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Newsagent Jasvir Singh was threatened with a knife

CHARITY box thief Jamie Southworth has been remanded in custody.

Southworth, of no fixed abode, stole three charity boxes and took the contents from a further three over a six week period, Swindon Crown Court heard on Friday.

Now he is facing the prospect of a lengthy jail term after admitting robbery, theft and burglary all committed in Corsham.

In the first offence on Friday February 1 he took a charity box and contents belonging to the Mansion House Pre-school.

Just over a week later on Monday February 11 the most serious offence took place when he robbed Jasvir Singh, a member of staff at Barnett Brothers stores, of two collection boxes.

The final offence took place on Monday March 10 when he stole the contents of three charity boxes from St Patrick's Church in Park Lane. Southworth pleaded guilty to theft in relation to the first offence, robbery at the store and burglary of the church.

He asked for two other matters, one of which was theft from a motor vehicle, to be taken into consideration when he is finally sentenced.

Stephen Clifford, defending, asked for a pre-sentence report to be compiled on his client by the probation service.

Judge Douglas Field agreed and adjourned the case to Friday May 2 remanding Southworth in custody.

Speaking shortly after the raid Mr Singh told how the robber came into the store shortly before 8am and told staff and customers he had a knife.

He produced the weapon, which was thought to be six inches long, from an inside pocket before taking the boxes for Dorothy House and Mansion House Pre-school.

Mr Singh, who has run the store for eight years and has a child at the pre-school, was on the other side of the counter at the time of the robbery.

12:12pm Thursday 10th April 2008

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