Nazim ‘Naz’ McClarren, 18, from Hither Green Lane. Pic: Metropolitan Police

A young man has been jailed for a violent robbery committed April 2014, when he brutally assaulted a shopkeeper in Catford.

Nazim ‘Naz’ McClarren, 18, from Hither Green Lane, was sentenced to four years of imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court on February 23 after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm early December 2014.

The robbery took place in a convenience store in Brookdale Road, Catford. Police were called to the scene at approximately 20.00 on April 6 in response to reports of an armed robbery.

CCTV footage shows McClarren jumping over the counter and dragging the shopkeeper from a corner. He then forces the shopkeeper into the main part of the store and continues attacking him.

Detective Constable Johnny Baker, who investigated the case, said: “This was a very violent and horrific attack on a member of the public who was working alone in the shop.”

Shortly after arriving at the scene, officers discovered that the victim, a man in his 30s, had been assaulted with what they later discovered to be an imitation firearm.

The imitation firearm had broken into several pieces from the force of beating the victim and the injuries inflicted on the shopkeeper required hospital treatment.

After stealing money from the till, the suspect took off. Later, forensic officers found fingerprints and DNA belonging to McClarren on the imitation firearm and the till, leading to his arrest on July 22. He was charged the following day.