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'Check your mail' urge attempted robbery victims

Updated on 5th September 2012

Residents in the Ladybrook area of Mansfield will receive a direct appeal through their letterbox this week in a bid to identify the man who tried to rob a bookmakers’ shop.

Police believe someone in the community knows the identity of the masked man who entered the William Hill betting shop in the Ladybrook Place shopping precinct, Ladybrook Lane at around 9.20pm on Wednesday 9 November 2011.

He threatened manager Carol with a firearm and demanded she hand over cash, but left empty-handed when she feigned going to a back room to get it as her colleague Sharon called police.

There were no customers in the shop at the time of the attack.

The Ladybrook Beat Team are visiting addresses in the area to deliver an appeal leaflet, featuring still CCTV images of the masked man and the imitation pistol-grip, pump-action shotgun believed to have been used in the attack.

They will also be putting up posters in community buildings, shop windows and pubs.  

An electronic version of the leaflet will also be added to the Force’s website, and Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as sent out via the local Neighbourhood Alert system in hopes that it will bring someone out of the woodwork with a vital clue in the case.
 
Carol and Sharon just want this man behind bars.

Both were uninjured in the attempted robbery but have suffered great mental and emotional stress as a result of it. Carol has not been back to work since and has terrible dreams, and Sharon will never look at her job and her hometown the same again. 

Carol said: “There is a reward of up to £10,000 on offer from the Association of British Bookmakers for anyone who provides information which leads to the prosecution of the man who did this to us.

“If you know anything, please call the police. I want to be able to go to sleep at night without imagining he’s outside my bedroom.

“If that’s not enough for you, think about the safety of the community. If he can wave a gun in my face, who knows what else he is capable of.”

The suspect is described as being between 5ft 7ins and 5ft 9ins tall and of medium build. He is believed to have a fair skin tone and was dressed in a dark-coloured coat with a hooded top and dark, fitted trousers, possibly jeans. He wore dark-coloured gloves on his hands and a cream/yellow mask, which had a beak.

He spoke with a local accent and walked with a distinctive gait.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Temple, who is heading up the investigation, said: “We have already had a good response from members of the public and are following up on a few new leads.

“When the leaflet drops onto your welcome mat, or you see it online or in your local shop, take a moment to stop and take a close look at this man and the gun. Really look at it. Cast your mind back to that night.

“Were you near Ladybrook Place that evening? Did you stop at the neighbouring grocery shop or enjoy a pint at the Ladybrook Hotel pub?

“It was the Wednesday after Bonfire Night. Frankie Cocozza had just been axed from X Factor. A 'Widow called for justice' in the Mansfield Chad after her husband died in an accident at Thoresby Colliery.

“Do you know anyone who was acting out of character in the lead up to or in the days following the attack? Perhaps you know someone who has had a strange reaction to our more recent appeals for information and suspect they may know more than they let on.

“If you think you can help us solve this case, please call us.”

Witnesses or anyone with any information about the perpetrator of this crime should contact DS Stuart Temple on 101, extension 805 3463, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident 863 of 9 November 2011.

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