THE DEATH of a Llangollen takeaway delivery driver's mother contributed to him robbing a convenience store, a court was told.

Ryan Morris, 38, of Pleasant View in Froncysyllte, appeared via videolink from HMP Berwyn before Caernarfon Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, May 4 having previously pleading guilty to robbery.

Richard Edwards, prosecuting, told the court that the incident in question took place at a convenience store in Cefn Mawr on November 4, 2022.

Morris drove to the area and arrived outside the shop at 8.08pm, before entering the premises a minute later.

Upon entering the shop, he made his way to behind the till where he 'pushed and punched' one of the workers who tried to call the police, knocking their phone out of their hand in the process.

The defendant then made off with £1,300 - but the incident was all caught on CCTV, the court was told.

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The whole incident lasted around three minutes and no serious injuries were sustained.

Morris ran away to his car but then crashed into another vehicle as he attempted to flee the scene, Mr Edwards said.

Morris was subsequently arrested and interviewed by police.

The shop owner, Mr Hind, provided a statement which was read out in court and said that he and his wife had been left 'gutted' by the incident.

Philip Tully, defending Morris, said the defendant had a 'long history of mental health and drug issues'.

He added that Morris was experiencing a 'mental health episode' on the night of the incident - which had followed the recent death of his mother.

Mr Tully added that the death of his mother, along with drugs misuse, contributed to his offending that night.

He added that the defendant - who was working as a takeaway delivery driver at the time of the incident - was now someone who was 'capable of living a good and constructive life'.

A professor's report provided in the case revealed that Morris had likely been suffering from 'attenuated psychosis' on the night in question. 

Sentencing Morris, Judge Nicola Saffman took into consideration the fact that he had already served nearly five months in custody on the day of his sentencing.

She said: "He needs a stable release to help him maintain his current mental state."

Morris was handed a 12-month sentence, but is due to be released in 'the next week or two' given that he has already nearly served half of that time in jail.

He will also have to pay a statutory surcharge of £187.