Shop owner 'left traumatised' after knife threat

Charlotte LewisBBC News, Gloucestershire
News imageGloucestershire Police A man wearing a white short sleeve shirt and sunglasses looks up at a CCTV camera. In the shot is the back of a blue car.Gloucestershire Police
Police have released CCTV of a man they want to speak to about the incident

A shop owner has been left traumatised after he was threatened by a man selling knives, say police.

Gloucestershire Police said the man claimed to be selling carving knives and entered the shop in Wotton-under-Edge, where he grabbed the owner and pulled him into a backroom where he showed him a bag full of knives.

During the incident, which happened on 9 July at about 13:00 BST, the man threatened the shop owner with the knives and insisted he bought them with cash.

Officers said the victim was forced to show the man his bank account to prove that he did not have the money to buy them.

The man, who had a Birmingham accent and had been seen in the town previously selling knives, then left the shop.

The force has launched an appeal and have released CCTV pictures of a man they want to speak to after the incident.

The victim was not injured, police said, although he feared for his safety and was traumatised.

News imageGloucestershire Police A man walking on a pavement wearing a white short sleeve shirt and sunglasses.Gloucestershire Police
Police are asking anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV images to contact them

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