Robber jailed for stealing £5k in shop takings

Daniel Thompson, 32, of Walnut Walk, Kempston, was sentenced on Tuesday (January 12), at Luton Crown Court, after being found guilty of the robbery committed on March 3, 2015.

Thompson forcefully removed a bag containing the cash, totalling more than £5,000, from the victim’s shoulder while they were on the way to bank the money.

Investigation officer Detective Constable Andrew Boston said: “This kind of behaviour is not acceptable; not only was the incident very distressing for the victim, the actions of this individual were premeditated and calculated which caused a local business to lose a large sum of money.

“CCTV from Bedford Borough Council was key in this investigation and enabled officers to identify Thompson and arrest him immediately.”

He added: “Tackling robbery is one of our key priorities and we have seen a decrease in robberies of more than 14 per cent in this financial year compared to last year.

“Bedfordshire Police remains committed to protecting people and fighting crime, and I hope that this sentence serves as a warning to other criminals.”