Shocking video shows devastating aftermath of burglars’ ram raid on family-run Spar which caused £40k damage

Shocking video shows the aftermath of a devastating ram raid on a family-run convenience store.

On March 14, at around 3:30am, John Charles and Reuben Reynolds rammed a stolen telehandler into a Spar as they attempted to steal a cash machine. The two burglars drove the hydraulic lifting machine repeatedly into the premises, leaving glass, masonry and stock strewn across the shop, in Wesley Road, Retford, but were left “disappointed” when they found the cash machine was empty.

Their raid, which caused £40,000 worth of damage, activated an alarm and the men fled in a white van with false plates. A short time later, officers located the men at a house in Retford and arrested them.

The Spar store had been run by the same family for almost 30 years. Judge Nirmal Shant KC told Charles and Reynolds: “I have read the owner’s statement with care and it’s right to say he’s been utterly affected by what you did on that night and will remain affected for many years. To describe him as heartbroken is putting it mildly.”

On August 15, John Charles, 50, of Welbeck Road in Retford, and Reuben Reynolds, 42, of College Close in Newark, were both sentenced to four years in prison.