Armed robber jailed for 10 years

A MAN arrested after carrying out an armed robbery at Warrington has been jailed for 10 years for a series of robberies and issuing bomb threats.
David James Williamson, 50, was tracked on CCTV cameras after the Warrington offences and eventually arrested in Runcorn.
Williamson (pictured), of no fixed address was jailed at Kingston Crown Court after being found guilty of two counts of burglary in Warrington and London, two counts of possessing an imitation firearm in Warrington and London, one offence of possession an imitation firearm in Kent and five offences of communicating false information causing a bomb hoax.
The court heard how Williamson began his armed robbery spree by entering a Maidstone branch of The Money Shop on October 25, 2012 attempting to obtain money by fraudulent means.
After being challenged by staff, he left but returned a short while later and pointed a black handgun at staff. However, they managed to activate an emergency alarm which caused Williamson to flee empty handed.
Later the same day, Williamson travelled to London and entered The Delmere Hotel, Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park and waited for the lone female receptionist to become available before approaching her at the counter and demanding cash from her drawer.
He produced the gun causing the receptionist to fear for her life. She gave him the contents of the till and he left with the money.
Two days later, Williamson attended a bureau de change counter in the Golden Square shopping centre in Warrington and told staff he wanted to purchase £15,000 worth of Euros.
When their suspicions were aroused, Williamson showed the staff his gun causing them to hand over nearly £4,000 cash.
Williamson was tracked on CCTV leaving the shopping centre and catching a bus out of the town centre.
Armed response officers from Cheshire Police were dispatched to the location and eventually stopped the bus at Runcorn town centre where the officers detained him getting off the bus.
Williamson was arrested and when searched the officers recovered an imitation firearm and the money he had just stolen from the bureau de change.
Officers from the MPS Flying Squad became involved in the investigation after fingerprints recovered from the armed robbery at The Delmere Hotel and The Money Shop in Kent were found to match those of Williamson.
Before the robbery spree, Williamson made four phone calls to police on October 14, 2012 claiming that there were several explosive devices planted across central London and on the rail network.
On the same day he also attended Harrods and left a note for staff in an envelope which again stated that an explosive device had been planted. He was arrested and dealt with for the Harrods bomb hoax by officers from the Flying Squad at the same time as the robbery matters.
Detective Constable Joseph Agyei from the MPS Flying Squad said: “These were terrifying attacks committed in broad daylight and caused all the victims involved to fear for their lives. Williamson showed an utter disregard for the victims he targeted in public places. I would like to pay tribute to victims and witnesses who supported police with the prosecution in the face of many challenges. I’d also like to thank our colleagues in Cheshire with whom we established an excellent working relationship that helped bring Williamson to justice.”
DC Neil Radley, from Cheshire Police, said: “Williamson armed himself and threatened staff at a shop in Warrington – leaving them fearing for their lives. This was a terrifying experience for all those involved. He showed complete disregard not only for the law but also for the safety and wellbeing of the victims.”
“I would like to thank everyone who came forward and supported the case and I hope that the successful conclusion will help to bring about a degree of closure for them. Robbery is a serious enough crime in itself but when the offender commits that crime armed with a weapon it adds to the impact of it.
“The sentence handed down to Williamson reflects the seriousness of his crimes and we hope that the time behind bars will allow him to reflect upon his actions. Cheshire Police is committed to tackling robbery – we take any incidents of this nature extremely seriously and will do all we can to trace those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice. In this case Williamson was swiftly located and arrested nearby.”