Two brothers planned and carried out an £11,000 knifepoint raid on a Chatham arcade, a court has heard.

Neil and Nathan Sutton attacked City Slots - described as a '24 hour arcade/casino' in February this year, a jury at Maidstone Crown Court was told.

Nathan, 41 has pleaded guilty to robbery - but his 39-year-old brother Neil has denied the offence.

The attack was caught on CCTV and footage will be shown to the court during the trial.

Prosecutor Kieran Brand claimed: "This defendant acted effectively as reconnaissance and lookout, while his brother entered the store and robbed the contents of the safe whilst holding the sole female member of staff at knife point."

Mr Brand said that at 4pm on February 2 the victim, Rachel Osborn was filling up a slot machine at the back of the shop.

The defendant was then alleged to have walked inside wearing a black puffer jacket, black cap and scarf over his face.

Mr Brand added: "Ms Osborn was going to ask him to remove his hat when he said that he was 'just looking for somebody' before quickly leaving. "

"Four minutes later Nathan walked in brandishing a knife and went to Ms Osborn and said: 'Take me to the safe, don’t do anything stupid love,'" he added.

The prosecutor said she was only able to open one safe and Nathan then stuffed his jacket with £10,800 in cash before walking out to where his brother was waiting, it was claimed.

Mr Brand claimed Neil told her “not to follow him if she didn’t want to get hurt."

He added that wouldn't "think twice "about stabbing her, it was claimed.

"I am a petty thief..I admit I am a thief. I am a shoplifter. I commit crime to feed my drugs habit..."

The prosecutor said the brothers then made their way to ABC Taxi's, situated at the top of Rhode Street.

"They ask for a taxi to take them to their home in Shipwrights Avenue and are told there is a wait of between five to 10 minutes so they end up catching another taxi by the Pentagon Centre," he claimed.

Neil, of Shipwrights Avenue, Chatham, was later arrested but is alleged to have told officers he was walking near City Slots to look for his drug dealer.

After going to a bookies he met up "with a friend" who then went in to City Slots to make a phone call.

Detectives later found £890 in cash inside a jacket in the house,

Nathan later told the jury: "I am a petty thief..I admit I am a thief. I am a shoplifter. I commit crime to feed my drugs habit."

But he claimed Neil had no idea he had carried out the knifepoint robbery.

He said: "I did it on the spur of the moment".

He claimed Neil had no idea he was carrying a large kitchen knife when the two went out hoping to buy drugs.

"I was with my brother Neil at my house. I had gone to the High Street to buy crack cocaine and heroin.

"We went to the bookies to meet the drug dealer who has a number of names, one of which is Jay."

He said he walked up to City Slots but couldn't find the dealer and Neil was "just moping around" when I went inside.

During cross-examination by prosecutor Kieran Brand, Nathan was asked why he was seen looking inside the arcade.

"We were there to buy drugs... not pizza. It looks dodgy because I was acting dodgy.

"I wanted to use the phone but I ended up doing something... I saw someone next to a machine and I saw an opportunity and did a robbery.

"It was a spur of the moment thing... I saw the machine open and took some money," he claimed.

Nathan said he had a knife with him because he had been viciously attacked during a previous incident.

He claimed that when he told Neil about the robbery "he went mental".

Near the end of cross-examination he refused to answer any more questions telling the judge: "I would like some legal advice."

After a break for legal discussions, he returned to the witness box and continued giving evidence for the defence. He will be sentenced later.

He was asked what he had done with the £11,000 and claimed he had spent it on drugs in the two days before he was arrested.

Nathan also claimed he had given his brother "a few hundred quid" to buy drugs on the same day as the robbery.

The trial continues.

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