Jewel store robber says sorry

6:14am Friday 9th May 2008

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An armed robber who terrorised a jeweller has sent him a letter to say sorry from his prison cell.

Thomas Farrell is serving a three-year sentence for the raid at Fowler and Oldfield jewellers, in Kirkgate, Bradford, in which he threatened to shoot co-owner Paul Moss in the leg.

Farrell, a desperate alcoholic who had been warned that his drinking habit was killing him, reasoned that a jail term would help get him sober, so he hatched a plot to rob the shop making off with pearls and cash.

Now the 41-year-old has written to Mr Moss to offer his apologies for his desperate actions.

Today, Mr Moss said: "The letter didn't actually bring a tear to my eye, but it brought a lump to my throat because he's so sincere.

"He mentions his family and my family and the family of Mrs (Carmel) Wilde who was also in the shop that day and how upset he was afterwards for the offence that he committed.

"It's absolutely full of apologies. I am very pleased that he has written to us and I accept his apology in the way it was given.

"I am also very sad that he felt that he needed to do such a drastic thing to get help for his alcohol addiction and, in his letter, he states that there's more help for people who are taking illegal substances than for people who are taking legal substances like alcohol.

"I believe, as he obviously does, that alcoholism is an illness and the fact that he went and purchased a gun - albeit a fake one - says a lot about the state of things at the moment. There should be more help out there."

Farrell's letter states: "I write this letter to you with true honesty, not just to make myself feel any better for scaring you the way I did, but to tell you how remorseful I feel for what I put you through on the day of the robbery.

He revealed that he would have written the letter earlier, but did not want people to think he was doing it just to get a shorter sentence.

The letter went on to say: "I am not looking for excuses for scaring you, but I do feel you do need to know what drove me to extreme actions to help myself.

"I did not do it for gain, I honestly needed to help myself to be able to be with my daughter again and my family and not as Thomas Farrell the alci, but just Tommy."

Mr Moss, describing his reaction when he first received the letter, said: "In the post, along with the usual bills, there was one that was hand-written and I thought that's unusual.' "I had a closer look and I could just read HMP Leeds and I thought HMP - that's Her Majesty's Prison.' "So I opened it up and I had a sneaking felling that it might be from the man who held us up in February and, funnily enough, it was a four-page letter from the gentleman."

Mr Moss, who has vivid recollections of the robbery, said: "I heard a funny noise at the door and it was a noise of metal and rock. What he had done is open the door and put a rock on the floor so the door would not close electronically.

"He came to the counter and pulled his little hat down and said I don't like doing this' then pulled out this gun and showed it to me.

"I could see it was cocked and he said give me gold, give me money, I am desperate, I must have money.' "He said I know I am going to get caught, I know you have pressed the alarm button but I am desperate."

Mr Moss told the robber there was no money in the till, but produced some £5 notes and pearls to give to him.

Mr Moss said: "He said they were not good enough but I told him they were really nice pearls and that he would get some good money for them.

"He stuffed them in his pocket, put his gun in his waistband and walked off.

"When he got to the door, he turned back and said I am sorry' and then ran.

"I went to the door to see which way he had gone and there's a guy walking up the street and he sees me and says now then, what's Tommy been up to?' "He had seen him run out of the shop and that was his fate sealed."

Mr Moss said he now wished Farrell, of no fixed address, all the best for the future.