Crimestoppers reward increased as further knifepoint robbery takes place

Independent charity Crimestoppers has increased its reward after a further knifepoint robbery linked to a series of incidents in Derbyshire.

The charity is now offering a £3,000 reward given to them anonymously that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for eight separate knife point robberies that are being linked and have taken place in Derbyshire in recent weeks.

The reward will last for three months and will expire on 12th March 2025.

The most recent incident took place in Ashbourne on 8th December, when a man entered a shop just after 10:30pm and stole a significant amount of cash. Nobody was physically hurt during the incident.

The offender was described as around 5ft 10ins tall and was wearing a grey jacket, jeans, and beige walking boot style trainers. He also wore a hooded top which was pulled tight around his face.

This latest robbery is being linked to series of seven previous offences, three in Derby on 5th October, and another on 6th October.

On 14th October, a fifth shop was robbed, this time on Summerfields Way South in Ilkeston, when an offender, wearing a grey coat, navy jacket, white cap, black trousers, and black shoes, a face covering and gloves.

There was then a gap of three weeks to the next two incidents in Derby which took place on 6th and 7th of November.

Chief Inspector Chris Thornhill said: “The impact these offences has had in our community is significant and I am urging anyone with information to come forward. I remain convinced that there are people in Derbyshire who know who this person is and that they must come forward before anyone is seriously physically hurt as a result of his actions.

“We have a number of lines of enquiry that we are following after this latest incident – but we really need the public’s help to bring this individual to justice.”

Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “It is clear that the person responsible for these crimes has no thought whatsoever for his victims – subjecting them to what can only be described as a terrifying series of incidents.

“I am sure that there are people out there who have information about this crime and the person responsible and I would urge anyone who has any information to come forward to speak to our charity 100% anonymously, to bring justice to those responsible.

“We know it can be difficult for some people to speak directly to the police which is why Crimestoppers is here for you.

“Our charity is completely independent of the police, and we’ve been passing on information about crime whilst guaranteeing anonymity since we were established decades ago. It’s a promise we have always kept.

“Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us. This means no police, no courts, no witness statements. You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference.”

If you have any information, please contact us using any of the below methods, including reference 24000595055:

• Website – There are reporting tools at www.derbyshire.police.uk/
• Facebook – send a private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• X (Twitter) – direct message the contact centre via @DerPolContact
• Phone – call the non-emergency number 101

You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website.