A menacing armed robber raided a Morrisons with his face painted as The Joker, leaving staff fearing for their lives.
Peter Braithwaite, 31, threatened workers with a knife at the supermarket in Jarrow, Tyneside, after trying to leave with a trolley without paying.
The encounter was made even more terrifying because he had painted his face like Batman’s iconic nemesis.
The robbery unfolded on the afternoon of July 8, when Braithwaite marched into the supermarket inside The Viking Centre, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
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CCTV footage shows the man pushing a trolley filled with food while holding what appears to be a knife as he passed other shoppers.
When Braithwaite tried to exit the shop, female staff members spoke to him.
He responded with a wink and said ‘speak to your manager’ before the encounter escalated as a male security guard approached and the team held the trolley, the court heard.
He then produced a knife and ‘threatened staff with the six-inch blade,’ prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said.
He is said to have made comments like ‘do you want to get stabbed’ and ‘do you want to die’ while pointing the knife as staff backed away, the prosecutor said.
Police caught Braithwaite at his home nearby with the knife and stolen shopping.
A neighbour who confronted him said he didn’t speak but ‘stared wide-eyed.’
Staff said they were left traumatised by the ordeal, with one female worker saying she now suffers from anxiety and stress as a result.
She told in her victim impact statement how she keeps reliving the moment she approached Braithwaite.
‘He looked so frightening, his eyes were bulging. I believed I was going to be stabbed,’ she said.
She was concerned for children in the shop, saying ‘I felt threatened and I’m sure they did too.’
Braithwaite suffers from schizophrenia, which is linked to the offending, his defence team insisted.
He is said to have been in a ‘bad place at the time,’ but is now remorseful and understands the impact of his actions.
Recorder Jamie Hill KC acknowledged Braithwaite’s mental health issues but added that on the day he was ‘acting to a large extent while high on drink and drugs.’
He pleaded guilty to robbery and was handed a 40-month prison sentence.
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