A man who robbed a shop at knifepoint in Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed for more than three years. 

Longport resident, Christopher O'Connell, 47, was sentenced to three-years-and-ten-months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Thursday (23 October) after he admitted robbery and possession of a knife in a public place. 

O'Connell went into Longport News on Station Street armed with a knife and took cans of alchohol and cigarettes, in April this year. 

Staffordshire Police was called and carried out a search of the area for O'Connell who was located a short distance away and arrested. 

After being questioned in custody, he was charged with the offences and brought before the courts, where he admitted the offences. 

As part of his sentencing, O'Connell was also ordered to pay £228 in costs. 

Detective Constable Ian Prendergast, from the Staffordshire Police criminal investigations department, said: "O'Connell was pre-meditated in his plan to steal from the store armed with a weapon and I'm pleased he has been brought to justice. 

"By working proactively to tackle burglary, theft and robbery across Staffordshire, we've been able to reduce the total number of crimes in 2024, when compared to the year before. 

"Work is continuing every single day to protect our retailers and to act robustly against those responsible for these offences."