Pensioner, 69, held up café and shop with replica pistol then hobbled with a walking stick to a BUS STOP... hoping his getaway ride home was on time

  • Ken Dodds, 69, has admitted two counts of attempted robbery and one of possession of an imitation firearm
  • Durham crown court was told he tried to rob a café and a news agency
  • His attempted robbery left staff 'terrified' according to newsagents manager 

By Debbie White For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Staff at a café and a shop were left ‘terrified’ after a pensioner held them up at gunpoint, before shuffling off with the aid of his walking stick to catch a bus to make his escape.

Durham crown court was told that Ken Dodds, 69, was carrying a replica Colt 44 revolver when he entered Café Pronto in Newton Aycliffe, before wandering off to a neighbouring newsagents, where he also pointed his fake weapon at frightened employees.

Shop assistants at Young’s Newsagents were told to hand over £100 to the pensioner at about 8.30am on February 22.

But they refused, and Dodds was arrested by the police shortly afterwards.

Chris Young, managing director of the newsagents, above, hopes the pensioner will be sent to jail after threatening staff at the store in February this year

Chris Young, managing director of the newsagents, above, hopes the pensioner will be sent to jail after threatening staff at the store in February this year

The court heard that, using his walking stick, he had slowly walked out of the newsagents towards a bus stop. 

It was while he was waiting for his ride, after leaving both premises empty-handed, that police apprehended him and held him to the ground, as he was determined not to hand over the replica Colt.

Updated victim statements are to be prepared ahead of Dodds’ sentencing, after the Newton Aycliffe pensioner admitted two counts of attempted robbery and one of possession of an imitation firearm.

Judge Christopher Prince called for fresh statements for the sentencing hearing, as part of the restorative justice process, including meeting the defendant, should any of the four shop assistants targeted in the attempted robbery choose to do so.

Dodds attempted to rob the stores with a replica Colt handgun

Dodds attempted to rob the stores with a replica Colt handgun

The pensioner was bailed to return for sentence on a date to be fixed

After the hearing, the managing director of the newsagents, Chris Young, told The Times that he hoped the 69-year-old would receive a jail term.

Mr Young said that staff had assumed the replica gun was real, and that Dodds had threatened them while customers were shopping in the store.

He added: ‘He may look like an old man on a walking stick but he left the staff in my shop terrified; some of them have struggled to get over it.

‘Standing in court he is an old man who seems to have developed a limp but when he is holding a gun to your head, it’s a completely different matter.’

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