An armed robber who attacked his victim with a hammer at a store in Oakthorpe has been jailed for 12 years.

Damian Mould, 38, carried out the attack on January 13 this year, before stealing cash and a bottle of alcohol.

Police enquiries led to Mould also being connected with two other crimes in Ashby.

The victim, in his 60s, was left with significant head injuries and admitted to hospital for treatment where he remained for around two weeks before being discharged. 

Leicestershire Police said that enquiries following the robbery, including officers speaking to witnesses, CCTV analysis, forensic searches and house-to-house, led to Mould being identified as the suspect.

He was arrested three days later when police were called to a report of an intruder alarm going off at a business premises in Lower Church Street, Ashby, with Mould being found inside the building.

At the time of committing both of these offences, Mould had been released on police bail after being arrested on suspicion of robbery at a garage in Nottingham Road, Ashby, on November 1 last year. 

A staff member was working the night shift when she saw a man – later identified as Mould - behind the till taking cigarettes from the cabinet. 

She confronted him and reported he had made a threat that he had a gun ordering her to open the till. 

The victim was unable to open the till and Mould left the premises. No injuries were reported.

Mould was charged in connection with all the incidents, later pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of burglary at court.

On Friday (November 1) at Leicester Crown Court, he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment with a three-year licence extension.

Officer in the case, Police Constable Amy Aplin said: "Mould had no regard for his victims while carrying out these crimes purely for his own gain. Two of the offences were committed while he was already on police bail.

"Thanks to the support and co-operation of the victims, along with dedicated enquiries being carried out by response officers and the investigation team, Mould was left with no choice but to admit his crimes leading to this sentence.

"We will not tolerate these crimes being committed in our communities and will take action to find those responsible and to bring them before the courts.