Plymouth shopkeeper defiant after syringe threat robbery
A BRAVE shopkeeper who fought off an armed robber has said he will not be beaten by criminals.
Dennis Naci was praised by a judge after seeing off a thug armed with a hyperdermic needle – by pushing a chewing gum display into him.
Damian Janes, aged 32, was jailed for three years at Plymouth Crown Court for robbery and attempted robbery.
Judge Jeremy Griggs said Mr Naci had shown "considerable bravery" in seeing off Janes.
But Mr Naci, aged 35, shrugged off the praise at The Corner Shop he runs at the junction of North Hill and North Road East.
He said: "Over the last two years you have just had to get used to it. I am not going to let him steal my money. It is hard to make money, you are picking up pennies all day."
Mr Naci, who also runs another store in Efford Lane, said he had been confronted by thieves and robbers about half a dozen times in the past two years.
He said he remained calm and told Lanes to walk away, pointing out the CCTV cameras, during the raid on December 5.
Mr Naci added Janes "tried to get him" six or seven times with the needle.
He said: "If someone has a knife, they stab you. But with a syringe it could have been anything. It could have killed me in two minutes or two seconds."
The court heard that Janes claimed he only had part of the syringe and could not have infected Mr Naci.
But the brave shopkeeper was unimpressed with the sentence, which also covered a robbery of a Co-op store in West Hoe.
He added: "It is not enough. If he had got me, he could have killed me. Is my life worth just three years?"
Mr Naci said he would not give up the stores.
He added: "It is better than going to the Job Centre and getting £70 a week or whatever."
The court heard that Janes, formerly of the Salvation Army Hostel in Devonport, committed the offences after taking cocaine and Valium.
11 Comments
View all
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, January 22 2013, 4:13AM
“Janes looks like a cross between a ventriloquist's dummy and Fredo Corleone”
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, January 22 2013, 4:10AM
“..'Saw off a thug by pushing a chewing gum display into him'..
Wrigley's Spearmint, Juicy Fruit or Hubba-Bubba?”
by BIGDUKE999
Monday, January 21 2013, 9:32PM
“shamomf01, yes you can almost here him" squeal like a pig *****" on the landings, i doubt that they would want a b... job off him though, but i would not rule it out ,probably looks like miss world after a bucket of hooch..ave it”
by soultoucher
Monday, January 21 2013, 4:22PM
“@legalizeweed
Don't worry, he'll get lot of EU approved rights in prison, which involve getting him off the drugs, a basic education, free dental treatment, free healthcare, three meals per day, no bills, courses to 'wean him back into society', a placement at a halfway house when he comes out and £46 in his pocket to spend on drugs or alcohol, and free transport to the cells when he does it all again.
@jaygeek1,
I agree, it's his choice.”
by BIGDUKE999
Monday, January 21 2013, 4:16PM
“His barrister said that he did not threaten the complainant with a full syringe, but the end with the needle showing..duh! perhaps the judge should have banged that **** up as well.”
by jaygeek1
Monday, January 21 2013, 4:03PM
“To Legalizeweed : Social problems have nothing to do with it. The lad is a loser and a waste of space because he thinks it is cool to be badass...........welcome to reality, it is not cool to be a badass, it pays to work and to make the right choices.
The fool made his choices and only has himself to blame. To hell with blaming everyone else. Junkies only need to learn to blame themselves for their own stupid choices.”
by jaygeek1
Monday, January 21 2013, 4:01PM
“Well done Dennis. Job well done. In between sorting out the locals with their much needed convenience foodstuffs you are also getting the scum locked up........... GREAT JOB !
Will drop in and say hi in the coming week :)”
by LegalizeWeed
Monday, January 21 2013, 3:26PM
“because commenting on how he looks is much easier than discussing the social problems that led him to do what he did.”
by fazer58
Monday, January 21 2013, 11:43AM
“Sadly the lovely Mr Janes will be otherwise engaged while the next "Face Of Plymouth" competition is in progress.
Learn to play the Banjo while you're inside Damian,if they ever remake "Deliverance" there's a part in it just made for you.
Well done Dennis Naci and congratulations on having the sense not to lay a hand on our Damian,Tetanus jabs can be very painful.”
by shamomf01
Monday, January 21 2013, 9:42AM
“they should put a sign around janes neck to worn people he is a health hazard last time a saw teeth like that they were on a fossilised corpse, enjoy your 3 yrs being someones mattress.”