Dramatic moment £50,000 cash machine robber struck shown to jury

Camera footage of the dramatic moment a masked robber struck at Hartlepool's Asda supermarket was played to a jury yesterday.
The scene following the robbery at Asda in Hartlepool.The scene following the robbery at Asda in Hartlepool.
The scene following the robbery at Asda in Hartlepool.

A recording showed a figure confront Loomis Security guard Lee Henderson as he tried to refill the ATM in the store car park off Marina Way at about 4.50am on Monday, September 1 in 2014.

The robber, who was wearing a balaclava mask, picked up the cash box containing £50,000, which was dropped by Mr Henderson, before running off with it.

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Christopher Barnett, 27, of Wood View, Trimdon Colliery, along with Jasmine Jaafri, 19, Milbank Road, and Amy Walton, 22, of St Oswald’s Street, both Hartlepool, all deny robbery and converting criminal property – relating to alleged spending of some of the stolen cash – in a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

CCTV footage, which the prosecution say shows the movements of a Mitsubishi Shogun alleged to have been used in the robbery, were also played to the jury.

The prosecution say it was at Hartlepool Marina lock at 1.58am. The same vehicle is alleged to have been seen on camera travelling up Church Street at about 2.15am and drive behind Avondene flats where Walton was living at the time.

The jury was also shown CCTV footage from the flats timed just after 2.20am allegedly showing Walton and Jaafi enter and leave.

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They are then allegedly seen outside the back of the flats with Barnett and another unknown male.

Just minutes later, CCTV cameras near to the railway station appear to show the same Mitsubishi drive away. The prosecution alleges all three defendants were inside.

Walton and Jaafri are next seen returning to the flats at about 9.20am later that day.

Jane Waugh, defending Barnett, challenged the accuracy of the times shown on the footage.

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The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Findlay accepted police had not checked the accuracy of the times shown in the footage obtained from Hartlepool Borough Council and Avondene flats.

“Officers were in a position to do that, I can’t explain why they didn’t,” said DC Findlay.

Stephen Constantine, defending Jaafri, asked DC Findlay about when Jaafri was arrested at home on September 19, 2014.

Mr Constantine said: “Can you confirm there was no cash there, no receipts found that implicated her in this offence of robbery?”

DC Findlay said: “There was no cash or receipts found yes.”

The trial continues.