Two sentenced for robbery bid on Indian-origin man's shop

A 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old accomplice who tried to rob a shop owned by an Indian-origin man in Britain last year have been sentenced by a court in Britain.

Kevin Francis Smith has been sentenced to two-and-half-years detention while the 15-year-old accomplice has been given a two-year youth rehabilitation order under supervision by the Leicester Crown Court Friday, the Leicester Mercury reported.

Wearing masks and brandishing knives, the duo had tried to rob a Supamac store on Grange Drive in Melton borough of county Leicestershire run by Jitu Patel May 30 last year.

However, Patel bravely stood up to them wielding a parcel containing a long metal pole.

Recorder Graham Huston, announcing the sentence, said that the knives were large, dangerous and menacing and were waved dangerously close to Patel's face.

Referring to Patel, Huston was quoted as saying: "That man had served the local community, providing a valuable service for many years, and worked extremely hard throughout his life."

Patel has since retired after running the store for 25 years.