Man jailed for knife-point robbery at town centre pharmacy

A man has been jailed for robbing Gompels Pharmacy in the town centre at knife point.

Thomas Noonan, 32, of Lower Bristol Road, Bath, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday 25th April, where he was jailed for four years.

Melksham Police said, “On 5th September last year, shortly after 9am, Noonan entered Gompels Pharmacy in Bank Street with a knife and told staff not to move, before stealing several items, including perfume, from the shelves.

“Following lengthy enquiries, Noonan was connected with the offence and officers from CID and the County Local Policing Tasking Team travelled to Bath to arrest him.

“Searches of the flat revealed clothes which Noonan had worn during the offence. He was subsequently charged with robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in custody for the offences.”

Investigating officer T/DC Dan Chaventre said, “There can be no justification for Noonan’s actions, which understandably left the staff members present, as well as members of the public, feeling incredibly upset and shaken by what happened.

“Nobody should have to deal with these kinds of incidents while at work. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and, following excellent policing work involving multiple lines of enquiry, we were able to link Noonan to the offence and arrest him shortly after.

“He has now been jailed for his crimes, where he can hopefully reflect on his actions and the distress he caused.”