Armed robber's girlfriend threatened to bury witness six feet under
The ex-girlfriend of an armed robber who told a witness she would be ‘buried six feet under’ has walked free from court.
Jane Crutchley threatened to torture the woman after her then-boyfriend Gavin Milgate stole thousands of pounds worth of booze and cigarettes from a supermarket in Stafford.
Milgate and Scott Stretton were last month was locked up for the Tesco Express raid, where their pair threatened female staff with knives and a machete before making off with £8,340 worth of cigarettes, £8,700 in cash and spirits and razor blades worth around £300.
WATCH CCTV footage of the Tesco raid:
And on Tuesday, Crutchley appeared at Stafford Crown Court, where she admitted intimidating a victim two days after the armed robbery in October last year.
The court heard how Crutchley went to an address in Greyfriars on October 6 and told a woman her boyfriend had received cigarettes stolen during the raid.
Crutchley warned the victim not to ‘grass to the police’ and said she would be tortured, driven away and ‘buried six feet under’ if she did.
The 48-year-old, of Abberley Grove, Stafford, pleaded guilty to victim intimidation and received an eight-month suspended jail sentence.
She was also ordered to pay £290 costs and not to contact the victim for two years.
Crutchley's court appearance came six weeks after her former partner and Scott Stretton were jailed for a combined 11 years.
The pair filled empty crisp boxes with cigarettes and cash from the Tesco on Stone Road before threatening three female staff members and stealing a worker's Ford Mondeo as a getaway vehicle.
The duo were foiled when they checked into the Holiday Inn hotel in Walsall a few hours later with 12 bin bags full of cigarettes, cash and spirits.
Milgate was sentenced to five years and three months for robbery, two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and theft of a motor vehicle.
His sentence also included 14 weeks for a suspended sentence for an earlier offence.
Stretton was locked up for six years for robbery and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.
His sentence also included a 14-week suspended jail term for an earlier offence and five months for an attempted burglary at a house near Haughton in August.
Detective constable Kathryn Middleton, of Staffordshire Police, said: “The raid was terrifying for the staff members and the threats and violence didn’t end there.
“We’re glad this case has now concluded and grateful to the victims and community for their bravery and assistance.”
