Shoreham robber jailed after hammer threat in Co-op store

A man who threatened shop staff with a hammer during a robbery in Shoreham has been jailed for two years and ten months.

Jack Reeder, 33, of Seafield Road, Hove, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on 22 July after admitting to robbery and theft. The offences occurred on 10 May, beginning with the theft of crisps from the Shoreham News shop on Buckingham Road. Shortly after, Reeder entered the nearby Co-op on Ham Road, where he demanded money and threatened staff with a hammer.

Shop workers described the experience as deeply distressing, with two employees - each with over 20 years of retail experience - saying they had never encountered such an incident before. Witnesses later saw Reeder at a café, where he removed the hammer from a sock before leaving the area by bus. He handed himself in after a public appeal and was remanded in custody following a hearing on 13 May.