Coral Bookmakers raid pair jailed

Nov 22 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

TWO armed raiders who burst into a bookmakers and threatened staff with a handgun have each been given five-year prison sentences.

Wearing hoods and scarves, Daniel McDowell and Sean Hall terrorised staff at the Coral Bookmakers, in Beacon Lough Road, Gateshead, when they brandished an imitation pistol.

At a Newcastle Crown Court hearing on Thursday, it was claimed McDowell, 26, of Beacon Court, Gateshead, ran towards the counter and pointed the gun at a terrified clerk.

Prosecutor Xanthe Craddock said: “He was heard to say ‘I’ll shoot you’, before he pointed the gun towards a customer and said ‘stay down’.

“He then moved towards the counter and pointed it at the female member of staff. Terrified, she ducked behind the counter. He ran towards her and shouted ‘give us the money’.”

The member of staff handed over £210, but McDowell waved the gun in her colleague’s face and forced her to hand over more. Meanwhile Hall, 23, of Fell Court, Beacon Lough, Gateshead, was standing guard with a knife, which he pointed at a petrified customer.

Despite fleeing from the scene the pair were reported to police by a friend who heard them plot the crime. The woman led officers to a bag of discarded clothes near the bookmakers in Low Fell, where a jacket and knife were found.

CCTV images also caught the pair casing the property hours before the raid and captured them checking out another branch of the bookies nearby three days before the attack at 9pm, on August 20.

Both McDowell and Hall pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing the imitation firearm and knife.

The court heard the pair had a host of convictions for burglary and theft and both had drug addictions.

In mitigation, they both gave full admissions to the crime and McDowell had even dug up the airgun he had used in the raid for police.

They were both jailed for five years, plus a further two to run concurrently for the weapons charges.

Judge David Hodson said: “This was a planned robbery – you had done some reconnaissance of the premises, you then went in armed.

“You, McDowell, must have terrified the people who you pointed that weapon at and you, Hall, waved your blade around and threatened people.”

Det Sgt Alan Turner said: “As can be seen by the CCTV images, this was a serious offence.

“The staff and members of the public present were controlled by the men brandishing a firearm and a knife – pointing it at them.

“As a result of the sentences passed down by the court yesterday, two persistent criminals will be off the streets for a considerable period of time.

“Another important factor of this investigation was the fact the firearm used in the offence has been recovered by the police and taken out of circulation.”