A TEENAGE gunman dubbed the Cinderella robber has been locked up - because he left a shoe behind as he fled.
Kieran Griffiths, 17, originally from Mold, lost one of his trainers when he was hit by a car after he ran out of the Post Office he had just robbed.
He and an accomplice were both hooded and masked when they burst into the store in Hulme, Manchester, one morning last July.
Graphic design student Griffiths first pointed the gun at an elderly customer and then at a terrified shop assistant, who froze in fear when he repeatedly shouted “open the till”.
Griffiths then pushed the woman assistant, 33, to one side and tried in vain to open the till himself.
The shop worker pressed a panic alarm, which prompted Griffiths and his accomplice to run away with just a few packets of cigarettes.
But Griffiths ran into the path a car which was travelling along Stretford Road outside the Post Office and convenience store.
The car's windscreen was smashed but Griffiths rolled off the bonnet and limped away, minus one Nike trainer which had come flying off in the impact. Detectives found traces of Griffiths’ DNA on both the trainer and weapon, an imitation handgun found nearby.
Griffiths was arrested and at first denied any involvement, insisting he had lost the trainer on the Mancunian Way and – trying in vain to explain the DNA found on the gun – said he was interested in weapons.
In the face of overwhelming evidence, Griffiths later pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing an imitation firearm and was sentenced to three years and four months.
Manchester Crown Court heard the teenager had turned to crime after he had spent his grant on an entirely hedonistic life involving drink, drugs, clothes and parties.
The Recorder of Manchester Andrew Gilbart told him: “A lot of students in this country fritter away their grant money on all the things they should not but they don’t threaten shopkeepers with a gun.
“You had an imitation firearm which had every appearance of a working handgun.
“You held it to one of the customers, an elderly lady.
“You went behind the counter and put it to the head of the proprietor of the shop.
She displayed, in my judgement, considerable bravery. It must have been a very frightening ordeal indeed.
“You could not get into the cash register because there was a time-lock, in the end stealing a few packets of cigarettes. You have thrown away your liberty for a few packets of cigarettes. That is a tragedy for your family.”
Gillian Crossley, defending, told the court Griffiths, formerly of Rochdale, had moved to the Manchester area from his home in Mold, to improve his prospects.
Despite leaving school with only two GCSEs, Ms Crossley said Griffiths managed to impress staff at Manchester College with a portfolio of artwork and was accepted onto a degree course in graphic design.
“That was a disaster because it meant he was involved in a course which was probably beyond his ability. Secondly, he became eligible for a grant.
“It was spent entirely on a hedonistic life with drink, drugs, parties and clothes. Very quickly that money went,” said Ms Crossley.
Det Cons Heidi Cullum, of Longsight CID, said: “He (Griffiths) carried out a violent hold-up of a post office and ran out into traffic hoping to get away.
“The collision meant he lost his trainer and the weapon he had used to frighten the shopkeeper and customers.
"It’s extremely unusual to have a double forensic opportunity like this and we didn’t pass up the chance to put a violent criminal away.”
A 17-year-old, from North Wales, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with robbery and is due to appear before Manchester Magistrates on February 17.