A man who entered an Ilkeston convenience store carrying a knife and took a cash drawer from behind the counter has been remanded into custody ahead of sentencing.
Derby Crown Court heard that William Zygmuntowski, 40, entered the One Stop store on Charlotte Street at around 6.45pm on 1 May with his face covered and a knife in his possession.
The court was shown CCTV footage which reportedly showed him entering the enclosed area behind the counter, pushing a shop worker aside and using the knife to separate the cash drawer from the till before leaving the store with it.
According to the prosecution, there were customers inside the store at the time of the incident.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the worker said she feared she might be stabbed after seeing the knife, despite not being directly threatened with it.
The court heard that she was so affected by the incident that she had to leave work and was unable to return for two days.
Prosecutor Claudia James told the court that Zygmuntowski had a significant criminal record and had been released from prison only three days before the incident after serving a sentence for multiple theft offences.
Having initially been charged with robbery, Zygmuntowski later pleaded guilty to burglary and possession of a knife in a public place. The prosecution accepted those pleas.
The court also heard that he is currently on prison recall with a release date in September.
In November last year, Zygmuntowski was jailed after being caught on CCTV stealing meat from a Central Co-op store in Langley Mill. He was also made subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from entering a number of shops in Heanor, Langley Mill and Eastwood.
Judge Jonathan Straw adjourned sentencing until Friday and remanded Zygmuntowski into custody.
The judge said it would be better for the defendant to attend court in person for sentencing rather than by video link so he could provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the offence.
Zygmuntowski remains in custody ahead of Friday’s sentencing hearing.
Photo: Derbyshire Police