A 19-YEAR-OLD male who entered Bargain Booze in Barrow with an eight-inch long blade is set to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court today.

Dane Armstrong, of Kent Street, Barrow, entered the Risedale Road shop on September 8 2020 and held the kitchen knife in his left hand while entering the store.

He entered the store at around 8.30pm on the night and was seen by staff with the blade.

Two members of staff at the shop left the store and phoned the police, a court heard.

They locked the defendant in the shop to allow him to be apprehended by officers.

Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall praised the workers following the incident.

He said: “I will praise the quick actions of the staff in the store who did exactly the right thing by not confronting this character.

“No doubt about it their quick thinking helped police contain this person.

“The message is do not carry knives and if you do police will respond very quickly and you will be pursued to the court.

“People who do carry knives endanger people around them and themselves. Police will respond very forcefully to anyone who carries a knife or a weapon of any kind.”