Crimestoppers reward increased as further knifepoint robbery takes place

The charity is now offering a £3,000 reward given to them anonymously that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for eight separate knife point robberies that are being linked and have taken place in Derbyshire in recent weeks.

The reward will last for three months and will expire on 12 March 2025.

The most recent incident took place in the Co-op store in Ashbourne in Blenheim Road on 8 December and saw a man enter the shop just after 10.30pm and steal a significant amount of cash. Nobody was physically hurt during the incident.

The offender was described as around 5ft 10ins tall and was wearing a grey jacket, jeans, and beige walking boot style trainers. He also wore a hooded top which was pulled tight around his face.

This latest robbery is being linked to series of seven previous offences the first three of which took place on October 5:

Location: Best One shop in Roosevelt Avenue, Derby

Date and Time: 5 October between 6pm and 6:26pm

Description of offender: Man wearing black jogging bottoms and distinctive orange hooded top and carrying a small kitchen knife.

Reference: 24*595055

Location: Shop Smart in Reginald Road, Derby

Date and Time: 5 October between 7.45pm and 8.31pm

Description of offender: Man wearing orange jumper and a balaclava covering his face.

Reference: 24*595236

Location: Wilmorton Stores, Post Office, London Road, Derby

Date and Time: 5 October at 9:32pm

Description of offender: Wearing a bright orange hooded top, black trousers and blue and white Converse trainers and a grey glove on his left hand.

Reference: 24*595313

The following day (6 October) another shop was targeted:

Location: Co-op, Lexington Road, Derby

Date and Time: 6 October between 9.47pm and 22:26

Description of offender: Black hooded top, black tracksuit bottoms, white and black Nike trainers and navy-blue mask on his face.

Reference: 24*595313

Then, on 14 October, a fifth shop was robbed, this time in Ilkeston:

Location: Co-op in Summerfields Way South, Ilkeston

Date and Time: 14 October between 9.50pm and 10:03pm

Description of offender: Wearing a grey coat, navy jacket, white cap, black trousers, and black shoes. Also wearing a face covering and gloves.

There was then a gap of three weeks to the next two incidents in Derby which took place this week:

Location: T&E Masons Newsagents, Lime Grove, Chaddesden, Derby

Date and Time: 6 November at 4.40pm.

Description of offender: Wearing a black jacket over a navy hoody, white cap, black tracksuit trousers, black trainers and a snood covering his face.

Location: Co-op, Smalley Drive, Oakwood, Derby

Date and Time: 7 November at 9:58pm and 10.04pm.

Description of offender: Wearing dark joggers, a grey jacket with a navy hood up, a dark cap and wearing a face covering.

Chief Inspector Chris Thornhill said: “The impact these offences has had in our community is significant and I am urging anyone with information to come forward.

“I remain convinced that there are people in Derbyshire who know who this person is and that they must come forward before anyone is seriously physically hurt as a result of his actions.

“We have a number of lines of enquiry that we are following after this latest incident – but we really need the public’s help to bring this individual to justice.”

Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “It is clear that the person responsible for these crimes has no thought whatsoever for his victims – subjecting them to what can only be described as a terrifying series of incidents.

“I am sure that there are people out there who have information about this crime and the person responsible and I would urge anyone who has any information to come forward to speak to our charity 100% anonymously, to bring justice to those responsible.

“We know it can be difficult for some people to speak directly to the police which is why Crimestoppers is here for you.

“Our charity is completely independent of the police, and we’ve been passing on information about crime whilst guaranteeing anonymity since we were established decades ago. It’s a promise we have always kept.

“Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us. This means no police, no courts, no witness statements. You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference.”

If you have any information, please contact us using any of the below methods, including reference 24000595055:

• Website– We have crime reporting tools on our website: use our online contact form
• Facebook– send us a private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• X (Twitter) – direct message our contact centre via @DerPolContact
• Phone – call us on 101 

To anonymously contact independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website.