A balaclava-wearing cricket bat-wielding man with mental health problems lived in the same road as a newsagent he tried to rob.

James Ashley, 29, threatened staff at HN News, Park Avenue, Bushey with the cricket bat and demanded cash from the till before making off empty handed.

The paranoid schizophrenic, who is also bipolar, and suffers from drug induced psychosis, was caught when DNA taken from the cricket bat left at the scene and a balaclava found outside matched the defendant.

Hasmukh Patel and his wife, Nisha were working at the shop on Wednesday, May 21, when a man came in around 6pm wearing a black balaclava.

He shouted at Mrs Patel, who was behind the counter: “where is the money?” and “give me the money”.

Mr Patel was stacking a shelf at the time and heard the commotion and said to Ashley: “You want money.” Ashley swung the weapon at the shopkeeper, hitting him on the arm. But Mr Patel grabbed the bat and a struggle ensured, before Ashley lost his balance and run away.

Police searching The Link Road, where witnesses said they saw a man wearing a stripy jumper, glasses or sunglasses, take off a balaclava, recovered the item.

After the DNA results came back police went to Ashley’s home to arrest him on Friday, June 13. They found no one home, but entered. Inside they found a blue and navy horizontal striped jumper.

Ashley was arrested at his mother’s Borehamwood address on suspicion of robbery, and made no reply to caution.

During interview Ashley admitted he knew Mrs Patel to “say hello to” but denied knowledge of the offence, despite it being the talk of the area.

He said he did not own a cricket bat and could not explain how his DNA was present on the item. He said he had never had a balaclava, but did have a black woolly hat.

Despite the denials Ashley pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted robbery at a St Albans Crown Court hearing in July and was remanded in custody.

He was due to be sentenced by Recorder McCooey on Friday, but the matter was put off for a psychiatric report.

The court had ordered one before, which established he was fit to plead. It concluded he had no mental health problems to prevent him understanding proceedings, but the Mr McCooey said it was not sufficient for sentencing.

Ordering a full psychiatric report, he adjourned sentence until Friday, November 28.

Ashley, who had greeted his supporters in the public gallery with a “hello” and “thanks for coming” was remanded in custody.