by Paul Hooper

A heartbroken mum wept as she watched her son jailed for robbery... just five years after his brother was murdered.

Sonny Greenidge, 50, snatched cash after threatening a female shop assistant during a heist at a Co-op store in Ramsgate.

His tearful mother June, 73, sat in the public gallery at Canterbury Crown Court to hear details of the robbery.

In 2007, her son Wayne, 45, died in an attack outside the Cherry Orchard Pub in Ramsgate – although police launched a murder hunt his killers have never been brought to justice.

As Sonny was led away to start a three year eight month jail sentence for the raid, Mrs Greenidge thanked the judge.

The court had heard how Sonny, of Highfield Road, Ramsgate, had picked up a piece of wood the size of a baseball bat outside the Co-Op in Newington Road.

He then threatened terrified shop assistant Sharon Hayre during the raid at9.30pm on Sunday, August 26.

Prosecutor Robert de Banzie said he shouted at her to get the money out of the till.

He added: "Miss Hayre instinctively put her hands up over her face because she feared the weapon was about to be used."

He took £83 from the till, demanded more from manager Andrew Griffiths then left the shop, the court heard.

But he was caught on CCTV and arrested at his home, telling police: "It's me, I done the robbery. Desperado!"

Oliver Kirk, defending, said Greenidge owed people money for drugs and it was already spent by the time he got home.

"He was obviously going to be caught. The weapon appears to have been collected at the scene.

"He entered one of his local shops where he was wearing no disguise and committed this offence directly nder CCTV, robbing a person who it's clear from her witness statement knew him."

Despite having 65 previous offences to his name Greenidge, who pleaded guilty to robbery, had stayed out of trouble for nine years before 2007, the court heard.

"Five years ago his brother was murdered, which hit the entire family very hard indeed," Mr Kirk said.

"He is still subject to a hospital order with a restriction as a consequence of the schizophrenia that he has suffered for quite a period of time."

Judge Heather Norton said the incident had been traumatic for the shop assistant, adding:"It was a quiet evening but she looked up to find you in front of her," she said. "You were holding in your hand a large plank of wood.

"She quite understandably became hysterical. She thought she was going to be hit."

Five years ago two men were quizzed by murder hunt detectives after Wayne had been found collapsed outside the Cherry Orchard Pub on the Newington Estate, Ramsgate.

The father-of-three was later taken to the QEQM hospital in Margate where he died.

Jobless Wayne, of Auckland Avenue, had lived on the estate for 29 years and was also a grandfather.

Mrs Greenidge said at the time: "He made everyone he met happy and he was always the one who would cheer you up."I never expected anything like this to happen. It's devastated the whole family."