Man Jailed After Brighton And Hove Betting Shop Robberies

Following two betting shop robberies in Brighton and Hove, a man has been jailed.

Brandon Wells, 34, of no fixed address, entered a betting shop in George Street, Hove, on the evening of May 18.

He took a seat and waited for the shop to empty before running towards the counter at around 6.30pm and jumping onto it.

He demanded money from the staff member on duty, threatening violence if they did not comply, before managing to escape with some of the takings.

The following evening, at a similar time, Wells entered another betting shop in Queens Road, Brighton.Again, he waited for the premises to be empty, and then approached a staff member from behind, grabbed her by the collar and demanded money.

He then pushed her through the shop while continuing to issue threats before stealing some of the takings and fleeing.Wells was arrested on May 20 in a betting shop in Dyke Road, Hove, wearing clothing that matched CCTV footage from the Queens Road incident.

Officers took him into custody where he admitted committing the offences during interview, and charges were authorised that evening.

Wells appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court the following day and he was remanded in custody ahead of his next hearing.On June 26 at Lewes Crown Court, Wells pleaded guilty to both charges, and he was sentenced the same day to three years behind bars.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Glaskin, said:

"Thanks to the swift response by our officers and the valuable assistance of local businesses, we were able to quickly identify and arrest Wells in connection with the two betting shop robberies.

"Both crimes took place in busy areas of the city. The victims were just trying to do their jobs and, understandably, were left extremely shaken.

"In each case, Wells used intimidation and violence to get what he wanted, and his actions were both frightening and unacceptable.

"The CCTV footage spoke for itself, and Wells has now been sentenced to three years in prison".