Man jailed for 10 years for string of betting shop robberies using walking stick

A man has been jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to five counts of robbery at bookmakers’ across South London with a walking stick.

Brett Mullan, 50, of Wellington Street, Gravesend, stole a total of £2,780 in April this year from five bookmakers in Lee, Sutton, Norwood Junction and Crayford.

Metropolitan Police officers found that Mullan was travelling to and from the offences on trains.

He was stopped on a train by a railway revenue ticket inspector as he made his way to the second offence in Burnt Ash Road on Wednesday, April 13, and provided his real name.

From there, police gathered footage of each offence, and of Mullan leaving from and returning to his home.

He was arrested on April 25 after leaving home, and charged.

Detectives searched his home and found a collapsible walking stick. After checking CCTV, it was discovered this was what he used to resemble a shotgun by concealing it within a carrier bag.

Detective constable Carl Stallabras said: “Mullan terrified members of the public and staff at the bookmakers, who were going about their normal lives when he demanded cash and made threats of serious violence. Those people feared for their lives.

“But a simple mistake on his way to the second offence was all we needed to track him down, and from there the wealth of evidence we obtained left him no choice but to plead guilty.

“Tackling violent crime in all its forms is our top priority, and the Met is determined to reduce the number of robberies. If you are targeted by robbers you can give us the best chance of catching them by contacting us as soon as possible. Dial 999.”

Pictured top: Brett Mullan carrying out a robbery (Picture: Metropolitan Police)