A man has been sentenced to six years in prison at Lincoln Crown Court after being convicted of a pet shop robbery and breaching his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Nathan Lewis, 25, of Coleridge Gardens in Lincoln, pleaded guilty and received a five-year sentence for robbery, and one year for breaching his CBO.

The incident took place at Rovers Return Pet Shop on Wolsey Way. Afyter entering the shop Lewis placed a handful of cat treats in a bag.

When challenged by the shop worker, he proceeded to assault her by punching her repeatedly and pushing her to the floor. She sustained injuries to her head, bruising to her legs and cuts to her hand.

By entering the pet shop, Lewis had breached his CBO and activated a suspended sentence that had been imposed for a series of shop thefts in the Lincoln and East Lindsey areas.

One of the conditions of his CBO was not to enter any retail store in Lincoln except for Poundland on the High Street and the Co-Op on Monks Road.

In a Facebook post, the Rover’s Return Pet Shop said: “We want to thank Lincolnshire Police for everything they have done for bringing this case to court and a positive outcome.”