Sheffield Crown Court: Threatening thug smashed up roof tiles after he was caged inside a phone shop by staff

Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 4 how Harry Trench, aged 20, of Daylands Avenue, Conisbrough, Doncaster, threatened staff at Best Phones, on Copley Road, Doncaster, after they refused to give him cash relating to a previous transaction and he proceeded to damage the store’s roof tiles.

Katherine White, prosecuting, said: “They made the decision to exit the store, lock the front door and put the shutters down, leaving the aggressive male inside.

"They telephoned police and continued to observe the male through a gap in the shutters.”

Ms White explained Trench had claimed he was owed £300 because he had previously handed over a phone for repair and had not received it back but the manager recalled the phone belonged to someone else who had already paid for the repair and had collected the phone.

Trench began throwing items and as it was feared he was going to walk away with an XBox 1S and as he was threatening to cause damage, the staff locked him in the shop, according to Ms White.

Crime: Man jailed for breaking into police station armed with knife

Ms White said one of the employees heard the defendant say during the incident that he had a knife and that he would burn the shop down.

Trench repeatedly punched roof tiles causing them to fall off before he was arrested and he gave false names and dates of birth to police, according to Ms White.

The defendant told police he accepted reacting poorly and making threats to burn and smash the shop, and to fight store workers but when he was locked in the only thing on his mind was getting out.

White pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage, to obstructing police and to using threatening behaviour after the incident on January 27.

He also accepted failing to attend court and he admitted failing to comply with the requirements of a community order which had been imposed for a previous offence of dangerous driving.

In addition, Trench pleaded guilty to a separate offence of burglary after he raided JCT600 Land Rover dealers, on Wheatley Hall Road, Doncaster, on June 4, 2022.

Ms White said the manager of the Land Rover dealers had been alerted by an alarm monitoring company and damage was found to a roller shutter.

Police spotted Trench climbing out of a window at the car dealers and he was later identified by an officer, and from a fingerprint and a blood sample both found at the scene.

Defence barrister Cheryl Dudley said Trench had been targeted by a gang called the Pitsmoor Shotta Boys and he had to move out of his family home.

Ms Dudley added: “He ended-up living in a car and was living a pointless existence in that he was not working and had no where to live and was smoking cannabis and cocaine and his lifestyle deteriorated with him accumulating a number of offences.”

The judge – Recorder David Gordon QC – sentenced Trench to 18 months of custody in a Young Offender Institution.