Bungling knife-point robber who attempted to steal dog walker’s poo bags is jailed after being busted because of his Boston accent

A bungling thug has been jailed for more than two years for robbing a dog walker at knife point - not realising all he was taking were her poo bags

Mark Philip Pelling, 33, threatened the woman with a large knife and ordered her to hand over a small pouch that was around her waist.

But he soon found it contained nothing more than bags to collect dog faeces and treats for her mutt.

He then repeated his initial threat to stab the woman’s dog, but this time he demanded that she give him her purse.

But the brave victim, fearing for her life managed to stay calm, replying: “What purse? I haven’t got a purse. Who brings a purse on a dog walk at six in the morning?”

Pelling, originally from Boston, then walked away empty-handed from the encounter which took place on a footpath in Whitby, North Yorkshire, at around 6.50am on January 29, 2022.

The woman headed to safety and made an emergency 999 call to police just under ten minutes later.

Response officers were quickly on the scene and made sure the victim was unharmed, before searching the area.

The victim was able to provide the officers with a very good description of the man, including his clothing, tattoos and a distinctive Lincolnshire accent.

Investigators believed the suspect matched an individual living on the town’s Abbots Walk called Mark Pelling who was originally from Boston.

Officers attended his address and Pelling was arrested at 3pm the same day. A search was conducted of the address, and a set of knives were recovered.

Just one blade was missing, a large black-handled butcher-type cutter as described by the victim in her statement and first account to officers.

CCTV was also obtained which showed a man following the victim onto New Bridge and then walking away not long after the incident.

The man was wearing a distinctive pair of tracksuit bottoms that can be clearly seen on the footage, which were found at Pelling’s home.

Evidence was also recovered from his phone which proved crucial, alongside the other compelling evidence, to place him at the crime scene.

Pelling was set to contest the charges of attempted robbery and possession of a knife in a public place.

However, on the first day of the trial on September 11 this year, he pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced on Wednesday (November 6) at York Crown Court where he was imprisoned for two years and nine months.

Detective Constable Sam Rivers, from Scarborough and Ryedale CID, said: “A serious offender has been brought to justice in this deeply disturbing case.

“Credit must be given to the victim whose feeling of safety has naturally been affected by the ordeal.

“She is an extremely brave woman and her quick actions to report the crime proved vital.

“It allowed us to identify and arrest of the suspect. Key evidence gathered during the investigation forced Pelling’s hand to plead guilty on the first day of his trial.

“I hope this outcome provides some comfort to the victim.

“Whitby is certainly a safer place with Mark Pelling behind bars.

"One more knife-point robber is off the streets and, make no mistake, North Yorkshire Police is fully committed to bringing criminals like Pelling to justice.”