Merseyside Police have confirmed that two men have been charged after a shop worker at a Spar store was punched in the face after challenging a man reportedly stealing chocolate bars.
The incident took place in Liverpool city centre on Wednesday (26 August).
Police were called at 9.40am to the Spar on the city’s London Road, where it was reported one of the two men who had entered the shop together had started putting the bars under his shirt.
When challenged by a member of staff as he tried to leave, the second man reportedly became aggressive and punched him in the face, causing a serious facial injury requiring treatment at hospital.
Blake Potbury, of no fixed address, was arrested and later charged with Section 20 assault. He was remanded into custody to appear at court yesterday where he was further remanded to appear again on 24 September.
Arrest and charge
Paul John Raywood, also of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with theft from a shop and remanded in custody to appear at court yesterday.
Detective Inspector Egerton from the force said: “We take all reports of retail crime seriously and will not tolerate incidents which leave staff threatened, intimidated and even assaulted in their workplace.
“Shop theft is not a victimless crime - it can lead to people losing jobs when shops are forced to close due to repeated loss of stock and can impact consumers when businesses increase prices in an effort to recoup lost revenue.
“We’re determined to keep shopworkers safe from the harm caused with regular patrols in those areas retailers and the community tell us are suffering at the hands of offenders.”
No comments yet