Man jailed for assault on Poole shopkeeper

Bournemouth Crown Court has sentenced a man for three years and four months in prison for charges including assault on a shopkeeper.

Michael William Legg, 35 and of no fixed abode, stole a Mazda estate vehicle, before ramming it into the Premier Express store on Vicarage Road in Poole on the intervening night of 27-28 October last year.

Legg punched in the face of Mr. Unal, the store owner, who tried to stop him from stealing bottles of whisky. Mr. Unal sustained swelling and bruising to his eye socket.

He pleaded guilty to the charges on 10 January. He also asked for a further eight burglary offences to be taken into consideration.

Legg stole the vehicle from outside a residential property on Blandford Road and used it to force entry to the store at around 12.02am on 28 October.

He first threw bottles at Mr. Unal when the store owner intervened to stop him from stealing alcohol. He fled the store after the assault on Mr. Unal, leaving the Mazda at the scene.

Officers arrested Legg the next day, after locating a rucksack in the car that contained an ID card, bank card and mobile phone belonging to him.

Detective Constable Christian Bryant, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “This was a frightening incident for the victim that caused a significant impact to a local business.

“We will do everything we can to bring offenders like Legg before the court.”