Scunthorpe Scratch Card Thief Tried To Claim Win

A man has been arrested and found guilty on charges of two counts of theft and one count of attempted theft after he stole money and scratchcards from three different people whilst brandishing a gun and threatening them.

Steven Pavlik of Scunthorpe terrorised shop assistants twice in the same shop, as well as staff in a petrol station in February and March of this year. He hid his face under a balaclava which showed only his eyes and pointed what they believed to be a gun at them, threatening to shoot if they did not comply with his wishes.

The first robbery took place on February the 5th at 10.25 pm. Pavlik entered the One Stop Shop wearing his balaclava and gloves, and pulled a gun on the shift manager, telling her to put cash from the cashier into a plastic bag. 12 days later, on the 17th of February, he returned to the shop but this time lost his nerve and left empty-handed. On both occasions, he wore a balaclava and a hoodie and carried a golfing umbrella which he kept up throughout the robbery and attempted robbery. Then, on March the 2nd, he robbed Bernetby Service Station on the A180 and the A15, where he stole money and scratchcards.

But despite his attempts to mask his identity, Pavlik left behind a few clues which confirmed his guilt – including the butt of a cigarette which he had left discarded in the street and a plastic bag. He was then later arrested on the 7th of March when he tried to claim a £30 win from one of the stolen scratchcards. He was also found guilty of three counts of possessing imitation firearms – although whether or not the guns were real or fake is not known.

Pavlik denied the charges in courts, claiming that he was nowhere near either crime scene when robberies took place. To explain the stolen Lottery scratchcards, he told the court that he had found them lying in the street. One, he claimed, had been scratched off already, and the other he took to a nearby shop to try to cash.

But the Jury was not convinced by his story, and he was found guilty by Grimsby Crown Court in late September, where he is currently remanded in custody.