robbers.

Two men, brandishing what was believed to be a gun, ran into Dismont Robinson on Front Street shortly before the store's 10 p.m. closing time on Wednesday night.

They threatened the female cashier with the weapon and grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash from the till before running out of the store and escaping on a motorcycle.

The men, whose descriptions were not given by Police, were last seen riding along Reid Street.

When contacted yesterday, the store's assistant manager said he was not in the store during the robbery and refused to comment.

But The Royal Gazette understands that the store's manager Miss Sonia Dismont and two female cashiers were in the store at the time.

And they decided to let the robbers take the money rather than risking their lives in an attempt to stop them.

Police were yesterday investigating the incident which marked the eighth armed robbery in the past six months.

Since September four businesses and six people have fallen prey to desperate men who have used objects ranging from a stick to a toy gun.

But the most common weapon used, in such robberies which are believed to be drug-related, seemed to be the machete.

In October, heart attack victim Mr. William Pearman was closing up his store, Belvin's Grocery, at Middle Road, Devonshire, when two-hooded robbers brandishing a three-foot machete pounced on him.

After one bludgeoned the terrified 61-year-old with the blunt edge of the machete, the thugs snatched around $2,000 in cash and cheques from the till.

And before leaving they rounded on their victim again.

Demanding that he open the store safe, they pushed him about and struck him with a stick.

But Mr. Pearman suddenly glimpsed an opportunity to escape and fled the store.

A similar incident occurred earlier this month at the Warwick Mini Mart on Middle Road.

But the female proprietor was more fortunate than Mr. Pearman.

She left the store unharmed when a man entered and threatened her with a machete.

Armed robberies of individuals over the past few months have also been vicious.

A Southampton woman was attacked from behind near Between The Walls in Pembroke and beaten about her head with three-foot long metal pipe on Christmas Day.

While the male attacker made off with her purse containing $50, the woman spent weeks in hospital recovering from a broken jaw.

Perpetrators of three of the eight armed robberies of the past six months have been caught.

One, who robbed an MP's daughter of $10,000 with a toy gun, was recently sentenced to five years in prison.

A bold thief snatched a handful of money from a till after asking a cashier to change his money.

The incident occurred around 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday at a Somerset supermarket.

After snatching the money the man fled from the store but was arrested shortly afterward, Police said.

Police were also investigating a break-in that occurred at National Liberal Party leader Mr. Gilbert Darrell's equipment store around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Thieves smashed the glass front-door of the store, on Dundonald Street, with a concrete block.

At least three commercial toasters totaling some $2,400 were taken, Mr.

Darrell said.