Man jailed for robbing supermarkets and stealing designer clothing

A man who robbed supermarkets and stole designer clothing whilst brandishing a knuckle duster has been jailed for five years.

Martyn Dereck Yates, 33, was convicted of two thefts, three robberies, and three counts of having an offensive weapon following a series of incidents which took place between 13 November 2018 and 30 November 2018.

The incidents were as follows:

• Between 6.40pm and 7pm on 13 November, left Sainsbury’s on Hambleton Road, Waterlooville, with around £91 worth of goods without paying.
• Stole £58.89 worth of goods from Co-op on London Road, Purbrook, at around 7.45pm on 18 November.
• Threatened a security guard with a knuckle duster in ASDA on Purbrook Way, Havant, whilst stealing £689 worth of toys. This took place at around 9.10pm on 29 November.
• Whilst stealing £2,000 worth of designer underwear from Matalan in Wellington Retail Park, Waterlooville, Yates threatened staff with a knuckle duster. This happened between 5pm and 6pm on 30 November.
• Between 8.30pm and 8.40pm on 30 November, Yates stole more than £1,000 worth of toys and alcohol from Tesco in North Harbour, Portsmouth. During this incident, he threatened staff members with a knuckle duster.

On Wednesday 3 July, Yates was jailed for five years for the offences at Portsmouth Crown Court.