32-year-old Adam Ghali has been sentenced to 2 years in prison after robbing The Co-Operative store in Ryde earlier this year.
On the night of 15th April, Ghali entered the local corner shop on West Street at around 20:50 before threatening staff and demanding cash from the tills, as first reported by Island Echo.
Local resident Neville Browne witnessed a scared member of the public running out of the corner shop screaming ‘he’s got a knife’. Unhappy with the situation, Mr Browne grabbed a pan from his kitchen and hit Ghali as he tried to flee the store with £400 in cash. Although it has emerged Ghali was not actually in possession of a knife, threats were made to the staff that suggested he was carrying a knife at the time of the robbery.
Ghali managed to get away, but was caught by Police just minutes later.
Adam Ghali, a class-A drug addict, has 29 previous convictions which includes the robbery of another shop in Ryde back in 2010. The criminal attracted national media attention when he posted photographs from inside Camp Hill Prison whilst serving an 18-month sentence.
Admitting a single charge of robbery, Ghali, of Upper Green Road, St Helens was jailed for 2 years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge when he appeared before the Isle of Wight Crown Court.
