Man jailed for two armed robberies
A man who took part in two armed robberies in Crewe has been jailed for seven years.
Karl Manley, 46, of no fixed abode, was one of two men who stole cigarettes and cash from two Morrisons stores in February last year.
Two men wearing balaclavas and one wielding an axe went into the Morrisons store on Gainsborough Road in Crewe on 18 February 2024.
One man went behind the till and told staff to empty the contents of the till into a plastic bag.
The other man emptied the cigarettes tray at the store into the bag. They made off with the goods and money, leaving staff terrified.
On 26 February 2024, two men went to the Morrisons store on West Street in Crewe at just after 9pm.
One man, later identified as Manley, entered the store wearing a balaclava and carrying a wooden bat while the other man stayed at the door. Manley banged on the counter with the bat and demanded a member of staff empty the contents of the till into a plastic bag.
The member of staff did so but also pressed the panic button. The men made off with the money.
CCTV from a Co-Op store in Rope Lane in Crewe on 26 February 2024, a few hours before the Morrisons robbery, showed a man wearing the same distinctive coat and trainers stealing items.
He was identified from that footage as Manley and the connection was made with the Morrisons robberies. Manley was arrested on 20 March 2024. There was insufficient evidence to identify the second man.
Manley admitted the theft at the Co-Op but denied any involvement in the other two robberies. The Crown Prosecution Service refused to accept this.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Angie Rowan, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire said: “The DNA evidence from the Morrisons robberies was mixed and did not prove conclusively in both cases that Manley was responsible, although his DNA was found at both scenes.
“But I strongly felt that the fact that the man in the Co-Op was clearly Manley, and the man in the other two robberies was wearing exactly the same trainers and distinctive coat, placed alongside the DNA evidence built a strong case that it was him.
“The Crown Prosecution Service charged Manley with the two Morrisons robberies and we proceeded to trial.
“On 29 August 2025, a jury at Chester Crown Court, after hearing all the evidence placed before them, found him guilty by a majority verdict of 11 to 1 and he was immediately sentenced to seven years in prison.
“This was a complicated case that involved placing all of the pieces of the jigsaw together to build the strongest case we could.
“The staff at the Morrisons stores were terrified by Manley’s actions at the time and the CPS would like to pay tribute to their courage in helping to build this case and make Manley face up to what he has done.”