Witness appeal after man in Santa hat robs Co-op

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man wearing a Santa hat robbed a Co-op store in Saltdean last night (December 20).
Police are appealing for witnesses to the robbery which happened last night (December 20)Police are appealing for witnesses to the robbery which happened last night (December 20)
Police are appealing for witnesses to the robbery which happened last night (December 20)

The man went into the shop in Lustrells Vale just after 9pm and threatened a woman staff member with a kitchen knife and forced her to the store office, police said.

He then grabbed another staff member there and made him open the safe.

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The suspect stole more than £2,000 before running out of the store into School Lane and on to Chiltington Way, police confirmed.

He was pursued by another staff member who heard him get into a car believed to be a silver Ford Focus hatchback, which made off down Tremola Avenue towards the seafront, a spokesperson from Sussex Police said.

The robber was white, between 5ft 9in and 5ft 11in, of stocky build and wearing black jogging bottoms, a black North Face hooded top, a Santa hat with printed Santa feet on the top, a black scarf covering his face apart from his eyes and black gloves.

He spoke with an accent, which was possibly either Liverpudlian or northern.

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Detective Inspector Andy Wolstenholme said: “This was a violent robbery which left the staff shaken and shocked. We want to hear from anyone who saw the offender in the store, or running away afterwards or who has details of the car used to escape.

“We are considering if this offence is linked to another similar knifepoint robbery at the Co-op store in Old London Road, Brighton, on Friday, December 16.”

Anyone with information should contact police by emailing [email protected] or ring 101 quoting serial 1403 of 20/12.

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