Shopkeepers foil knife-wielding robber (From Daily Echo)
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Shopkeepers foil knife-wielding robber in Southampton
7:50am Saturday 7th July 2012 in News
By Sian Davies, Senior News Reporter
Marek Kowalczyk is tackled to the ground
THIS is the dramatic moment whent shopkeepers tackled an armed robber who had just tried holding up their Southampton store at knifepoint.
Marek Kowalczyk had gone into the New Rywal store in St Mary’s Road wearing a balaclava and gloves, and armed with a knife.
Southampton Crown Court was told how the raid was captured on CCTV and showed how he pointed the blade at assistant Anita Zajak and demanded: “You must open the till or I will hurt you.”
Miss Zajak remained calm and told the raider she couldn’t because she didn’t have a key.
Prosecutor Megan Topliss said Kowalczyk repeated his threat but she gave him the same answer, hoping the owner who was in the back of the shop would see what was happening on CCTV.
As she tried to shut the till Kowalczyk grabbed a bundle of £10 and £20 notes as she called out to the owner, Kamil Szklarz.
The CCTV then shows Mr Szklarz tackling the armed robber, throwing him to the ground.
The three struggled near the shop entrance, with the pair restraining him until the police arrived.
Kowalczyk, 38, of Milton Road, Southampton, admitted robbery and possessing a knife, and was jailed for three years.
In mitigation, Peter Astris told the city crown court how Kowalczyk, a Polish national, and his wife had been suffering from depression. She had lost her father but she couldn’t afford to go his funeral in Poland, and then her mother suffered a stroke.
“His wife wanted to comfort her mother, then she suffered a stroke, and he was desperate to help her,”
said Mr Astris.
Comments(18)
flatulence hero
says...
7:59am Sat 7 Jul 12
This is what life is like now.
Bad people wanting to take your hard earned money and threatening your life.
3 years not enough for me.
CEH393
says...
8:37am Sat 7 Jul 12
freemantlegirl2
says...
8:51am Sat 7 Jul 12
He should be made to serve his sentence in Poland ! surely the EU rules work both ways, if you comit and offence you should be able to serve it in your own EU country. I'm betting Polish prisons are nowhere near as cushy!
Condor Man
says...
9:00am Sat 7 Jul 12
hulla baloo
says...
9:11am Sat 7 Jul 12
mmmmm wrote:If it is only 1 error, then that is a sign of improvement.
Whent? Who proof reads these articles????
jimmy.little
says...
10:25am Sat 7 Jul 12
CEH393 wrote:idiot... not heard of the EU? you can't send anyone back to Poland, that would be like sending someone back to Liverpool for committing a crime in London... fool
Send him back to Poland and do not let him back into this country! He comitted a serious crime and has lost his chance as far as I am concerned!
downfader
says...
10:34am Sat 7 Jul 12
Condor Man wrote:I've Polish friends and workmates... they'd be sick of people like this just as much as we are.
it's sad for the large Polish community in Southampton that their good name is being dragged through the mud. I'm sure most of us know Polish people and like all folk they are in the main good people. We all have thug elements, good on the shopkeeper for standing up to one of them.
The Salv
says...
11:29am Sat 7 Jul 12
freemantlegirl2 wrote:Lol basically written what I would have said funny that as you spend most of your time on here calling me a troll or a racist.
the mitigation plea is pathetic, and I'm glad it didn't work! we all have times of hardship we don't go around terrifying people with knives and trying to rob them!
He should be made to serve his sentence in Poland ! surely the EU rules work both ways, if you comit and offence you should be able to serve it in your own EU country. I'm betting Polish prisons are nowhere near as cushy!
.
According to Walter K and GeorgeM's logic you shouldnt be making a comment unless you have been put in the same position as Marek, what nonsense.
.
Had we been given a vote on Europe we may have never needed to have read this story. Southampton is turning into an absolute dump overun by migrants. The face of our towns that we have grown up in has changed, we will go the same way as Reading, now that is a dump, its basically just London out of London. Too many immigrants and far too high percentage of these are criminals.
TheJoiners
says...
12:09pm Sat 7 Jul 12
SOULJACKER
says...
12:26pm Sat 7 Jul 12
For pity sake
says...
3:49pm Sat 7 Jul 12
flatulence hero wrote:Three years not enough for you?
Horrible.
This is what life is like now.
Bad people wanting to take your hard earned money and threatening your life.
3 years not enough for me.
Why, what have you done?
Georgem
says...
7:27pm Sat 7 Jul 12
mmmmm wrote:Bored readers.
Whent? Who proof reads these articles????
Georgem
says...
7:29pm Sat 7 Jul 12
CEH393 wrote:So he should basically get away with his crime? Because that's what would happen. You think he'd be deported to Poland, then the Polish justice system would give a toss what he got up to here?
Send him back to Poland and do not let him back into this country! He comitted a serious crime and has lost his chance as far as I am concerned!
Georgem
says...
7:32pm Sat 7 Jul 12
Condor Man wrote:I don't see that any community's name is being dragged through the mud, though. If a UK citizen is convicted of a crime, I don't see anyone rushing to say "But not all British people are like this!". Why should it be any different if the convict is Polish?
it's sad for the large Polish community in Southampton that their good name is being dragged through the mud. I'm sure most of us know Polish people and like all folk they are in the main good people. We all have thug elements, good on the shopkeeper for standing up to one of them.
flatulence hero
says...
2:15am Sun 8 Jul 12
For pity sake wrote:You clown!
flatulence hero wrote:Three years not enough for you?
Horrible.
This is what life is like now.
Bad people wanting to take your hard earned money and threatening your life.
3 years not enough for me.
Why, what have you done?
cantthinkofone
says...
5:55pm Sun 8 Jul 12
LondonBek
says...
11:47am Wed 11 Jul 12
mmmmm says...
7:59am Sat 7 Jul 12