MASKED men raided a supermarket during a 'terrifying' knife robbery while a former drug addict later tried to hide the haul in her bra.

Three men have been convicted of the robbery at the town's Co-op store in Evesham and a woman of concealing criminal property stolen during the raid.

Ashleigh Evans, 31, of Friar Park Road, Wednesbury and Reece Davis, 25, of Boscobel Avenue, Tipton admitted the robbery.

Andrew Fellows, 54, of Cypress Road, Walsall denied robbery but was found guilty at trial.

Latoria Lunnon, 20, of Hipton Hill, Lenchwick, admitted concealing criminal property stolen during the robbery. Only Lunnon attended the hearing and was sentenced in the absence of the other defendants.

Paul Fairley, prosecuting, said the Co-op in Evesham received a 'strange phone call' asking when the supermarket closed, the caller hanging up when the answer was given as '10pm'.

Evans, Fellows and Davis arrived at the Co-op just before it closed on July 7 this year, entering the store wearing head coverings.

"Mr Evans was armed with a knife. He straight away focused on the till, threatening a staff member" said Mr Fairley.

He also described how three young school boys were 'grabbed by other defendants' who before the robbers returned to Lunnon's address after stealing 'just shy of £6,000' and around £60 worth of Co-op stamps.

"There was a suggestion that her house had been cuckooed by drug dealers" said Mr Fairley. Cuckooing is when dealers set up shop in a vulnerable person's home, often someone addicted to drugs.

Police arrived at the address and Lunnon put the stamps into her bra. They were found when she was arrested and searched.

We reported on the robbery at the time when Chris Barlow commented on Facebook: “I just want to say as the team leader in charge of this shift, a massive thank you to the witnesses and the customers who were involved, and also a huge thank you to the colleagues on shift. The bravery and willingness to listen to these thieves instructions stopped anybody from getting hurt.

It was a scary experience for us all and we are all shaken up but the main thing is we are safe and unharmed.”

The court heard that Lunnon was a woman of previous good character. She pleaded guilty to the money laundering offence on September 16.

Jason Aris, defending, asked her to be given a third credit in the length of any sentence because of her early guilty plea.

The original charge had been 'conspiracy to rob', a count to which he said his client had 'very properly' pleaded not guilty.

He put forward her lack of previous convictions as mitigation, arguing that she had been identified by the probation service as of 'low risk of reconviction' with 'a good chance of her being rehabilitated'.

Mr Aris said Lunnon would be suitable for a community-based penalty and that probation would be able to work with her productively to reduce her risk of reoffending.

He also pointed out that she had already been on a qualifying curfew for 122 days (on tag) which should be taken into account by the sentencing judge.

Mr Aris said her drug addiction had been entrenched since she was 15 but added: "She has done all she can to address her drug habit."

Recorder Rachel Brand QC said the reality was that the other defendants had arrived early and 'didn't want to wait till 2pm' to be sentenced.

Recorder Brand said: "You lost your home as a result of allowing drug dealers to use the premises which came to light in consequence of the offence of robbery committed by your co-defendants."

She said she would have liked Lunnon to have been present when the other defendants were sentenced 'so that you can realise very clearly that you got yourself involved with some very unpleasant people'.

"I saw the video of the robbery during the trial. Customers and staff were terrified as a result of being threatened with a knife and manhandled."

Recorder Brand told Lunnon: "You obviously haven't had the easiest life so far. I'm satisfied you were rendered vulnerable by your addiction to class A drugs."

Lunnon replied that she was now on a methadone prescription and the judge said the challenge was for her now to progressively reduce the dose. However, Recorder Brand said: "You're going in the right direction I hope."

Giving Lunnon full credit for her plea, Recorder Brand sentenced her to a 12 month community order. This will include 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a six month drug rehabilitation requirement.

Lunnon will have to return to court on a monthly basis to gauge her progress on the drug rehabilitation requirement. The first review will take place on January 16 next year.

The other defendants will be sentenced for their role in the robbery on January 9 next year.