Robbed at knifepoint – victims share their tales of trauma

Pictured (from top) Shaun Cartledge, Richard Kavanagh and Mathew Lunt

“I often wake up in cold sweats”, “I feared for my life”, “I genuinely believed he would stab me.”

These are all real-life accounts taken from people who have been robbed at knifepoint across Nottinghamshire.

While thankfully none of them came to serious harm – the impact of being threatened in this manner is something that still lingers.

Nottinghamshire Police reached out to multiple victims to hear their unique experiences, ahead of the national knife crime week of action, which starts today (11 November).

Each agreed to share their stories anonymously, to get across the long-term impact knifepoint robberies – the chosen theme for this Sceptre – can cause.

‘Brett’ was walking back from a night out and only metres from his home when Shaun Cartledge, 33, suddenly pulled a knife on him and started rifling through his pockets.

In the seconds that followed, the robber slashed Brett’s arm with the blade, punched him in the face, and took his tobacco, before he managed to get away and call the police.

“I did fear for my life but as it was happening, all I could think was 'how can I distract him and get back into the house?',” he said.

“I was scared but I didn’t want to show him that because I feel like if I had, then definitely something worse could’ve happened.

“While I was within the situation, I didn’t get freaked out, but once I got back into the house, it dawned on me, and it took me a while to be able to get back to my normal routine life after that.”

Cartledge, then of Nottingham, was caught soon after the attack in Radford in February 2022, and was later jailed for five-and-a-half years.  

Fast forward 21 months to November 2023 and ‘Harry’ and his friend were walking through the Arboretum area when Mathew Lunt appeared and threatened them with a knife hidden in his waistband.

The serial robber at that point marched the duo to a nearby cashpoint – all the while reminding them of the weapon in his possession – before forcing them to withdraw cash and hand it over.

Speaking about what happened, Harry said: “The man never took his hand from his waistband the whole way up to the cashpoint, and I truly believed he was going to use the knife to harm us.

“I have struggled to sleep since this incident happened. I often wake up in cold sweats and have gone through a panic attack.

“Socially, I have not wanted to go out with my friends on several occasions and prefer to stay home or stay indoors now.”

Lunt, a former convicted robber, was quickly identified by detectives, after using almost identical methods during previous offences.

The 38-year-old, of no fixed address, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court last November, where he was locked up for three years and eight months.

Another person to experience a robbery was ‘James’, who was threatened by weapon-carrier Richard Kavanagh while he was working in a West Bridgford shop back in August 2022.     

With a mask covering his face and a screwdriver in his hand, Kavanagh, 38, warned the shop assistant he would stab him if he didn’t hand over cash and cigarettes.

“I attempted to open the till but, in a panic, I kept pressing the wrong buttons, so it wouldn’t open,” said James.

“He then became angry and said, ‘I am being genuinely serious, I will stab you’.

“I felt so shocked to the point that I forgot how to work the till, and when it wouldn’t open for me, I became extremely fearful for my safety.

“I genuinely believed he would stab me if I didn’t give him what he was asking for.”

Kavanagh, of Palmerston Street, Derby, was sentenced to two-and-half years in prison, when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court last month.

'Brett', 'Harry' and 'James' agreed to share their accounts with Nottinghamshire Police, after knifepoint robberies were allocated as the national theme for Sceptre – the national knife crime week of action.

Robberies involving a knife or sharp object have increased by 11 per cent nationally over the last year, with Nottinghamshire seeing a rise of under one per cent, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

In terms of overall knife crime offences, the county has seen a slight rise – less than two per cent – of incidents in that time, compared to a four per cent increase nationally.

Nottinghamshire Police will be shining a light on the ongoing efforts by the force to crackdown on knife crime as part of the latest Sceptre, which runs until Sunday (17 November). 

A number of initiatives will be taking place as part of this, including the roll out of amnesty bins, knife sweeps, schools visits, and extra patrols conducted by the county's neighbourhood policing teams.

Chief Inspector Karl Thomas, Nottinghamshire Police's knife crime lead, said:

“As clearly demonstrated in each of these incidents, robbery is a horrible offence that can have real, lasting repercussions on victims.

“When you then add a knife or a weapon like a screwdriver into the equation, it isn’t hard to imagine just how traumatising an experience this could be.   

“Bearing this in mind, I’d like to thank each of the victims for sharing what happened to them – to really get across the impact knifepoint robberies can cause.

“While thankfully none of them were seriously injured, they won’t have known that was going to be the case as their attackers were threatening them with a weapon.

“We’re pleased to be able to shine a spotlight this Sceptre on the damage that can be caused by a knifepoint robbery, as well as the consequences of deciding to do this.

“These are incredibly serious offences and will be treated as such by Nottinghamshire Police, while anyone involved should expect to find themselves put behind bars – like Cartledge, Lunt and Kavanagh.

“So much work goes on across our force area – week-in and week-out – between the police and partners to take weapons off our streets and stop them getting there in the first place.

“Sceptre gives us a good opportunity to showcase some of these efforts, so we have a number of initiatives planned throughout the week, all with the goal of raising awareness about the dangers associated with knife crime."

For more information about Sceptre, visit: Operation Sceptre: Nottinghamshire Police

#NottsAgainstKnives