Full Breakdown
Joker-Painted Robber Sentenced After Morrisons Terror in Jarrow
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Armed robbery at Morrisons, Jarrow
Around 3.15 pm on July 8, Peter Braithwaite, 31, entered the Morrisons supermarket inside The Viking Centre in Jarrow, Tyneside, with his face painted to resemble the Joker character. While attempting to leave with a trolley of groceries, two female staff members confronted him. He pointed the knife at the staff, causing them to back away, and pushed the trolley out of the store before police recovered the weapon and the stolen items at his nearby home.
02
Legal outcome and sentencing
Braithwaite pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to 40 months in prison. The court heard that he has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, which his defence linked to the offending.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
03
Official statements & responses
A victim-impact statement from a female staff member detailed ongoing anxiety, stress, and fear for children present in the store, noting that she repeatedly relives the moment when Braithwaite threatened her with the knife.
04
Data and statistics
- Four people were directly threatened with the knife.
- The weapon was a folding knife with a six-inch blade.
- The court imposed a 40-month custodial sentence.
The case underscores the intersection of violent crime, mental-health considerations, and the lasting trauma experienced by retail workers and shoppers.