Balaclava-clad armed robber ‘terrified staff at village post office’ near Lincoln

An armed robber held up a village post office forcing the terrified cashier to hand over cash before fleeing across fields on a quad bike, a court heard.

Anton Stepniewski is alleged to have carried out the raid at Fiskerton near Lincoln after concealing his face with a balaclava and a hat before entering the post office armed with what appeared to be a gun.

David Allan, prosecuting at Lincoln Crown Court on Tuesday, told the jury: “We say that the defendant robbed the village post office in Fiskerton frightening the cashier with something that looked like a gun and he escaped with £2,700 in cash.”

Mr Allan alleged that after parking his van in the village Stepniewski used a quad bike to make his way across fields to the rear of the post office which was in the village hall.

Then, after carrying out the raid, Stepniewski is alleged to have driven away on the quad bike, loaded it into his van and made off.

Stepniewski denies he was the robber claiming that the person responsible was someone else.

He was arrested the day after the raid was carried out in February of this year and initially told police that he was in his girlfriend’s home village of Blyton near Gainsborough when the robbery was being staged.

But Mr Allan said that Stepniewski told officers “a pack of lies” about his movements on the day of the incident.

Mr Allan told the jury that police inquiries revealed CCTV footage of Stepniewski at a petrol filling station at Caenby Corner on the morning.

The van that Stepniewski was driving was found to have a tracker device which showed that at the time the robbery was committed the vehicle was parked in Hall Lane, Fiskerton.

Officers who carried out a search of the village recovered a balaclava, a hat and a glove from a dog waste bin in the same road.

Mr Allan said: “The tracking data, we say, established beyond doubt that the defendant’s van did start the day at Blyton as he said in his interview.”

The prosecutor said the vehicle went on to Corringham and then Gainsborough confirming what Stepniewski said in the interview but he added: “The van then drove to Caenby Corner then on the A15 turning off and driving to Fiskerton.

“It arrived half an hour before the robbery took place. It remained there until 10 minutes after the robbery took place. Then it left and drove away from the vicinity.

“He told a pack of lies about his movements on the day of the robbery given what we now know.”

Mr Allan said that DNA testing on the items found in the dog waste bin also provided a link to Stepniewski.

Mr Allan said: “There was DNA from more than one person on all three items but the person whose DNA gave the strongest result and the person whose DNA was on all three items in that bin was this defendant.

“It all adds up to what we submit to be a compelling case against this defendant.”

Anton Stepniewski, 26, of Sturgate, near Gainsborough, denies charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery on February 10 this year.

The trial continues.