Two men have been arrested by Norwich police following a raid on a newsagents that resulted in the owner suffering minor injuries.

The incident took place at Gerry’s News in Waterloo Road, Norwich early on Thursday January 20. Two raiders entered the shop at 6.25am and stole the till. The store owner attempted to stop the duo leaving and as a result he sustained minor injuries.

The till was later discovered and a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old man have since been arrested. They are currently at a local police station awaiting questioning and are both from the local area.

Local retailer Nigel Dowdney of the Earlham Shopper said that crimes against independent stores are on the increase. “Certainly from my own experience I’ve seen an increase in incidences of shoplifting over the past 12 months,” he said. 

“Smaller independent stores are perhaps more at risk than larger chains who can spend large amounts of money on equipment to try and deter shoplifters. Smaller shops are on the front line in our communities and unfortunately that means they are a tad exposed.”

Meanwhile, Mohammed Adan was yesterday sentenced to 25 years in prison for his attack on retailer Fawad Irshad in October 2009. The incident occurred in Fawad’s off-license on Forest Gate, East London after the retailer had reported a shoplifter to the police. Adan attacked Fawad with a machete leaving him with brain damage, a fractured skull and an almost severed nose. 

In a statement to the court, Fawad said that he has not been able to go back to the shop since the attack.

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