Man dressed as a ‘Minion’ robbed convenience store armed with a knife, court told

A man armed with a knife robbed a north Belfast convenience store while dressed as a Minion, the High Court heard on Friday.

Jonathan Carey (47) is accused of forcing a teenage member of staff at the Day Today shop on the Antrim Road to hand over cigarettes and £250 in cash.

He was identified and arrested after an image of the raider dressed as one of the creatures from the Despicable Me movies was posted on social media.

Carey, of Kinnaird Close in the city, was refused bail on charges of robbery and possessing an offensive weapon in connection with the incident on October 17th.

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Prosecution counsel Mark Conlon said a masked man in a Minion outfit took the money and cigarettes at knifepoint.

A 17-year-old boy was on duty behind the till at the store at the time.

Staff at a neighbouring retailer viewed the footage and realised the man had been in their premises earlier that evening dressed in the same costume but without any mask.

Carey was detained when he returned to that shop the following day.

“His home was searched and a Minion onesie was located at the property,” Mr Conlon disclosed.

Carey faces further charges of possessing Class B and Class C drugs.

During police interviews he initially claimed to have no memory of the incident because he had been taking Diazepam for several days.

But the court heard that after Carey was shown CCTV footage of the incident he offered an apology.

Defence barrister Luke Curran argued that his client also expressed remorse at the scene and returned £110 in cash.

Denying bail, Mr Justice Fowler said it must have a highly frightening experience for the 17-year-old shop assistant.

The judge added: “Robbery in such circumstances by someone with a mask and knife, albeit in a Minion outfit which is easily identifiable, is highly likely to attract a custodial sentence.”