has been taken by us and the court.”
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