Joker-faced robber jailed 40 months for knife threats at Jarrow Morrisons

Peter Braithwaite, 31, brandished a knife at supermarket staff while dressed as the Joker. He was jailed for 40 months at Newcastle Crown Court.

Jarrow man jailed after knife-wielding Joker robbery at Morrisons

A 31-year-old man who entered a Tyneside supermarket with his face painted as the Joker and threatened staff with a folding knife has been jailed for 40 months, chroniclelive.co.uk reports.

Peter Braithwaite, of Wilkinson Court Tower, Jarrow, walked into the Morrisons branch at The Viking Centre at around 3.15pm on 8 July, dressed entirely in black and wearing full Joker face paint. He was pushing a trolley of groceries towards the exit without paying when female members of staff intervened and told him he needed to pay.

Braithwaite replied "speak to your manager" and winked. When a male security guard also approached him, he produced a folding knife with a six-inch blade.

Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "He produced a folding knife and threatened staff with the six-inch blade." Braithwaite was heard asking "do you want to get stabbed" and "do you want to die" before pointing the knife at staff, causing them to back away. He then pushed the trolley out of the shop and returned to his nearby home.

A neighbour who saw him arrive with the groceries received no explanation — Braithwaite "stared wide-eyed" at him without speaking. Police later attended and recovered both the knife and the stolen items.

In a victim impact statement, one female member of staff described the lasting effect of the incident. "I keep thinking about the moment when the offender with the painted face asked if I wanted it," she said. "He looked so frightening, his eyes were bulging. I believed I was going to be stabbed." She said she now suffers anxiety and stress and fears dealing with male shoplifters. She also expressed concern for customers who witnessed the scene, including children: "I felt threatened and I'm sure they did too. The robbery was simply terrifying."

Recorder Jamie Hill KC, sentencing, acknowledged that Braithwaite has mental health issues but said the circumstances of the offence were an aggravating factor. "On this particular day you were acting to a large extent while high on drink and drugs," Hill said. "This was a terrifying incident, threatening to stab several people who were trying to do their jobs. I'm sure those people who were there at Morrisons will never forget it. There were four people threatened with the knife and others who would have been afraid of it. It would have been a deeply disturbing event."

Braithwaite, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to robbery. His defence counsel Robin Turton told the court his client had been "in a bad place at the time" but had improved during his time on remand. "He fully understands how frightening it must have been. He is deeply sorry and ashamed," Turton said. He added that Braithwaite has schizophrenia, which he said is linked to the offending, and that Braithwaite had been receiving treatment on the hospital wing at Durham prison and was willing to continue. Character references submitted by Braithwaite's mother and sister described the incident as out of character.

Source: The Sun