Graham Cox (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)Ī disturbed sex offender recently released from prison forced his way into the house of a pensioner and tried to rape her in order to get sent back to prison. Judge Linford then noted Connolly’s co-operation with police and his full admissions before jailing him for four years. “You took a relatively small amount of money.” Both were terrified and one believes she may have been killed and continues to suffer anxiety and receive treatment. “CCTV illustrates that the offence was particularly aggressive and that you were waving the knife in very close proximity to both women. “You went in wearing a hat and facemask and produced a long bladed knife and threatened both staff members shoving at least one of them. Sentencing Connolly, Judge Robert Linford said: “At 7pm on the evening of December 5 two women were working in the Spar shop is Launceston. This led to a worsening domestic situation with his partner, which the prosecution said made Connolly want to go back to jail.Ĭonnolly also expressed through Mr Andrews an apology to the victims. The barrister said that during that period Connolly left behind drink and drug abuse and went on medication for his paranoid schizophrenia.Īndrews said this changed when Connolly, who is from Liverpool, moved down to Cornwall to be with his partner and failed to register with a GP, meaning he was without his medication. The prosecution put the ten-year gap in offending down to Connolly trying to turn his life around for the sake of his two teenage sons. Prior to that Connolly was a prolific offender, with 96 offences to his name. Mr Andrews said that Connolly did not give the police any trouble and that he had not been in trouble for 10 years. Representing Connolly, Chris Andrews said that Connolly made no effort to pick up the card and that he wanted to go to jail after suffering a mental health decline. The stolen money and knife were also found at the scene. When officers entered and found Connolly hiding under the bed, he said “I’m chill, I just want to go to jail”. Police were able to link the crime to Connolly after he left his partner’s credit card at the scene, and traced him to her house. She said she was shaking when she handed the money, which totalled £170, to Connolly.Ĭonnolly then made off with the bag of money and the shop alarm was set off, calling police to the scene. The victim said in her witness statement that in that moment she believed Connolly would kill her and that she would never see her children again. While one of the two women, who initially believed Connolly was a regular customer, went into the shop’s stockroom, Connolly brought out and waved a large bread knife at the other.Ĭonnolly demanded that the employee open the till and hand over its contents.Ĭonnolly threatened her with the knife and forcefully pushed her backwards while screaming “I want the cash, I want the money out the till.” Miss Rust explained how Connolly entered the store wearing a face mask and hat. One victim said that she still goes to sleep with visions of him in her head and struggles to go to work. Prosecuting barrister Holly Rust told the court that Connolly caused one shop attendant to fear for her life and left them both psychologically traumatised. Ian Connolly, 39, raided the Spar shop in Launceston on December 5, waving a 10-inch bread knife at his victims before fleeing with a bag of money.Ĭonnolly, of no fixed abode, appeared at Truro Crown Court via video-link from HMP Exeter where he pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed article. An armed robber who left two shop workers paralysed with fear told police “I’m chill, I just want to go to jail” when they raided the property in which he was hiding.
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