Sandwell Man Jailed For Armed Robberies

Tuesday, 12 July 2016 07:00

A Sandwell man has been jailed for 15 years for two armed robberies in the space of two days.

Imran Mahmood, from Edgbaston Road, Smethwick, burst into Windmill News and Booze on the afternoon of 29 January earlier this year and threatened the shopkeeper with an imitation revolver style handgun and demanded cash.

The following afternoon the masked 40-year-old brandished the gun at the shopkeeper of a convenience store in Portland Road, Edgbaston. This time he pulled the trigger and the gun let out a loud bang and a puff of smoke, immediately causing the shopkeeper to fear for her life.

Again Mahmood made off with cash from the till.

Detective Constable Simon Wasley led the investigation. He said: "We immediately began a trawl of local CCTV and the suspect was seen making his way to and from each store in a blue Toyota Yaris.

"An eagle-eyed officer spotted the vehicle in the Smethwick area and, after further investigation, established it was the car used in the robberies and that it belonged to Mahmood’s wife."

Mahmood was charged and remanded in prison until he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday (6 July) where he pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and two counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

DC Wasley added: "In sentencing Mahmood the judge made reference to the terrible psychological impact his actions had on his victims.

"I hope that this lengthy sentence brings some comfort to them."

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